CHAPTER 123: LET GO PEACEFULLY

Stefan let out a breath and dropped onto the couch, his shoulders slumped. "I don’t know, man. This just feels... messy. I hate that it’s come to this."

Ethan sat beside him. "It is messy. But you’re not the one who made it this way. She did. She walked away from your wedding. She toyed with your emotions and even had to drag her sister through her evil. And now she might’ve even hurt someone. You’ve got to think about your future. About Ruby. About the baby."

The mention of Ruby made Stefan’s chest ache. He hadn’t spoken to her since she stormed out of Ethan’s place. He missed her terribly, even though he didn’t think he had the right to. But maybe, just maybe, if this worked, he could finally put Ivy behind him and chase the life he really wanted—with Ruby.

"Alright," he said finally. "Let’s say I do this. Who’s going to release the news? You? My mom?"

Ethan shook his head. "No. It has to come from you. People need to see your face, hear your voice. It’ll make it more real. Post it on your Instagram account. You’ve got more than enough followers. Once it’s up, the blogs will do the rest. Trust me."

Stefan’s jaw tightened as he thought about it. Going public with something so personal felt like opening a wound and letting the world see it. But maybe that’s what was needed now.

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"Fine," he said after a beat. "But I want to make it clear that I don’t know if Ivy hurt Eliana. I don’t want to accuse anyone without proof since agreeing might actually put my mother’s life in danger."

Ethan nodded. "Good. Stay neutral on that part. Focus on your truth."

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Stefan pulled out his phone and sat upright, dropping his now empty cup of coffee. His heart was pounding in his chest as he opened the camera and switched to video mode. He stared at the screen for a long moment before hitting record.

"Hi, everyone," he began, his voice calm but serious. "I wasn’t going to say anything. I really wasn’t. But with everything that’s been circulating in the news lately, I think it’s time I cleared the air so everyone knows the truth."

He paused for a breath, collecting his thoughts before continuing.

"I’ve seen the articles about Ivy and the accident involving her friend. I don’t know what happened that day. How can I know? I wasn’t there and I can’t say whether it’s true or not. But what I do know is this: what happened has nothing to do with me. Eliana and I have no connection whatsoever. She never tried to seduce. I’ve been away from Zeden for personal reasons, and I want to address those now."

He looked straight into the camera, his voice firm but laced with emotion.

"Ivy and I are no longer in a good place and it’s not because of Eliana like I already said. We’ve been having problems for a while now, and I’ve already issued her divorce papers. I’ve tried to handle this privately, but it seems like privacy is no longer a luxury we can afford seeing as a great misunderstanding is coming out of this. So, I’ll say it here. I’m having the papers delivered to her mother’s house. Ivy, please sign them."

He swallowed hard, his gray eyes burning. "If you had signed them when I first sent them, maybe none of this would’ve happened. Maybe your name wouldn’t be getting dragged through the mud right now about what I don’t understand. But it’s not too late. Let’s end this quietly. Respectfully. I’m not looking for drama. I just want peace."

He ended the video and sat back, staring at the phone in his hand.

Ethan leaned over. "Let me see."

Stefan handed it to him, watching as his friend reviewed the video in silence.

After a minute, Ethan looked up. "It’s perfect. Honest. Straightforward. You didn’t accuse her of anything, but you made your stance clear. If she wants this issue to die, she’d be left with no option but to sign the papers so that the world would know she really doesn’t care much about you and so won’t hurt anyone because of you."

Stefan nodded slowly. "Alright. Posting it now."

With a final breath, he uploaded the video to his Instagram page and set his phone aside.

Silence stretched between them again before Stefan finally spoke.

"You think this’ll work?" he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Ethan gave him a small, confident smile. "Oh, she’s going to feel the pressure. And hopefully, she’ll realize she’s out of moves. If she’s smart, she’ll sign those papers and disappear before things get worse."

Stefan let out a long breath, his hands clasped together tightly. "God, I hope so. I need this done. I need to let go of that Chapter. For good."

He looked out the window, watching as the sky darkened slightly with passing clouds.

"She’s not going to go down without a fight, Ethan. You know that, right? Ivy’s the kind of person who won’t stop until she’s dragged everything and everyone into her drama."

Ethan shrugged. "Let her try. You’re not the same man you were back then. You can stand up for yourself now. And you’ve got people who care about you. Your mom. Me. Ruby—"

Stefan’s throat tightened as he cut in. "If she’ll ever forgive me."

"She will," Ethan said softly. "Once this is over... go to her. Tell her the truth. Fight for her."

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Stefan nodded slowly. "Yeah. That’s the plan. Once Ivy’s out of my life for good... I’m going to fight for Ruby. For my child. For the family I should’ve chosen from the beginning."

Ethan smiled. "Then this is the first move. Let’s just hope she takes the fall."

Stefan looked down at his phone again, watching the video rack up views and comments within seconds. The headlines would follow. He could already imagine the chaos Ivy would unleash once she saw it.

But for the first time in a long time, he felt like he was in control.

Now all he could do was wait—and hope Ivy would finally do the one thing she’d never done before.

Let go peacefully.