“Ivy”
We got back from the Games just before sunset. The car ride was quiet, but not in a bad way. Leon had his arm stretched across the back of the seat behind me, fingers barely brushing my shoulder. It was enough to make my skin burn. I stared out the window, pretending not to care. Pretending not to notice.
My chest still felt tight from everything that had happened. The crowd. The way Leon held me close. The way everyone looked at us like we were something special. Like we belonged.
But we didn’t.
This was a deal. A contract. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything.
The guards opened the heavy doors to the mansion and we stepped inside. It was quiet, as always. Cold and dark in a way that never really went away. The scent of the forest clung to Leon’s clothes as he moved beside me, an
