FAZER LOGINIvy’s POV
The morning sunlight slants through the alley behind the bakery, turning the flour dust in the air into drifting gold.
Arla signs the delivery slip with her usual flourish, tongue caught between her teeth, while I stack boxes of ingredients beside the door. The scent of sugar and yeast fills the warm air, sweet and grounding.
“Can you believe this?” she says suddenly, glancing at me with a grin. “All this time, the woman who help
Ivy’s POVTime drags, heavy and cruel.The fire crackles, devouring the bakery’s walls, and every passing second feels like a knife twisting deeper. I can’t breathe properly; the smoke, the waiting, the fear; they all blur together.“Come on, please,” I whisper. “Please come out.”The crowd murmurs around me, faces pale in the flickering orange light. Some are crying, some whispering prayers. My eyes stay fixed on the doorway where Alexander vanished.Then, suddenly …“Ivy!”I turn so fast my vision spins. Arla stumbles into view, her arm wrapped protectively around Mikel. His face is streaked with ash, his small chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.“Mikel!” I run to them, dropping to my knees, gathering them both into my arms. “Oh, thank the Moon, thank you.”He clings to me, trembling. “Mommy! Alexander, he helpe
Ivy’s POVThe morning sunlight slants through the alley behind the bakery, turning the flour dust in the air into drifting gold.Arla signs the delivery slip with her usual flourish, tongue caught between her teeth, while I stack boxes of ingredients beside the door. The scent of sugar and yeast fills the warm air, sweet and grounding.“Can you believe this?” she says suddenly, glancing at me with a grin. “All this time, the woman who helped me decorate cupcakes was secretly the Lycan King’s wife. I feel like I’ve been living in a royal drama.”I sigh, but there’s laughter tugging at my lips. “You’re exaggerating.”“Am I?” She lifts a brow. “Do you have any idea how many people in this city worship him? I mean, posters, collectible cards, news segments, the works. He’s like a walking legend. And you,” she pokes me lightly in the arm, “were
Ivy’s POVOne.The world narrows to that single heartbeat between us.Alexander stands on his panel, hand pressed against the glowing button, his expression calm, serene, almost resigned. A faint breeze stirs the stray hair at his temple, and in that instant, I can see it; how willing he is to let the mud crash down on him, how unflinching he is in the face of humiliation, all to prove a point that he never says aloud.He would let himself be drenched in front of everyone, just to see if I would care enough to stop it.And I do.I cannot help it. I have always been soft in this way, especially when it comes to him.Before I can think any further, my hand slams onto my button.A burst of golden light explodes from beneath our feet. The system beeps once, signaling completion.Cheers erupt around us. The children scream with delight, the teachers clap, confetti cannons burst from the corners of the
Ivy’s POVThe courtyard still hums from the echo of Alexander’s declaration when the teachers begin rearranging the stage.A bright banner unfurls across the railings that reads “The Couple’s Game!” in cheerful glittering letters. The children cheer, clapping their hands as the teachers wheel out the glowing game arena.I blink at the sight of it. The field is a huge circle bordered by shimmering light screens. Inside, gleaming stones hover like tiny suns. Every few seconds, one of the stones flashes and launches a pulse of light that splashes harmlessly across the protective boundary. It looks safe enough for the children watching, but clearly designed to test strength and speed.“Now,” Miss Olivia calls through her microphone, “each mother and father will enter as a pair. The task is simple. Protect your partner from the falling stones while hitting the moving bullseyes. The pair who finishes in t
Ivy’s POVFor a long moment, the world stops moving.The crowd around me blurs into a watercolor of colors and sound. All I can see is Alexander.The breeze catches his hair as he walks through the courtyard, dark strands shifting like silk under the sunlight.The balloons in his hand shimmer with reflected light, ribbons of gold and ivory twining around his wrist. I notice the details even before I realize I am holding my breath. The ribbons are threaded with jasmine petals; small, star-shaped blossoms that carry their faint, familiar perfume through the air.My favorite flower.He stops a few feet in front of me. His eyes find mine across the fluttering colors. A hush falls over the courtyard. Children stare wide-eyed, parents whisper.He smiles, slow and devastating, the kind of smile that remembers every secret between us. “You look beautiful, Ivy.”My fingers tighten around Mikel’s
Ivy’s POVThe morning light slips gently through my curtains, painting soft golden stripes across the wooden floorboards.I am halfway through making breakfast when the front door bursts open.“Mom!” Mikel’s small voice rings down the hall before his little feet do, pattering rapidly over the floor. He barrels straight into the kitchen, his cheeks flushed pink from the chill outside, his tiny backpack bouncing against his back.In his hands is a crinkled paper bag from the corner sweet shop. He thrusts it up toward me with both hands, grinning so wide his dimples show.“I brought your favorite candies!” he announces proudly.I laugh, my chest melting in the way only he can make it. “Two scoops? Someone must have missed me a lot today.”“I missed you this much!” He stretches his arms out as wide as they’ll go, then tips forward and hugs my waist tightly







