Chapter 1
When I heard that Ivan Stein had fallen into the river, I didn't hesitate for a second. I jumped right in to look for him.
The water was freezing cold, and my worry for him only made me search even more desperately.
Just as I was about to call for help, I heard Leia Dyer's disappointed voice coming from the shore.
"She actually jumped in. A bet's a bet, Ivan. I won't pester you anymore," she said, her tone thick with resignation.
I froze, twisting around. Ashley stood before Ivan, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
Ivan gave her a helpless smile, gently ruffled her hair to comfort her, then finally looked down at me in the river.
"Ashley, she's still young. Sometimes she just gets carried away. Don't hold it against her. Now that she knows how much you care about me, she won't try to get in between us anymore," Ivan said softly.
It hit me right then. Leia had pulled Ivan into a bet.
If I threw caution to the wind and saved him, it would prove I truly loved him, and Leia would have to admit defeat and quit chasing him.
But if I didn't, she'd try to break us apart, and Ivan would owe her another shot.
Ivan pulled me out of the water, looking at me with obvious satisfaction.
He told me it made him happy to see how much I cared.
He even said that once our families met, he'd marry me and take care of me for the rest of our lives.
But Ivan, after loving you for so long, I suddenly just felt worn out.
*****
The icy water chilled me to the bone, but I wasn't about to climb out.
I was nearly losing my mind, surging forward, desperately searching for Ivan.
Ivan couldn't swim. With water this cold, he was really in trouble.
Panic started to creep in, but I forced myself to keep looking, again and again. No matter what I did, he was nowhere to be found.
The cold wind slapped my face, biting into my skin.
Staring at the calm, unbroken surface of the river, a wave of panic I'd never felt before crashed over me.
Just as I was about to call for help, Leia called out from the shore, sounding totally crushed.
"She actually jumped in. A bet's a bet, Ivan. I won't pester you anymore," she said, her tone thick with resignation.
A bet's a bet? What did that even mean?
I froze, a shocking, almost unbelievable guess flashing through my mind.
Forcing myself to turn, I saw Leia, who'd just spoken, standing in front of Ivan. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, looking absolutely pitiful.
And there was Ivan, the supposedly accidental victim everyone had been talking about, just standing there with a resigned look, staring at Leia.
He reached out and ruffled her hair, his voice gentle as he reassured her, "Come on. I might've rejected you, but I never said we couldn't be friends."
With those sharp, handsome features, he didn't seem like he was comforting Leia. It was more like he was softly teasing her.
Leia, who'd looked totally crushed a moment ago, instantly broke into a smile and latched onto Ivan's arm.
Her tone turned coquettish, voice sugary and spoiled. "Ivan, I just knew you could never be that heartless to me."
A few of Ivan's buddies were hanging around, and when they saw what was going on, they started teasing Leia.
"Still not giving up, huh?"
"Leia, just how head over heels are you for Ivan, anyway?"
Their banter made Leia couldn't help blushing, her face turning bright red.
Ivan finally stepped in to defend her, shooting his friends a look to stop them.
The whole time, not a single person noticed I was still freezing in the icy river. No one bothered to even explain what was happening.
My heart just kept sinking.
It was like Ivan had only now remembered me. He finally turned to look at me in the water, his face full of guilt.
"Ashley, she's still young. Sometimes she just gets carried away. Don't hold it against her," Ivan said softly.
Leia just rolled her eyes, obviously not pleased.
Ivan's buddies had known him forever, and with Leia being his childhood friend, she was tight with them too.
One of the guys, clearly annoyed by what Ivan said, chimed in with a snarky comment. "Ivan, that's not fair. There's always an order to things. Leia's been by your side for years. Of course, she's scared someone else might not love you as much."
"Seriously, Ivan, even if you're trying to sweet-talk Ashley, you can't just say stuff like that," one of the boys snickered.
"Honestly, this whole bet was so unfair to Leia. If it were her, she'd have jumped in after you too. So why does Ashley get all these bonus points for it?" another piped up.
As their banter went on, my expression turned icy.
Ivan hadn't cared at first, but when he finally caught the look on my face, his eyes shot his friends a sharp warning.
Then he finally looked over at me, his words light and almost offhand.
"Relax. Now that Leia knows just how much you love me, she won't come between us anymore," he said.
It hit me how utterly absurd this all was.
I'd risked everything for him, not even caring about my own safety.
And yet, the whole thing turned out to be nothing more than a bet for them.