“I told her to stay away. Then walked off like it didn’t gut me. But the truth? I didn’t want to leave. Not this time. She looked at me like I was something worth choosing—like I hadn’t already decided to ruin it.” Summary: After their quiet confrontation in the hallway, Jace walks away from Ivy again—but something’s different. Her words linger. Her eyes haunt. For a guy who built his entire world around rules and distance, Ivy is becoming impossible to ignore. He’s not supposed to chase. He’s not supposed to feel. But now Jace isn’t sure how much longer he can pretend he doesn’t want her—or why walking away felt like losing something he never had.