“He said the words I used to dream about. But I didn’t run into his arms. I sat there, steady. Because this time, I was listening with my heart, not my hurt.” Summary: Jace shows up and says all the things Ivy once begged for—back then, she would've fallen. But now, she doesn’t fold. She thanks him. She hears him. But she keeps her ground. Because love isn’t about timing—it’s about truth that lasts. And Ivy’s learned to protect herself first, even when her heart still aches for him.

“I thought I had time. But time doesn’t wait for boys who keep breaking the same girl and calling it love. So this time… I showed up. For her. For real.” Summary: Jace doesn’t text. Doesn’t stall. He finds Ivy sitting alone and does what he should’ve done from the beginning: tells her the truth. He admits the fear, the excuses, and the mess. And not because he expects her to take him back—he knows she doesn’t owe him that. He says it because she deserves to hear it from him, face-to-face, no games, no charm—just heart.

"I didn't stop walking because I didn't care. I kept walking because I finally do—about me. About my heart. About never begging for love again." Summary: After walking past Jace, Ivy retreats to a quiet corner of campus, heart thudding with all the things she didn't say. She saw the change in his eyes—the regret, the ache—but she doesn't let herself go back. Not yet. Not without proof. Because wanting someone isn't enough anymore. Ivy's done offering love to people who only miss her once she's gone.

"She didn't yell. She didn't cry. She didn't say a single word. And that silence? That's the loudest goodbye I've ever heard." Summary: After Ivy walks past him without a word, Jace finally breaks—but quietly. He stands frozen, realizing this wasn't just space; it was distance she chose. Her silence hits harder than any fight ever could, and for the first time, Jace understands: he didn't just lose her... he gave her the reason to leave. Now all he can do is stand in the wreckage, wishing for one more chance to prove he's not the same boy who let her go.

Left by her one true love, a woman only sees one way out the agonizing despair and chaotic emptiness he left in her heart. During the critical moment he finds her. Can he save her? Or is she lost to a heart broken beyond the ability to heal? In every love, there must be a sacrifice.

“I saw him. My heart didn’t shatter. It stuttered, sure. But I walked anyway. Not because I didn’t want to turn around—because I finally knew I shouldn’t.” Summary: n a quiet hallway, Ivy and Jace cross paths. She sees him. Feels the ache. Feels the pull. But this time, she walks. Not because she’s over it, but because she respects herself more than the echo of what they were. Her silence isn’t cold—it’s self-respect. She’s healing in real-time, and her steps away from him are the bravest ones she’s ever taken.

"She didn't pause. Didn't blink. Didn't let me see a single crack. And that's what destroyed me the most—because I realized she realized she already let me go, and I'm the only one still holding on." Summary: Jace runs into Ivy by accident, and it hits like a punch to the ribs. No words. No explosion. Just eye contact—and then she walks right past him like he's nothing more than a face she used to know. Her silence isn't bitter. It's peaceful. And that undoes him completely. Because now he finally understands... she's not angry. She's free. And if he wants her back, he's going to have to earn his way into the version of her that no longer waits for boys like him.

“I felt it. Every word, every silence, every almost. But I didn’t answer. Not because I didn’t care—because I finally do. About me.” Summary: Ivy finally lets herself process Jace’s message—not with desperation, but with clarity. She remembers the ache, the way she used to wait for his attention like air. But now she walks forward with something else: boundaries. Silence isn’t cold. It’s protective. And for the first time, her heart isn’t begging—it’s healing. Choosing not to reply isn’t indifference… it’s growth.

“She read it. No reply. And that silence hit harder than any fight we ever had. Because silence? That’s not confusion. That’s a decision. And this time… it’s not mine.” Summary: Jace finally sees the message marked as Read. After two long days, Ivy looked—and chose silence. It’s not an accident. It’s not hesitation. It’s her boundary. And Jace realizes, maybe for the first time, that she’s not waiting for him anymore. If he wants a second chance, words won’t cut it. He’ll have to become the man who’s worth her voice again. And the question that terrifies him most: what if she’s already done hoping?

"I opened it. Sat with it. And then I let it go. Because loving someone doesn't always mean answering. Sometimes it means choosing yourself, even when your heart's still sore." Summary: Ivy finally reads Jace’s message, two days later. But instead of spiraling, she breathes. The words don’t gut her like they used to. They don’t unravel her. She doesn’t reply—not because she’s punishing him, but because she no longer needs his validation to feel whole. For the first time, Ivy chooses stillness over reaction, healing over hope. And it’s not weakness—it’s freedom.

"I sat there with the phone in my hand, like it held the apology I couldn't say out loud. But there's no message that undoes what I broke. And maybe... maybe she's not coming back this time." Summary: Jace is unraveling. Every hour without a reply feels heavier than the last. He thought he could handle silence, but not hers. Now, with nothing left to hide behind, he’s finally confronting the truth—he didn’t just hurt her. He pushed her away. And as the message sits untouched, he realizes: Ivy might be gone for real this time. Not out of anger—but out of finally learning to let go.

"I could've answered. God knows I wanted to. But I didn't. Because this time, I wanted to make sure I wasn't just running back to someone who doesn't know how to stay." Summary: The morning after Jace’s late-night message, Ivy wakes to a room filled with soft light—and heavy silence. The message is still there, unread. She holds the moment in her hands, caught between habit and healing. But instead of giving in, she makes a quiet choice: to pause. To wait. To not give more of herself until he proves he knows what to do with it. She doesn’t answer… and that silence might be the loudest thing she’s ever said.

“I thought silence would be easier. I’ve lived in it my whole life. But hers? Hers feels like drowning. Like I finally reached out—too late—and she didn’t reach back.” Summary: After sending “I saw you today,” Jace waits. And waits. But Ivy doesn’t answer. The silence stretches longer than he can take, and for the first time, he’s the one left on read—if even that. The distance feels permanent now. And the truth starts to sink in: he’s not just watching her let go. He’s watching her choose not to look back. And this time, he might not get another chance.

Reality grows thin around me, pale and quiet, so I slip into the kingdom my longing built. Dragons sweep across violet skies. Forests glow with spelllight. The air tastes sweet, as if magic drifts through every breath. And there he is, the man the world calls villain, cloaked in shadow, calm as a storm waiting to break. I should fear him, yet my heart chooses him first. Not the hero, not the gentle path. But him. He protects me with a fierce, unflinching devotion, not dying for me, but fighting for me, choosing me, burning for me. The impossible becomes home.

“I stared at the message like it was a trap and a lifeline all at once. He saw me. And now he wanted me to know. But what he doesn’t get is—I’m not the same girl who would drop everything just because he texted. Not anymore.” Summary: Late at night, Ivy’s phone buzzes with a message from Jace: “I saw you today.” Just four words—but they hit like lightning. Now she’s suspended in a moment of uncertainty, staring at the screen, fingers trembling over the keyboard. A part of her wants to reply. A bigger part knows she shouldn’t. Because even now, even after everything… he still has a hold on her she doesn’t know how to break.

“She used to look back. Every time. Even when she shouldn’t. But now she doesn’t. She didn’t even flinch. And maybe that’s how I know I finally lost her… not in a scream, not in a goodbye. Just silence.” Summary: Jace watches Ivy through the glass, standing frozen in the hallway, hoping—desperately—for her to turn. Just one look. One second. A sign she still cares. But she doesn’t give it to him. She sits steady, peaceful, facing someone else. And the weight of her stillness is heavier than any words she could have thrown. For the first time, Jace realizes the distance between them isn’t just emotional. It’s final. She’s done chasing.

In the mysterious Louisiana town of Belle Marias, the fates of two very different women collide after a tragic night, setting off a chain of secrets, betrayals, and supernatural consequences that will shake the town’s most powerful families.

“I felt him watching. The air changed, like gravity shifted. But I didn’t turn. I didn’t give him that. Not because I was angry—because I was done giving him pieces of me he didn’t know how to hold.” Summary: Ivy senses Jace watching her from the hallway, but she doesn’t acknowledge him. For the first time, she doesn’t shrink, doesn’t chase, doesn’t even look. She sits steady, calm, letting him see the girl who’s starting to choose herself over waiting. It’s not about power. It’s about peace. And this time—she keeps it.

“She looked peaceful. Sitting there with him, like I hadn’t shattered her just days ago. And it hit me—all at once—that maybe she’s learning how to feel okay without me. And that… scared the hell out of me.” Summary: Jace wasn’t supposed to see her. Wasn’t supposed to stop. But when he catches Ivy tucked into a couch beside Caleb—calm, not hurting, not alone—he freezes. For the first time, he’s on the outside of her world, watching someone else fill the space he keeps leaving behind. And the ache he feels in that moment? It’s not jealousy. It’s real loss—the kind you can’t charm or run from.

“I didn’t cry. I didn’t break. I just kept walking. And when Caleb found me sitting alone and didn’t ask questions, I let him stay. Because maybe I was tired of waiting for someone who keeps walking away.” Summary: After walking away from Jace for the last time, Ivy doesn't fall apart—she gathers herself. She ends up in a quiet corner of the art building, where Caleb finds her and offers quiet, no-pressure company. And for the first time, Ivy lets someone else in—even just a little. She’s not replacing Jace. Not yet. But she’s realizing she doesn’t have to wait in the wreckage anymore.