LOGINIVYCassian had just fallen asleep beside me, his breathing slow and steady, one arm still loosely draped over my waist. The room was dark except for the faint moonlight coming through the curtains, and the only sound was the soft rhythm of his breath. My body was still warm from what we had just shared — the way he had kissed me, the way his hands had moved over my skin, the way he had made me moan his name. Even now, thinking about it made my cheeks flush and a familiar ache return between my legs. But my mind was wide awake, racing with thoughts I couldn’t push away.I waited until I was sure he was deeply asleep, then carefully slipped out from under his arm. The sheets rustled softly as I moved, but he didn’t stir. My heart was pounding as I stood up, my bare feet silent on the cool floor. I glanced back at him one last time. He looked peaceful, trusting, completely unaware of what I was about to do. A sharp pang of guilt hit me, but I pushed it down. I had made my decision. I
IVYI lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the quiet of the room pressing down on me like a heavy blanket. The space I had asked for from Cassian felt too big now, too empty. My body missed him more than my mind wanted to admit. I kept thinking about the way his arms felt around me, the warmth of his chest against my back, the gentle way he would kiss my forehead before sleep. Yesterday I had pushed him away because I was confused and hurt, but tonight the loneliness felt heavier than the questions in my head. I missed his touch. I missed the way he made me feel wanted, the way my body responded so easily to him.I got out of bed and walked quietly down the hallway to the room where he was sleeping. The door was slightly open. I pushed it gently and stepped inside. Cassian was lying on his back, one arm behind his head, his chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. He looked peaceful, but I could see the worry still lingering on his face even in sleep. My heart softened. I had h
IVYThe night felt heavier than any night I had spent in this lakeside cottage. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the soft sound of the lake outside the window doing nothing to calm the storm inside me. Cassian was asleep in the other room — I had asked for space, and he had given it, even though I could see how much it hurt him. His presence in the house still felt close, like a shadow I couldn’t escape.I missed the warmth of his arms, the way his hand would rest on my thigh or how his lips would find my forehead in the dark. My body still remembered him so clearly. Every time I thought about his touch, I felt that familiar flutter in my chest and the warmth between my legs.But my mind wouldn’t let me rest. The conversation I had overheard between him and Everett kept playing over and over — the talk about “the video,” the desperate plan to film me again, the deal to make us disappear. I couldn’t keep pretending everything was okay.I sat up slowly, my heart beating fast. I knew
IVYThe silence after I told Cassian I needed space felt suffocating. He stood frozen in the middle of the room, his eyes wide with a raw fear that made my stomach twist. The man who had been my steady anchor — the one who held my hand through every dizzy spell and kissed my forehead like I was the only thing keeping him grounded — now looked like he was watching his entire world slip away. My own heart was cracking in two. One part still ached for the safety of his arms, for the way his touch made everything feel less scary. The other part was finally waking up, demanding answers I couldn’t keep ignoring.I had just confronted him about the conversation I overheard — the desperate talk about “the video,” the deal with Everett, the plan to take me far away so no one could find us. The words had poured out of me in a rush of hurt and confusion. Now Cassian’s face was pale, his hands trembling at his sides as he tried to find the right thing to say.“Ivy… please,” he whispered, his voi
IVY The big room felt smaller with every passing minute, the weight of what I had overheard pressing down on my chest until I could barely breathe. I couldn’t pretend anymore. The conversation between Cassian and Everett kept replaying in my head — the pressure about “the video,” the deal to make me disappear, the way Cassian had sounded desperate and trapped. My heart was breaking, but a new strength was growing inside me too. I needed the truth, even if it destroyed everything. Cassian came into the room after dinner, closing the door softly behind him. He looked tired, his shoulders heavy, but he still smiled at me the way he always did — gentle, protective, like I was the only thing that mattered. That smile used to make me feel safe. Tonight it only made the pain sharper. I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands clasped tightly in my lap so he wouldn’t see them shaking. “Cassian, we need to talk. Right now.” He walked over and sat beside me, reaching for my hand. “What’s wrong,
IVYI lay on the bed pretending to rest, but sleep would not come. My mind was too loud, too full of questions that refused to settle. The big room felt smaller with every passing minute. Everett’s words from the stables kept circling in my head like smoke I couldn’t clear. “You better be careful with him.” The way he had said it, so quiet and serious, made my stomach twist. I tried to push the thought away, but it only grew stronger.Then I heard voices in the hallway — low, tense, and sharp. One was Cassian’s. The other was Everett’s. My heart jumped. Something in their tones told me this was not a normal talk. I sat up slowly, careful not to make the bed creak. I slipped my feet to the floor and moved toward the slightly open door, my bare feet silent on the cool wood. I didn’t plan to listen. But my body moved anyway, pulled by the need to know what they were hiding from me.I stopped just inside the doorway, hidden in the shadow, and held my breath.Everett spoke first, his voice
The dream came fast and merciless, the way dreams do when your heart is still bleeding from wounds you pretend are healed.I was back in the studio at the lake house.The same wide windows letting in late-afternoon light, the same black backdrop, the same wooden floor that creaked under bare feet.
I stepped out of the restroom on legs that still felt unsteady, the cool tile under my sandals doing nothing to ground me. My skin was flushed, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. The hallway was empty except for the distant thump of music from the theater lobby, but the silenc
I needed a distraction.So when Noah texted again—same easy warmth, same invitation to come back—I almost said yes.He even offered to buy the ticket.“I’ve got miles,” he wrote. “Let me spoil you. Come back. Let me take you dancing. Let me take you to bed. Let me remind you how good it feels when
The library shift had dragged on longer than usual that day. The afternoon crowd was thin—mostly students hunched over laptops, a few regulars flipping through magazines—and the quiet gave my mind too much space to wander. I kept seeing the same images on loop: Cassian’s face when he told me he lo







