Chapter 25 Records
Christian sneered. "Say that again. I fucking dare you. Give me a fucking reason to kill you today. Go on."
Before he could land another blow, Ivy stepped between them, shoving Jack away.
"Leave," she ordered Jack. "I told you to leave. I don’t want to see you again."
Jack hesitated, his face burning with embarrassment. Casting one last, longing glance at her, he finally turned and walked away.
Christian stood there, fists clenched tightly, his gaze locking onto Ivy. "You tried to save him from me?"
"I told the truth," Ivy muttered. "You need to stop hitting people. One day, it's going to land you in trouble."
Hearing her words, Christian’s agitation softened slightly, his anger dissipating. The anger that had been raging inside him began to fade. Hearing her say she had nothing to do with Jack—nor would she in the future—brought him a strange sense of peace.
He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest. Lowering his head, he pressed a kiss to her lips and whispered, "Don’t be mad at me anymore."
Ivy’s body was stiff at first, displeased, but little by little, she relaxed. She let it go, allowing him to ease his tension and reassure himself.
Christian smiled, kissing her forehead before murmuring, "I’m leaving for work now. Call me if you need anything."
With that, he turned and left for his company.
An hour later, Larry entered Christian’s office, a file in his hands. He placed it on the desk and said, "It’s all real."
Christian took the file, his jaw tightening as Larry continued. "Jack tried to woo her three years ago. The company Ivy worked at knew all about it—Jack didn’t hide anything. It was all over the office, but in the end, he walked away. There’s no clear evidence that they were ever in a relationship. From what I found, it seems like he was just trying to convince her but she never accepted."
Christian nodded, though his blank stare at the table betrayed his calm demeanor.
Larry hesitated before adding, "But, man, I found something else." His voice lowered slightly. "Right after you left five years ago, Ivy quit her job. The records show she suffered from severe depression."
Christian’s eyes snapped to Larry, his body stiffening, a cold sensation creeping over him.
Larry pointed at the file. "Look at the records," he urged.
Christian opened the folder, his fingers trembling as he skimmed the pages. Hospital records. Medical notes. His throat tightened.
"According to the doctor," Larry continued, "she had stopped eating or drinking anything. Not even water. Her parents were extremely worried about her but the doctors were unable to find the reason as she never said anything. It took her six months just to start eating a meal again once a day. And it took her an entire year before she returned to work. But that entire year, she was in severe depression."
Christian’s entire body shook. His fingers trembled as they traced the words on the page. He read through the details, his chest tightening unbearably. The reports mentioned how Ivy only began recovering after realizing her parents were suffering too. Seeing them cry helplessly, watching them lose themselves—because she was their only child—was the only thing that finally pulled her out of her darkness.
"Christian?" Larry broke the tense silence. "Do you think that her depression was because you left the country overnight without telling her?”
Larry watched as Christian stood abruptly, his fingers trembling as he closed the file.
"She wrote behind my photo that she loved me," Christian repeated, his voice hollow. "I did that to her."
The weight of guilt crushed him from the inside. If he had known she loved him too—if he had just realized it back then—he wouldn’t have left her like that. Even if he hadn’t wanted to drag her into his broken life, with his broken body, he could have at least told her he was leaving and why. He could have done something to take care of her, even from a distance.
But he had assumed she didn’t have feelings for him. That she would move on.
He was wrong. At every step, he had been wrong.
He never got over her. And she had been in love with him just as much as he was.
He had broken down—and he had taken her down with him.
"Christian—" Larry started, but Christian shoved his hand aside and stormed out of the office.
***
At home, Christian paced back and forth, glancing at his watch impatiently.
The sound of the door unlocking made him turn instantly.
Ivy walked inside, surprised to see him waiting.
He rushed to her, grabbing her hand and leading her to the couch. Gently, he made her sit down before offering her a glass of juice, and taking a seat next to her.
She took it with a confused expression, drinking under his watchful gaze. Finally, she frowned. "What’s going on? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Christian took her hand in his, and before she could react, he suddenly lifted her into his arms, pulling her onto his lap.
She gasped, landing against his chest. His arms wrapped around her, his head burying into her neck. His head rested against her neck, his breaths heavy. He pressed soft kisses along her skin, his arms wrapped tightly around her, as if he needed to feel her warmth to breathe properly.
He held her like that for a long time. She could feel his heartbeat, rapid and unsteady.
"Christian?" she whispered.
Finally, he pulled back, looking into her eyes.
There was immense sadness in them, a sorrow so deep it looked as if he could barely breathe.
"I’m sorry," he murmured. "I disappeared five years ago without telling you. I left the country without a word."
Ivy gave a small shrug. "It’s alright. It was a long time ago. I don’t even remember it anymore."
She had spent years trying to forget it.
For an entire year, she had relived that nightmare—showing up at work only to discover that he was gone. Seeing the news that he had left the country without a single goodbye to her.
But after therapy for a long time, she had gotten better.
And after learning that Christian hadn’t abandoned her without a reason—that he had been sick—her pain had dulled, giving her the clarity she had searched for all these years.
So she told him softly, "Christian, don’t worry. It’s fine."
But Christian shook his head and buried his face in her neck again.
Without warning, he stood and swept her into his arms, her body pressing flush against his chest as he carried her toward the stairs with effortless strength.
"Christian!" she protested, wriggling slightly. "I just got home!"
He ignored her, his arms tightening around her, holding her securely against him. The hard lines of his chest pressed into her soft curves as he carried her upstairs without breaking stride. He entered the bedroom, slamming the door shut and heading straight to the bed. He marched over, and took a seat, settling on the edge of the bed with her straddling his lap, his hands sliding down to grip her waist.
His dark eyes burned into hers, his gaze heavy with intent. "I want to feel you," he murmured, his voice low and rough.
"I haven’t even showered yet," she mumbled, her breath catching as her fingers curled against his shoulders.
His lips brushed against her jaw, trailing down the side of her neck. "I’ll shower you with kisses," he whispered, his hands slipping beneath her shirt, fingers slipping inside her bra and tracing the delicate skin of her nipple as his mouth moved lower.
***
Ivy came downstairs, the house filled with the rich aroma of food. Her stomach growled—she hadn’t felt hunger like this in years.
She walked up to the table, her eyes widening at the variety of dishes spread before her.
Christian, standing nearby, smiled. "Come here."
He took her hand, guiding her to the couch before making her sit down. Then, instead of letting her serve herself, he prepared a plate for her and brought it over.
"There are too many things on the table," he said gently. "You won’t be able to eat properly. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll bring it to you."
Ivy took the plate from his hands, but instead of sitting next to her, Christian knelt in front of her, resting his hands on her lap.
And then he opened his mouth expectantly.
"Do you want me to bring another plate for you?" she asked teasingly.
Christian pointed at her spoon, then at his mouth.
But instead of feeding him, Ivy put the food into her own mouth and grinned. "I don’t want to share."
Christian chuckled, rubbing her thigh affectionately. "Are you going to keep teasing me? If you tease me now, then when it’s my turn tonight…"
Ivy’s eyes widened, the food catching in her throat as she choked.
Christian laughed, taking the plate from her hands and pressing a glass of water to her lips. "Here."
She gulped it down, then shot him a glare.
In response, he only leaned in, stealing a kiss from her lips. His lips trailed down her cheek, her neck.
"Christian," she giggled, squirming. "I have to go to the office. Stop it."
He didn’t listen. She fell back onto the couch as he climbed over her on the couch, his body pressing between her legs, his lips worshipping every inch of her neck and behind her ear.
His kisses deepened, his teeth grazing her skin.
"I asked for a spoonful of your food, and you didn’t listen to me," he murmured, his laughter echoing in her ear. "Why should I listen to you now?"
"Christian!" she squealed, breathless with laughter. "Alright, alright! Stop!" Tears shimmered in her eyes as she gasped for air.
She was completely out of breath, unable to take the tickles anymore
Christian finally let go of her, his gaze locking onto hers, a soft smile playing on his lips. He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers once more, this time slow and gentle.
Just as Ivy started to forget everything about the morning, the office, and the world outside, his phone rang.
Christian ignored it, his lips parting hers again, his tongue teasing against hers. The phone rang a second time.
Ivy pushed against his chest, breaking free from his grip as she gasped for air. “Pick it up,” she urged.
Christian frowned, his lips already seeking hers again.
She placed her hands on his shoulders insistently. “Pick it up, Christian. It could be important.”
With a reluctant sigh, he grabbed his phone without glancing at the caller ID and put it on speaker, his body still hovering over hers, remaining where he was.
A woman’s voice came through the speaker. “Mr. Evans, your therapy appointment with the doctor is in an hour. You are coming, right?”
Christian's eyes met Ivy’s in silence as the nurse continued.
The nurse continued, her voice firm. “You’ve already canceled the last two appointments. This one is very important. You need to come.”
He was about to respond when Ivy snatched the phone from his hand and answered for him.
"He’ll be there. Thank you."
"Great," the nurse replied before ending the call.
Christian scowled. “I could have gone tomorrow.”
"I want you to go today. I’ll come with you," Ivy said firmly.
Christian groaned and buried his face against her chest, nuzzling lazily. “Can we go tomorrow? I want to be with you right now.”
"No." Ivy cupped his face, lifting it so their eyes met. Then, unexpectedly, she arched up and kissed him softly on the lips.
“You’re coming with me?” Christian asked, his voice tinged with surprise. “What about work?”
"Look at the time. I’m already late because of you." Ivy shot him a small glare.
A sheepish smile crossed his lips before he captured her mouth again, kissing her until she was breathless.