“Ivy’s POV”
I didn’t want to go outside.
But the walls inside the mansion felt too tight, too cold. I didn’t want to sit in silence again. Not after everything Leon said. Not after what I said.
So I went to the gardens.
I walked slowly between the hedges, touching the leaves with my fingers, trying to feel something soft. The air smelled like grass and fresh earth. For a moment, I just let the sun warm my face.
“You come here when you’re tired of everything,” Cian said behind me.
I turned around.
He looked calm as always. But softer too. He wasn’t smiling, not fully.
“Maybe I come here because no one follows me here,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow. “I followed you.”
I sighed. “You don’t count. You don’t hover.”
He stepped closer. “Should I?”
“No,” I said. “That’s what makes you
