DECEMBER 2022

AFTER DAYS OF RADIO SILENCE, ELIJAH FOUND HIMSELF ONCE AGAIN STANDING OUTSIDE IVY AND BOBBY'S DOOR. The chill in the evening air clung to him, biting through the sleeves of his jacket as he stood motionless for a moment, debating whether or not to knock. But he did. The familiar sound of his knuckles rapping against the old wood echoed in his ears, dragging with it a weight of memories he didn't want to revisit. A pause. Then the latch clicked, the door creaked open. Ivy stood there, her expression unreadable under the flickering porch light.

She raised a brow, arms folded. "Bobby's out again," she said flatly, already moving to close the door.

But Elijah's calloused hand caught it, firm. "Wait."

"What?" Ivy blinked, pulling the door open just enough to see him more clearly. Her tone wasn't curious-it was tired. Done. Elijah didn't answer. Instead, he pushed past her, stepping into the hallway like it was still familiar. He ran a hand through his hair, already regretting every word he hadn't said in the last few days.

Ivy shut the door with a soft thud and leaned against it, arms still crossed.

Elijah let out a harsh sigh, turning sharply to face her. "What's going on with you, Ives? You've been-" he hesitated, gesturing vaguely between them, "you've been avoiding me for days."

Ivy's stare didn't soften. "Didn't think you'd care," she replied, her voice low, each word cutting sharp and clean like broken glass.

His brows furrowed. He let out a scoff, exasperated. "Of course I fucking care!" His voice rose, raw and too loud for the small space. The words bounced off the walls, heavy with frustration.

Ivy tilted her head up to meet his eyes, her own blank, a ghost of a smirk flickering across her lips. "Do you? I doubt Grace would be thrilled to hear that."

He blinked, stunned. "Bobby." He muttered, like the name alone could rewind time.

"Yeah. Bobby told me," she said, voice sharp now, bitterness curling around every syllable. "Said you've been seeing her for weeks. Said you still come around here like you're not two timing us both."

Elijah looked at her-really looked-and his anger faltered. His eyes softened, voice quieter now. "I didn't mean for him to."

"You're fucking seeing her and flirting with me, Elijah," Ivy spat, her composure starting to crack. "It's vile. You do this to me and to her and pretend like you don't know what it means."

He stepped forward, guilt crawling up his throat like bile. "It's not like that-"

"It is," she cut in, louder. "You're just like the rest of them. You say you care, but you never do. Not really. You just-want whatever you can take, and then you leave." Her voice cracked at the end, and she shook her head, as if disgusted with herself for letting the emotion bleed through.

Elijah's fists clenched. "I care about you, Ivy! I care about you more than you fucking know, and you won't even give me the decency of a fucking conversation. You're out with lads, doing God knows what-God knows who-" He stopped himself too late. Bobby had told him. Had warned him she wasn't doing well.

Ivy's expression crumpled. Her lips trembled. "Fuck you, mate," she said, almost whispering it, but the words hit like a scream.

He stood there, jaw tight. "I'm sorry," he whispered, but it was too soft. Too late.

Her eyes hardened again. "No, you're fucking not. You think you're some saint because you say sorry with that puppy-dog face, like that makes you better than the rest. You're not. You're nothing without your daddy's name and you know that. I worked for everything I have, Elijah. Every single goddamn day since I could walk. I worked while you were chauffeured to fucking rugby practice."

Tears welled in her eyes now, but she didn't look away. "We grew up ten minutes apart. Ten minutes. And it's like different fucking planets. I'm sorry if I'm not put-together enough for your world."

He took a step toward her, but she moved back. "Ivy-"

"You have no right!" she snapped, pointing at him now, trembling. "None!"

He lifted his hand instinctively, gesturing-but she flinched, recoiling before he even realized what he'd done. She raised her arm, half-covering her face.

Elijah froze. His voice cracked. "Do you really think I'd hit you? Is that what you think of me?"

She didn't answer. Her arms wrapped tightly around her own body as she turned away from him, facing the wall.

"Get out," she said quietly.

He didn't move. "Ivy-"

"Get the fuck out, Elijah."

He stood there a beat longer, staring at her back, hoping she'd turn around. Hoping she'd take it back. But she didn't. She stood still, unmoving. Just a shell now. So he nodded to himself, opened the door, and stepped out.

The slam of the door echoed down the street. Elijah reached his car with trembling fingers, sitting behind the wheel as he pressed his hands to his face, cursing himself under his breath.

Inside, Ivy broke. Her knees buckled and she crumpled to the floor, the sobs coming heavy, shaking her whole body. The pain was too loud for silence now. Her face blotchy, her chest tight. She didn't even move when Bobby came home and dropped everything to crouch beside her, his arms wrapping around her small frame.

She didn't speak-not even when he asked what happened. Not even when he whispered that it would be alright. Not until days later, when the only words she managed were to airport security. A plane ticket bought by Robert, after one tense phone call to Anaïs.

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