Chapter 25

Ivy walked into Victor's room, expecting to find him asleep in bed. But instead, she saw him sitting on the couch, his head nodding forward as he slept. She wondered why he wasn't sleeping in the bed, and a pang of guilt hit her. Had he left the bed for her?

But what Ivy didn't know was that Victor was maintaining distance from her, trying to protect himself from the trouble that came with being close to her. He had seen her burnt hands and cuts on her fingers, and his heart ached. That's why he had eaten the food without complaining, to make her feel good.

Ivy approached Victor, concern etched on her face. She tapped his shoulder, trying to wake him up. But Victor was in a deep sleep, and the sudden touch startled him. He instinctively reached under the pillow and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Ivy.