"Ivy." His voice is gravelly, like he hasn't slept, but sounds sober.
"I heard about the board meeting. About Warren trying to remove you."
A long pause. "Lillianna told you."
"She did." I grip the railing of the balcony tighter. "I'm here. If you need someone to talk to."
“Thank you.”
Another pause, longer this time. "I care about you, Ivy,” he says quietly, almost a whisper. “You know that, right?"
My heart aches. I miss him so much it's physical, a hollow space in my chest where he used to be. "I do.”
"I'm trying to respect what you asked for. The distance. But damn, I want you here. I’m not asking, just speaking the truth.”
"I know." And I do. He hasn't called. Hasn't shown up. Hasn't tried to fix this with grand gestures, money, or deals. For Thorne, that's growth. "I care about you too, Thorne. But I don't trust you. Not yet."
"I understand." He sounds tired. Resigned. "That's fair."
There's a beat of silence. I close my eyes, listening to him breathe.
"So I'm not calling as... whatever we were. I'm calling as someone who understands what it's like to face something hard alone. And who doesn't think you should have to."
A breath, shaky on his end. "Thank you."
We let the silence settle between us, connected by the phone and nothing else.
"The vote will be on the same day as the meeting,” he finally says.
"I heard.”
"I don't know which way it'll go."
"Neither do I. But you'll be able to handle either outcome."
“Can I..." He stops. Starts again. "After. When it's over. Call and talk with you? Not about anything. No agenda. Just talk.”
My hand tightens on the phone. "Yeah. We can talk."
"Okay." Relief colors the single word. "Okay."
Neither of us moves to hang up. The silence stretches, but it's not empty. It's full of everything we're not saying.
"Thorne?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck at the meeting.”
"Ivy?" His voice catches. "Thank you for calling."
We say goodbye, and I lower the phone. I wipe away a tear and stare out at the city.
I'm building my life here in Kentucky. My practice. My future with Madison. The life I choose.
And somewhere in that life, there might be room for Thorne Blackstone.
But first, we both need to figure out who we are on our own.
