Chapter 41 I Heard You
She reached him just in time. Christian immediately grabbed her hand, pulling her to his side, his arm wrapping around hers in a desperate grip. She felt his hands trembling.
"Get out," Christian said coldly, his voice like ice as he glared at the woman.
The woman’s gaze flickered to Ivy, and she gave a small smile. "Hi, I’m Gemma. Christian’s mom. You are?"
Christian interjected sharply, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. "Get the fuck out!"
Ivy didn’t return Gemma’s smile. If this woman was the reason Christian was still haunted by his past, she had no interest in forming any kind of familiarity with her. Not unless she could change Christian’s past.
Gemma’s smile faltered. She hesitated, clearly intimidated by the sudden hostility, but her fingers tightened around the bag in her hands.
"Christian," she said, stepping closer.
Ivy felt Christian’s body tense even more, every muscle going stiff.
"I know that leaving you and starting a new family hurt you deeply," Gemma continued. "I shouldn’t have left you like that. But you need to understand... I wasn’t in the right mental state to care for you."
Ivy could barely hold back her anger. It surged through her like fire.
Without thinking, she stepped in front of Christian, blocking Gemma from coming any closer. She pushed the woman back by her shoulders.
"Don’t come closer. He doesn’t want to see you. Leave. Right now!"
Gemma’s expression darkened with sorrow. She glanced at Christian. "You’re not going to forgive me?" she whispered. "I made a mistake, Christian. I keep apologizing—that’s why I come to you again and again. Can’t you just forgive me? I’m your mom! I gave birth to you. You owe me this much, Christian. I feel so guilty for that day. It eats at me every single day." Tears welled up in her eyes.
Christian’s face remained emotionless. "Not all things deserve an apology," he said flatly. His gaze bore into her, void of warmth. "You may have given birth to me, but you were never a mother."
His tone turned even icier. "If you feel guilty, then do yourself a favor, and stay out of my fucking sight. Live with the choices you made. The guilt is yours to bear, not mine."
Gemma’s heart clenched painfully. He hadn’t called her 'Mom' since the day she left him. And now, he was looking at her as if she were nothing more than a stranger.
Back then, while pregnant with Christian, she had fallen in love with another man. Even after giving birth to Christian, she couldn't get over her love for that man. Drowning in depression, she had taken Christian with her. And then she made the cruelest decision—leaving Christian behind in the middle of the city to search for the man she loved.
She hadn’t realized the severity of her actions back then.
She married that man, started a new life, and never looked back. But as time passed, guilt consumed her. It haunted her, whispering in the dead of night, never letting her sleep. Christian’s cries from that day echoed in her mind like a never-ending nightmare.
And in her mind, she had convinced herself that unless Christian forgave her, that nightmare would never end.
"Christian..." Gemma’s voice cracked as she begged.
"Leave." His grip on Ivy’s hand tightened, his fingers curling possessively around hers. He met Gemma’s gaze with finality. "Don't come back. Not now, not ever. I don’t want to see you again."
Tears spilled down Gemma’s cheeks. She turned around, leaving the room, then the hospital, her hand clutching her chest as she walked away.
The next day, Christian was discharged.
The doctors were shocked by his rapid recovery. Unlike the last time, when his paralysis had lasted for months, this time he regained movement within hours.
They called it a miracle.
Christian disagreed. "It wasn’t a miracle," he said. "It was Ivy."
His voice held no doubt when he added. "She lives inside me. She’ll never be apart from me. She’s my soulmate."
Ivy nearly died of heartache all over again.
Hank came to drop them off at Christian’s house. As he glanced around the massive yet empty mansion, he clicked his tongue.
"You both should have kids soon," he remarked casually. "This place already feels like a haunted house."
Ivy’s eyes widened, and she immediately turned to Christian in alarm.
But the man had no shame whatsoever. Instead, he shot her a heated stare, his gaze dark and suggestive. Flustered, Ivy quickly turned her head away, her cheeks burning.
Hank left soon after, and as night descended, Ivy found herself in bed with Christian, his arms wrapped around her from behind. His hand had slipped beneath her nightshirt, his fingers tracing slow, lazy circles on her stomach.
Ivy’s eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion, her body relaxing into his hold. Just as she was about to drift off, Christian’s voice broke the silence.
"Ivy," he whispered suddenly, his lips grazing her ear.
"Hm?" she mumbled sleepily.
"I heard you," he murmured, his breath hot against her skin. "When you thought I was asleep. I heard you say that you love me."
Ivy’s eyes flew open, her heart pounding violently in her chest.
She had thought he was asleep when she’d whispered those words.
"I—I didn’t say anything," she blurted out, panicking. She shot up, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over her face in a desperate attempt to hide.
Christian smirked. Rolling her onto her back, he pulled the blanket down, and then pinned her wrists above her head, his body caging hers beneath him.
He hovered over her, voice husky. "Say it again."
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Ivy stammered, quickly turning her head away.
Christian’s playful gaze darkened, turning almost sinful.
The next moment, his lips were on her neck, hot and demanding, trailing open-mouthed kisses down her skin. His kisses turned into hungry licks and sharp bites, igniting a fire in her. Then came his fingers, teasing, exploring, until he was deep inside her, moving with relentless, hard strokes.
That night, he didn’t stop until she whispered those words a hundred times, until her voice was nothing but a breathless, broken whisper.
***
Christian lay beside her, his head resting on her lap, arms wrapped around her waist. His face was buried in her stomach as he inhaled deeply.
Her phone suddenly buzzed with a message. She reached out to pick it up, but before she could, Christian’s grip tightened, keeping her from escaping.
Suppressing a smile at his actions, she unlocked her phone.
A text from Stella popped up: ‘Come over to Licious. We’re all here and missing you! Unexpectedly, everyone’s here.’
Attached was a picture of Ellie, Stella, and Ana, all smiling. Below, another message: ‘Kara’s on the way too!’
Ivy sighed. It had been too long since she last saw them.
She ran her fingers through Christian’s hair, stroking his head gently. "Christian, I need to go to Licious. Stella asked me to come over."
Christian lifted his head slightly, blinking at her. "I’ll take you later," he muttered before burying his face back into her stomach.
She pressed a hand against his forehead, pushing him back. "No. Everyone is already there. I need to go now."
Christian stared at her with pure devastation.
"Don’t leave," he mumbled. "I’ll take you tomorrow."
Ivy’s heart dropped.
How the hell does he do that?
But Ivy immediately hardened her heart. She always gave in to him too easily, just because of this very look.
She shook her head. “I’ll come back home soon. I promise.”
Christian’s face saddened further. He pulled away, casting her a sidelong glance as he got up.
As she slipped off the couch and stood to leave, he rushed toward her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.
“I’ll be waiting,” he murmured. “Don’t stay too late?”
“I won’t,” Ivy whispered, smiling as she turned her head and kissed him on the lips.
Then, she walked out of the house.
Samuel drove her to Licious and dropped her off. As she walked up the stairs, the familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee overwhelmed her senses. Pushing open the door, she heard the bell chime overhead.
She glanced around. The restaurant was unusually empty today. There weren’t any customers today, just a single table cluttered with coffee cups, where a small group of women sat chatting.
As her gaze swept over them, Stella caught her eye and immediately waved. "Come over, quick!" she called out with a bright smile.
Ivy’s lips curled into a smile as she approached the table. Stella and Ellie sat beside each other, their familiar presence warming Ivy’s heart. Next to them was Ana—a woman with delicate features, sleek black hair, and a gorgeous smile. When Ivy had worked at Licious, Ana had frequently dropped by, always eager to help Stella with the restaurant or just to hang out. She and Stella were best friends since a very long time.
Beside Ana sat Kara, a brilliant doctor and a close friend. She was young, sharp, and breathtakingly gorgeous. Though she didn’t visit as often as Ana, their group always made time to meet every few days, their bond unshaken by busy schedules.
Then there was Jane, sophisticated and effortlessly beautiful, with soft features that gave her the elegance of a princess. Now the CEO of her family’s massive shipping company, she carried herself with quiet confidence.
All of them, except for Stella, were married to billionaire men who adored them beyond reason, men who would move heaven and earth for their wives.
When Ivy left her job at Licious, she had assumed she would be forgotten immediately. After all, she was just a small employee. But Stella had insisted on keeping her in their lives, and Ivy found herself eagerly accepting their friendship. A life of loneliness was not what she wanted. Being surrounded by such good friends was a blessing.
“Hi, guys.” Ivy waved, receiving smiles, greetings, and waves in return.
"Gosh, you look completely different!" Kara breathed, her eyes scanning Ivy from head to toe. "It’s like someone gave you a full makeover."
Ivy let out a small laugh. "That can’t be. I haven’t changed anything at all… except maybe the clothes?"
Kara shook her head. "No, it’s totally visible."
"I can see it too," Ellie agreed, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny. "Japanese night cream?"
Stella smacked Ellie’s shoulder. “Don’t you get it? It’s because she has a boyfriend now!”
At once, Ivy’s face flushed red, and she turned away. "Stop it."
The group burst into laughter instead.
“And anyway,” Ivy muttered, glancing away, “he’s my husband, not my boyfriend.” A small smile tugged at her lips.
Silence fell over the table.
“Shut up! Seriously?” Stella gasped. “When the hell did you get married?”
Ivy turned back to them, smiling. “The same day we started living together. He proposed marriage for a year. To fall in love.”
They all gaped at her in disbelief.
Ivy then recounted everything, from the beginning to now.
Ivy dug into her bag, pulling out the contract Christian had given to her. She slapped it onto the table, and the group immediately leaned in, hovering over the papers as they read through the contents.
"Holy fuck. He was going to give you billions!" Ellie gaped at the document. “He was going to give you billions.” Her wide eyes lifted to Ivy. “Evans Holdings is massive in the construction business. They literally own half of many cities.” She paused, then smirked. “Break it off with him, take half the property, and then get back together with him."
Ivy snickered at her words. “I’m not doing that. He already gives me everything without asking.”
Ellie shook her head, slumping back into her chair. “Christian’s been hiding more things than I ever imagined,” she muttered. “Looks like he took a page out of my husband’s book of chasing girls—give all your money to the woman you love and live happily ever after.” She smirked.
Laughter erupted around the table again.
By the time Ivy left the café, the sky had darkened. When she entered the house later that night, the living room was quiet, there was no sign of Christian.
Glancing around, she made her way upstairs to the bedroom.
As she stepped inside, she found Christian sitting on the bed, a laptop balanced on his lap, his focus locked on the screen. At the sound of her footsteps, his head snapped up. The moment he saw her, he shut the laptop without a second thought, his expression softening.
He stood, a slow smile tugging at his lips as he strode over and pulled her into his arms.
"I missed you so damn much," he murmured, his breath warm against her neck.
Ivy smiled, her hands gliding down his back as she leaned in to press a soft kiss to his cheek. But before she could pull away, his hand slid into her hair, threading through the strands as he tilted her head back.
His lips crashed against hers, urgent and consuming. His mouth moved over hers with a fierce hunger, the heat of it stealing the breath from her lungs. His tongue brushed along her bottom lip before sliding inside, claiming her with deep, possessive strokes. His grip tightened in her hair as he kissed her harder, the rough slide of his lips sending a shiver down her spine.
Her hands fisted in his shirt, clinging to him as his other hand found her waist, tugging her closer until there wasn’t an inch of space between them. His kiss softened, his lips teasing hers with slower, languid movements—contrasting the intensity beneath it. His teeth grazed her bottom lip, tugging gently before soothing the sting with his tongue.
When he finally pulled back, Ivy was breathless, her head spinning. She turned away, but his arms wound around her waist from behind, locking her in place. His chest pressed firmly against her back, his chin resting on her shoulder as he held her close.
She reached up, slipping off her earrings as his hand slid down her side, his breath warm against her neck.
She sighed, nudging his chest playfully. "Wait up. I have to go pee."
Christian released her with a reluctant expression. She reached up, kissed him quickly on the lips, then disappeared into the washroom.
As she passed by, her leg brushed against her purse, knocking it off the bed. Without noticing, she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.
Christian bent down to pick up the purse, gathering the scattered contents. But as he placed everything back inside, his hand stilled on a folded stack of papers.
Frowning, he unfolded them.
His expression darkened the moment he saw what they were—the marriage contract he and Ivy had signed.
A deep crease formed on his forehead, his grip tightening around the pages. His chest tightened with unease, a sudden wave of panic flashing in his gaze.
The bathroom door opened, and Ivy stepped out, only to find Christian standing stiffly, his eyes locked onto her. The moment Christian saw her, he strode over, holding up the papers.
“Ivy,” he said, his voice tight, “what is this? Why do you have this?”
She blinked, then followed his gaze to the contract in his hands.
“Oh, those—” she started, but before she could finish, he pulled her into his arms, his grip on her waist tightening.
“I’m not letting you leave,” he declared, his voice urgent. “Why do you have these papers? Where did you go today? Are you leaving me?”
Pulling slightly back from his crushing hug, Ivy took the papers from his hands. “No, of course not,” she said with a small laugh.
But when she looked up and saw his deadly serious expression—the kind that promised he was about to raise hell—she immediately turned serious. “No, Christian. Stella and other friends just wanted to see these for fun. That’s all.”
“You’re not lying?”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
Christian’s tense expression softened slightly, but the worry remained. His grip on her waist didn’t loosen. "Ivy… don’t leave me."
Without hesitation, she ripped the contract papers into pieces in front of him and tossed them aside.
“There,” she said, cupping his face between her palms. “I told you, I’m not leaving you. I’m staying with you forever. I promise.”
Christian’s eyes softened completely. In one swift motion, he lifted her off the ground and into his arms. Carrying her to the bed, he sat down, pulling her onto his lap and hugging her tightly, his face buried against her chest.
“I love you, Ivy,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Overwhelmed with love for the man in her arms, Ivy wrapped her arms around him, she felt her heart racing for him.
“I love you too, Christian.”