LOGINIvonne’s POVWe soon reached the venue for our date and Justin slows the car before pulling over in front of… whatever the heck this was supposed to be.I blink at the windshield, then lean forward as if squinting will somehow make the tall run down building transform into something less… depressing.It’s an abandoned structure, gray, peeling walls, boarded-up windows, the kind of place you expect stray cats to unionize in. The whole thing looks like it’s been sitting here since the civil war, quietly accepting its fate.“…Justin?” I say slowly. “Are we lost? Did the GPS give up on life?”Justin just grins at me, dimples out like he’s proud of himself. “We’re here.”“Here where?” I gesture dramatically at the corpse of a building before us. “Because this looks like the kind of place people go right before a true-crime documentary starts.”He cuts the engine and unbuckles his seatbelt like this is all normal. “Come on.”My jaw drops. “No. No, Justin, explain. What is this?”He looks ov
Ivonne's POVBy the time I finally got downstairs, the office was almost completely empty. Thank the Goddess, because The last thing I needed was someone seeing me walk out all dressed up to meet Justin and then spreading rumors about me juggling my ex Lincoln, my fiancee Hector, and Justin like some kind of fucked up walking soap opera.I already knew the whispers in the company and the country as a whole were bad enough so I definitely didn’t need to add gasoline to that fire.I hugged my bag a little tighter and started power-walking toward the front door, hoping to slide out unseen. I was literally two steps from freedom when—“Ivonne!”Ah shit!I froze mid-stride.No. Not now.I slowly turned, already bracing myself.Mr. Larry stood near the reception, coat over one arm, his brows raised with that fatherly concern he always tried to hide but failed miserably at.“Uh… good evening, Mr. Larry,” I said, clearing my throat and forcing a smile.He walked toward me, his gaze dropping t
Ivonne's POVThe moment I stepped into the Stone Enterprises lobby, the air immediately turned icy... as It always did when the staff laid their eyes on me.Even with my head held high, I could still feel the cold harsh eyes piercing though me. The stares. The judgment. Like needles pressing into my skin.I ignored them all.I had survived worse than a bunch of bitter coworkers who had too much time and too little emotional intelligence.Besides, they were cowards who were only this bold because Sevrin wasn’t here today to glare them into submission. Which, in all honestly, was a relief.Because I really needed to get used to standing against haters on my own again.Sevrin had stayed behind in the lycan realm to help Hector with some wedding-related customs—or so he claimed. I didn’t bother asking for details. I was just glad I wasn’t relying on him to scare people away for me anymore. I built myself to be strong against all opposition alone once; I could do it again.I forced my shou
Ivonne's POVMy phone suddenly lit up at that moment, it was a message from JustinI froze, glancing at Hector’s broad back. He seemed to have fallen asleep—at least I hoped he was. I carefully reached for my phone, angling the screen away from him, just in case.It really was from Justin.My stomach tightened because i had almost forgotten about him these last few days.Hi, Ivonne.I hope you’re alright.Also… we still haven’t had our date. please i hope you havent forgetten.I blinked at the message as my heart suddenly began racing. Why did it feel like I was reading something forbidden? I swallowed and quickly typed back before I could talk myself out of it.Me:We can have the date tomorrow after work. I’m free.The reply came almost instantly.Justin:Really? Perfect! I’ll pick you up from the office. Looking forward to it. I've missed you.I stared at the screen, surprised at the small sting of guilt blooming in my chest. Guilt. As if I were cheating on Hector.I shut my eyes.
Ivonne's povJust like that, whatever pieces of hope my heart was desperately clutching slipped right out of my hands.There was no future where that vision I once saw could exist. No family. No softness. No small miracle we could pretend belonged to us.We had Nothing.I shut it all down. I forced the door closed in my mind. I pushed every emotion back until my chest felt empty enough to stop hurting.“Understood. Goodnight,” I said quietly. And I turned away from him, laying as far from him as the bed allowed.He hesitated. I could feel it in the way the mattress dipped slightly, in the pause of his breathing, in the faint rustle of movement behind me.But eventually… he lay down too.And sleep—real sleep—never came for either of us....When the faint early sun filtered through the curtains, my head was pounding and my heart felt bruised.Hector sat at the little table near the window, already dressed, already up. He looked… tired. His eyes lifted the second I pushed myself to sit
Ivonne's POVHe whispers, “Ivonne… who told you that?”His tone is almost sad, but I notice that he does'nt deny my words.I don’t know how long I just lay there staring at nothing after Hector froze at my question. Maybe seconds. Maybe minutes. But whatever softness I’d felt for him, that stupid tiny spark that somehow managed to grow when I wasn’t paying attention, it felt like it was flickering out, one painful crack at a time.And maybe that was a good thing. Maybe my heart needed it.He was still lying beside me, silent and tense, but the moment stretched too thin, and I knew if I stayed on that topic any longer, I might fall apart again.So I cleared my throat and forced myself to continue. “It doesn’t matter who told me,” I said quietly.He shifted a little, but he didn’t interrupt. Good.I kept going. “It really doesn’t. I’m not a kid. I didn’t come here to complain about gossip. What matters is that you should have been the one to tell me.”His silence felt heavier than his w







