The late morning sun filtered through the glass walls of the grocery store, painting long stripes of light across the polished tiles. Ivy only needed a few essentials— milk for the children, fruit for the week, and some flour for the banana bread she had promised Van she would make. It should have been a simple errand, a quiet part of her day. But the moment she stepped through the sliding doors, she saw him.Daniel.He was lingering by the produce section, pretending to study the apples with far too much intensity. When his eyes flicked toward her and lit up in recognition, Ivy’s heart sank. She adjusted the strap of her handbag higher on her shoulder and pushed her cart forward, deliberately choosing the opposite aisle.“Ivy hey,” Daniel greeted warmly, striding over like an old friend. His voice carried a false casualness, as though they had planned this meeting.“Daniel.” Ivy’s reply was curt, clipped. She didn’t stop walking.“I was hoping to see you.” His smile wavered when she

Van couldn’t sleep. The soft hum of the city in the distance did nothing to ease his mind. If anything, it felt louder than usual, pressing against his temples. He sat out on the balcony, elbows resting on the railing, staring into the night sky. The stars were faint, barely visible against the city lights, but even if the heavens had been ablaze with them, he wouldn’t have noticed. His thoughts kept circling back to the same point: Bianca. Daniel. Ivy. The children.If only he had said no that day —if only he had ignored Bianca’s desperate plea to meet. He had managed to convince himself it was out of closure, out of respect for the past they had shared, but now he wondered if he had simply opened the door for chaos. If he had walked away, Daniel wouldn’t exist in their world, wouldn’t be trailing Ivy like some shadow waiting for the right moment to pounce.The sound of the sliding glass door pulled him back. He turned, expecting to see empty space, but there she was— his wife, his