Asher

Asher’s POV

My thumb hovered over the screen, stuck on the same image I had seen dozens of times today. Ivy, looking as beautiful as ever, with Max handing her a massive bouquet of roses and balloons. The post was blowing up, and I couldn’t stop scrolling. More pictures. More comments. Most people were speculating that the gifts were from me.

I tried to push the tightness in my chest away. Ivy wasn’t mine in any real sense. This marriage was just a contract. A convenient arrangement for both of us. It was impulsive, at least for her. I told myself it wasn’t serious. After all, I had explicitly told her I didn’t need fidelity, nor should she expect it from me.

It was a lie I told with a straight face. And now I had to deal with this. Just the thought was maddening, and now seeing actual pictures of them together, her smiling at him, made my stomach churn.

The door clicked open, and Ivy walked in, her heels clicking sharply on the polished floor, cutting through the quiet. She stopped f