Stop Running Love, I Found Our Child novel Chapter 5

Ivy's heart seized in her chest.

Before her brain could even process the words, tears were already sliding down her cheeks. She sat frozen in place, utterly lost.

Those few, casual words.

Hit her like a freight train, completely shattering her world.

She forced herself to stay calm, even managing a stiff, broken smile. "Did... did something happen?"

They had been so perfectly happy.

Their personalities meshed flawlessly, and their physical connection was electric.

They had practically moved in together right from the start.

And it had stayed that way.

For three whole years.

Sure, they had minor disagreements, but they rarely ever fought.

To her, their relationship was practically a marriage in everything but name.

This tiny apartment had become her entire world.

She had trusted him with her entire future.

To hear him say those words now was unimaginable.

Was he hiding something?

Was he in some kind of trouble?

Just like in those cheesy movies, maybe he had some devastating secret and was trying to protect her by pushing her away.

Ivy desperately grasped at straws, unable to accept the sudden cruelty of it all.

Her mind spun wild fantasies just to cope.

An icy dread crawled up her spine, chilling her blood until she felt entirely hollowed out.

But the man sitting across from her remained as stoic as ever.

He pressed on, his tone clinical. "Relationships are a mutual choice. We had the freedom to start it, and we have the right to end it. You've always been a rational person, so I expect you to understand."

Ivy's hands trembled violently as she choked back her tears.

Cole was terrifyingly calm.

So calm that Ivy was forced to swallow her own breakdown and face the brutal reality of his rejection.

"What do you mean... done?" She couldn't stop herself from clinging to a shred of hope.

"We're breaking up," he stated plainly.

His deep, magnetic voice still held a phantom trace of gentleness.

It was dizzying.

"Did I do something wrong?"

So much so that any further protests from her felt utterly pathetic.

He had never been the joking type.

She knew that better than anyone.

Silence.

A suffocating silence stretched over the dining table.

Ivy had no idea what to say.

Snapping out of her trance, she practically leaped up, grabbing a serving spoon from the kitchen and dropping it into the hearty stew she had made. She forced a bright, trembling smile. "Let's just eat first. We can talk about this later."

She picked up her fork, stabbing at her food and aggressively shoving a mouthful of salad past her lips, chewing methodically to keep herself from screaming.

Cole didn't touch his silverware.

He just sat there, watching her unravel.

His stare was equal parts scorching and freezing, making it physically impossible for her to pretend everything was fine.

She forced the heavy lump of food down her throat, dropping her fork and locking eyes with him. "What is really going on? Why are you suddenly doing this? Did I screw something up? Or... did you find someone else?"

Cole's brows drew together in a tight frown. "Neither."

"Then why? We've been together for three years. Not three days, not three months. Three years, Cole."

Saying the number out loud made something click in her panicked brain. Her voice cracked. "Did you just get bored of me?"