Kevin’s expression turned apologetic.
"I genuinely didn’t think that agreeing to it would cause you so much trouble. At the ti, I only wanted Nora to stop picking on you. I thought accepting the letter would make her back off."
He paused, guilt flickering across his face.
"I never imagined it would make your life even more miserable."
Lowering his gaze, he added quietly, "And for that... I’m sorry."
Kevin had never been the type to grow attached to people. He kept to himself and rarely concerned himself with anyone else’s affairs.
But Ivy had always been an exception.
Over the years, he couldn’t help but notice the little things others ignored. He had seen how difficult her life at the Ford household seed to be. Her so-called siblings treated her less like family and more like soone they could order around whenever they pleased.
When no adults were watching, they would dump their school bags on her, make her run errands, and even prevent her from eating lunch in peace. Those small monts painted a picture that spoke louder than words.
More than once, Kevin had wondered how parents could allow one child to be treated so differently.
The answer ca by accident.
One afternoon, he had overheard Olivia gossiping with a classmate. That’s when he learned that Ivy wasn’t the Fords’ biological daughter. According to the rumor, Nora’s father had taken her in years ago and raised her out of charity.
Whether the story was true or not, Kevin had never asked. But from that day on, many things about Ivy’s lonely existence suddenly made sense.
Back in the present, Ivy remained silent for a mont before offering him a small, reassuring smile.
"That was a long ti ago, Kevin."
"Maybe," he admitted, "but I’ve always regretted it."
She looked at him calmly, her expression free of the resentnt he had expected to see.
"I don’t bla you. We were kids, and people made assumptions without knowing the full story. Holding onto those mories now won’t change what happened."
Kevin let out a slow breath, so of the weight lifting from his shoulders.
"I’m glad you feel that way."
Ivy smiled gently.
"Life has a way of teaching us what deserves our energy and what doesn’t. So mories are worth keeping, and so are better left in the past."
A faint smile finally appeared on Kevin’s face.
"I guess you’re right."
For a brief mont, the noise of the reunion faded into the background. The awkwardness that had lingered between them for years quietly dissolved, replaced by an unspoken understanding and the relief of finally putting old misunderstandings behind them.
Maybe that was all Ivy had wanted to hear, Raven thought to herself.
Ivy t Kevin’s gaze and spoke gently but honestly.
"Which is why I think it’s ti for you to move on, Kevin. I know you have feelings for , but I don’t see you that way. To , you’re a colleague... and perhaps a friend."
Kevin fell silent.
For a mont, conflicting emotions flickered across his face, but there was no resentnt in his eyes. He could tell she wasn’t trying to push him away out of obligation or discomfort—she was simply being sincere.
His feelings for Ivy had co later than he cared to admit, but they were real. Even so, the last thing he wanted was to burden her with emotions she couldn’t return.
If loving her ant accepting that his feelings would remain unrequited, then so be it.
After a long pause, he smiled faintly.
"Then friends it is."
The word seed to lift a weight from his shoulders. At least this ti, Ivy wasn’t placing a wall between them or keeping him at arm’s length. Being her friend was more than enough.
Ivy returned the smile.
"Friends."
With that, she gave him a small nod and turned to leave.
***
As Ivy walked away from the venue, her thoughts drifted to Nathan.
She had expected him to appear at the reunion, but he had been nowhere in sight. For a brief mont, she wondered if he had changed his mind.
Then she realized how wrong she was.
A few steps farther from the entrance, a familiar figure erged from the shadows ahead.
Nathan.
He stood with his hands casually in his pockets, as though he had been waiting for her all along.
When their eyes t, the corner of his mouth lifted into a knowing smile.
"Looking for ?" he asked.
The simple question made Ivy freeze in her tracks.
Her heartbeat quickened.
This was the sa man she had seen in the old photographs.
The sa man connected to the mysterious disappearance of Ivy’s past.
The sa man who seed to know far more about her history than he had ever admitted.
Unbidden, fragnts of mory resurfaced.
She rembered the night she had finally recovered pieces of Ivy’s lost mories—rembered trusting Nathan enough to ask him to help her find her real family.
That search had eventually led her to Xander.
Don’t worry, Nathan had told her back then. "I’ve got your back."
Those words echoed in her mind now.
The longer she looked at him, the more she realized that Ivy’s past was far more complicated than she had ever imagined.
Every answer she uncovered only seed to raise even more questions.
And standing before her now was the man who might finally have those answers.
...
[Flashback]
"Ivy, are you sure you want to do this?" Nathan asked, his voice heavy with concern. "We can still find another way."
Ivy paused and looked at him, offering a faint but determined smile.
"This is the only way, Nathan. If I don’t do this now, I’ll never find the people I’ve been searching for."
Nathan had been Ivy’s friend since middle school. In a place where most students looked down on her or ignored her entirely, he had been the only one who treated her with genuine kindness and stood by her side without expecting anything in return.
He searched her face, hoping she would change her mind.
"You’re taking a huge risk."
"I know exactly what I’m doing," Ivy replied softly but firmly.
After a brief silence, she added, "And promise one thing."
Nathan nodded.
"Don’t let anyone find out about my plan. Not even my so-called family."
By then, Ivy had long since given up hoping the Fords would ever truly accept her.
After Henry’s death, everything had changed.
When Florine took control of the household, Ivy’s life gradually beca unbearable. No matter how much she gave or how hard she worked to please them, Florine always demanded more in return.
For years, Ivy had convinced herself that if she remained obedient, she would at least be allowed to live in peace.
She had been wrong.
The day Florine publicly humiliated her over sothing she hadn’t even done, the last of that hope disappeared.
From that mont on, Ivy knew she had to leave the suffocating environnt behind.
Through every setback and every difficult decision that followed, Nathan remained quietly by her side, supporting her without asking for anything in return.
He stepped closer and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You know I’ll always have your back."
A genuine smile touched Ivy’s lips.
"I know. That’s why I’m trusting you with this."
Her expression soon turned serious again.
"But don’t forget what I asked you to do. This is my only chance, Nathan. If I don’t find my real family... I don’t know what will beco of ."
The conviction in her voice left no room for argunt.
Nathan looked at her for a long mont before finally nodding.
"I understand."
There was still worry in his eyes, but he respected her decision.
Without another word, Ivy turned and walked away, never looking back.
Nathan watched her disappear into the distance.
Then, true to his promise, he quietly stepped into the shadows—keeping watch over her from afar and doing everything he could behind the scenes to help her succeed while making sure no one uncovered the truth about her plan.
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