Stop Running Love, I Found Our Child novel Chapter 6

She stared intently at the man.

She prayed he wouldn't say the words she dreaded most.

But he remained as calm and detached as ever, his voice infuriatingly steady. "Honestly? A little."

A dizzying wave of nausea washed over Ivy.

A fleeting look of pity crossed his eyes. "But that's not the main issue. It's my career. We just can't be together anymore."

"I could go abroad with you," she offered, her voice thick with desperation.

Ivy sounded utterly defeated.

Three years.

For three years, she had loved Cole with every fiber of her being; to her, he wasn't just a boyfriend, he was family.

She couldn't accept this.

Especially not when it was so sudden.

Cole had actually considered breaking it to her gently, but since they had no future, it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off.

For him.

And for her.

It was for the best.

So, after a purely rational calculation.

He had chosen the most direct approach.

In his mind, offering a generous financial settlement and ending things amicably was the most dignified way to handle it.

Ivy should have been able to accept that.

After all, she had always been so sensible and mature.

But looking at her face, her red-rimmed eyes, and her absolute disbelief, he realized this was going to be slightly more complicated than anticipated.

"I'm sorry this feels abrupt. But you know I don't do things on impulse. I've thought this through, and this is the only way our relationship ends. I'm being straight with you because it's better for both of us."

"You just got bored of me, didn't you?"

Ivy wasn't buying his polished corporate excuses.

And she had accepted his patient explanations.

But the lingering insecurity had made her petty. She had deliberately given him the silent treatment, which was when Cole lost his patience and stopped trying to explain.

He had just looked at her with chilling calmness and said:

"As long as we're together, I can promise you absolute loyalty and commitment. But if you're going to be irrational, if this relationship becomes exhausting and starts affecting my career, I will walk away without a second thought."

"Trust is the foundation of a relationship. If we don't have it, we might as well end things now."

"Think it over. Call me when you're done acting out."

Then he had turned and walked out.

That was the first time Ivy had felt it.

Beneath Cole's gentle exterior lay a ruthless, calculating edge.

His severity that day had ensured she never threw a tantrum like that again.

And today.

He wore that exact same look.