Transmigrated: I Became My Nemesis's Woman novel Chapter 190

Chapter 190: I couldn’t risk leaving anything behind

Later that evening, Ivy sat alone in Xander’s study, waiting for him to return.

The room was unusually quiet.

An untouched cup of tea rested on the coffee table while she sat on the sofa, absentmindedly staring at the notebook lying open in front of her.

Her mind, however, was miles away.

Ever since she had visited the burned house, fragments of memories had continued to surface.

They weren’t complete. Just brief glimpses.

Laughter. Footsteps. Warm embraces.

And two names that refused to leave her mind.

June...

Luna...

She silently repeated them to herself.

June... Luna...

The names felt unfamiliar, yet strangely comforting.

She drew in a slow breath.

"So... before Hardley found me..." she whispered to herself, "my name was June."

The realization made her chest tighten.

"And Luna..."

A faint smile appeared on her lips before quickly fading.

"My little sister."

Unlike before, the faces she had seen were no longer blurry.

She could clearly remember her mother’s gentle smile, her father’s reassuring voice, and the bright, innocent grin on Luna’s face.

The memories no longer felt like dreams. They felt real. Painfully real.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. Before she could respond, the study door opened and Xander walked inside.

He had returned home nearly half an hour earlier, but Ivy had asked him to freshen up before meeting her.

She had expected him to ask why she wanted to speak with him so urgently.

Instead, the moment he entered the room, he walked straight toward her.

Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around her.

Ivy blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected the sudden embrace. But after a brief pause, she slowly lifted her own arms and hugged him back.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

Xander buried his face against her shoulder for a moment before finally speaking.

"Bernard didn’t kill my parents."

His words made Ivy freeze. "What?"

He slowly pulled away, his expression unusually solemn.

"I met him today."

"He came to Phantom Headquarters himself."

Ivy searched his face.

"I thought everything pointed to him."

"So did I."

Xander let out a weary sigh and sat beside her.

"I believed he was responsible. He admitted to many of his mistakes. He admitted he had failed my mother. He admitted he had been a terrible father. But..." He shook his head.

"He never admitted to murdering them."

Ivy frowned. "And you believed him?"

"I didn’t want to."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees.

"But everything he said made sense."

"He had already signed a peace agreement with my father."

"My father had enough evidence to destroy Black Veil if Bernard ever broke that treaty."

"There would’ve been no reason for Bernard to risk starting a war he knew he couldn’t win."

The room fell silent as Ivy slowly processed his words.

"So someone deliberately made it look like Bernard was responsible."

Xander nodded. "Someone planted every lead. Every clue."

His expression darkened.

"They wanted me to spend my entire life chasing the wrong person."

Ivy’s brows knitted together.

"Which means..."

"The real mastermind is still out there," Xander finished quietly.

Neither of them spoke for several moments.

The weight of the revelation settled heavily between them.

Finally, Ivy reached out and took his hand.

"Then we’ll find the truth."

Xander looked at her.

"There has to be someone connecting both cases."

She hesitated before continuing.

"Because... I found something today too."

His eyes immediately sharpened.

"What did you find?"

Ivy drew in a slow breath.

"I went back to the burned house. The one where Federick’s family died."

"You... what?"

Xander stared at Ivy in disbelief. His calm expression vanished the instant she mentioned returning to the burned house.

"You went there alone?"

"I didn’t—"

Before she could finish, Xander was already on his feet.

"Ivy, do you have any idea how dangerous that place could have been?"

She immediately raised both hands. "Don’t panic. I wasn’t alone."

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