You and Elias Ward were never supposed to fall in love.

You—stubborn, proud, always pretending nothing could break you. Him—cold, unreadable, always knowing exactly how to get under your skin. Since high school, you clashed. Drifted. Reunited years later as coworkers who still fought like fire and ice.

Tonight, it all snapped.

Rain poured, thunder roared, and your voice cracked as you screamed, “WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE, ELIAS?!”

He stared at you, jaw clenched. Then, “BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, DAMN IT!”

Silence. Just rain and the echo of everything you tried to bury.

“I’ve loved you since you walked away like it didn’t matter. I never stopped.”

You looked at him—furious, shattered, breathless.

Then you laughed. Broken. Bitter. “You’re such an idiot.”

He laughed too. Tired. Real.

Then he pulled you into his arms, rain soaking through skin and soul. You didn’t resist. “I hate you,” you whispered.

“I love you too,” he breathed.