Page 1

Chapter 1 Christian Evans
The Manhattan sky loomed dark with heavy clouds, casting a somber gray over the city. A slow, icy wind curled through the streets, making pedestrians huddle deeper into their coats and scarves as they hurried along the sidewalks. Across the street, a small café stood, its wooden exterior glowing softly under the dim, yellow lights. Through the fogged-up glass windows, the cozy interior revealed three women sitting by a corner table, gazing outside as thick snowflakes layered the empty ground in a soft, white blanket.
“It’s snowing pretty heavily. We should close early today,” Stella muttered, resting her chin on her palm, her elbow propped lazily on the table. Her curls framed her delicate face, and she wore a snug sweater over a pair of jeans.
“Are you sure?” Ellie frowned, tucking a stray strand of her black hair behind her ear. “Maybe let’s wait and see if it stops. I’m waiting for Triston to come get me anyway since he wanted to introduce me to someone for work stuff. I’ll just tell him to come early.”
Stella nodded absentmindedly.
The last girl at the table, Ivy, was quiet. With soft brown hair tied up in a bun, a ribbon perched delicately on her head, andher flushed cheeks still pink from the cold, she looked like she had stepped right out of a cartoon. Her large brown eyes stared outside, lost in thought.
“Ivy?” Stella’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Are you sure you won’t be coming around anymore? I know it’s your last day, but you don’t have to disappear completely.”
Ivy smiled, nodding. “I won’t,” she assured softly.
Stella nodded but didn’t quite believe her. In the months that Ivy had worked at Licious Café, she had always kept to herself. She rarely stayed to chat, never made small talk beyond what was necessary, and always seemed in a hurry. She arrived early, worked tirelessly, and disappeared the moment her shift ended.
As if she was afraid of making any connections.
Invitations for drinks? Declined. Dinners? Always politely refused.
Yet, Ivy’s rejections were so gentle that no one ever took offense.
Stella sighed, glancing outside. The sight of a couple embracing near the café made her groan. “Jesus, it’s so cold, and I just want to cuddle with someone so bad,” she mumbled dramatically, pressing her hands to her cheeks. Then she whined, “Why is dating so damn hard these days? None of the men out there put in any effort. It’s so annoying.”
“Agreed,” Ellie mumbled nonchalantly, dialing her husband, Sawyer's number on the phone. The moment the call connected, she said, “Hey, bring me a tub of ice cream before you come home—or don’t come home at all.”
There was a muffled response on the other end, to which Ellie scoffed. “I’m not calling you that’ Stop asking me again and again.”
Then Ellie’s face suddenly flushed a deep red. She shot Stella and Ivy a panicked look, as if they had just barged into her bedroom. She hurriedly pressed the hang-up button several times until the screen went black.
Stella shook her head in amusement before turning her gaze back outside. Watching the couple still wrapped in each other’s arms, she suddenly asked, “Have either of you ever been in a relationship where a man loved you so madly, so deeply, that it completely shook your life?” Her eyes flickered between Ivy and Ellie as she continued, “That kind of love that’s wrong in every way but so deep and intense that it ruins your whole existence?”
Ellie grinned. “Nah. My husband and I have been together since childhood. In his world, I rule.” The smug smile on her face made Stella snicker.
“I know. I’ve seen that.”
Ivy smiled but didn’t answer. She turned her gaze back to the snow outside, her heart whispering a truth no one else could hear.
‘I have.’
Five years sounded like a long time, but to Ivy, it felt like just yesterday.
She was twenty when she first stepped into Evans Holdings, one of the biggest construction firms in the country as an intern—wide-eyed, eager, and utterly unprepared for the storm that was about to consume her life.
No, it hadn’t just entered—it had burst through the doors, breaking every wall she had, filling every space in her existence.
Her first encounter with that storm had been at a bar across the street from Evans Holdings’ massive building. It was supposedto be a simple welcome gathering, a casual night out with other interns and seniors for introductions and casual networking.
She had sat quietly on the couch, dressed in her office clothes, surrounded by the chatter of colleagues. Drinks littered the table, laughter filled the air, and people exchanged stories about their best business deals and office mishaps.
Ivy didn’t have much to say. She was young, new, and mostly just listened.
“Why so quiet?” A man’s voice broke through the chatter.
Ivy turned slightly, stiffening as a man in his late thirties slid onto the couch beside her. Something about him put her on edge, a gut feeling she couldn’t shake.
She forced a polite smile but didn’t respond.