Chapter 10

10

EVELYN

E velyn stared blankly at the email on her computer screen, the neatly typed words blurring into an incomprehensible mess. She read them again, slower this time, as if giving them a second glance might somehow change their meaning. But the words remained the same, as cold and unyielding as the bureaucrats who had written them.

Directive from the City Finance Office: Effective immediately, the proposed reductions to staffing and equipment budgets for the Phoenix Ridge Fire Department must increase by 15%. Noncompliance will result in disciplinary action and a potential reassessment of departmental leadership.

Evelyn’s stomach churned as the weight of the mandate settled over her. She pushed back from her desk, clasping her hands tightly in her lap in an effort to still their trembling. She had been bracing for bad news, but this? This was worse than anything she’d imagined.

The fire department was already operating at the edge of what she considered sustainable. Further cuts meant forcing Cass and her team to work with fewer resources, fewer people, and an even greater strain on their morale. It meant making sacrifices that Evelyn knew would cost lives—not just in the distant, statistical sense, but in the gut-wrenching reality of a firefighter standing in the wrong place without backup or proper gear.

And it meant facing Cass.

Evelyn pressed her palms against her temples, willing the pounding in her head to subside. She had spent weeks trying to find ways to mitigate the damage, poring over spreadsheets late into the night and arguing with city officials about priorities. She’d thought she could navigate this without destroying what little trust she had begun to build with Cass. Now, that hope seemed laughable.

A knock at the door jolted her out of her thoughts. Her assistant, Grace, poked her head in, her expression wary. “Ms. Ford? Everything alright?”

Evelyn forced herself to sit up straighter, smoothing her hands over her skirt. “Fine,” she said, her voice clipped. “Just a lot to process.”

Grace hesitated. “If you need me to reschedule your afternoon?—”

“No,” Evelyn interrupted. “I’ll handle it.”

The door closed softly behind Grace, leaving Evelyn alone with the suffocating quiet of her office. She clenched her fists, staring at the screen as if she could will the email out of existence. But no amount of denial would change what she had to do.

Cass’s face swam into her mind, her fiery eyes and determined expression so vivid that it was almost as if she were in the room. Evelyn could practically hear her voice, sharp with frustration, accusing her of betrayal.

Evelyn buried her face in her hands. She didn’t want to think about Cass. About the way she had felt, lying in Cass’s arms the other night, their walls temporarily down. About the hope that had stirred in her chest, fragile and tentative, that maybe—just maybe—they could find a way to coexist. To be something more.

Evelyn leaned against the edge of her desk, staring at the stack of papers she’d brought with her to soften the blow, though she knew they’d do no such thing. She wasn’t naive; she knew exactly how Cass would react. Every clash they’d had over the past few weeks had only confirmed what Evelyn already suspected: Cass Harris didn’t just see arguments as professional disagreements. She took them personally, every single one. And this? This would feel like a betrayal.

It was in Cass’s nature, Evelyn supposed. She was fiercely loyal to her team, to her station, to the ideals she believed in. To Cass, this wasn’t just a fire department; it was her family, her legacy. Every decision Evelyn made was an attack on that, or at least that’s how Cass saw it. Every policy shift, every budget cut—it all landed like a personal insult, as if Evelyn were targeting her specifically instead of trying to balance the needs of an entire city.

Evelyn sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples. She knew better than to expect Cass to see the bigger picture, but that didn’t make this any easier. It wasn’t just Cass’s anger she feared; it was the way it lingered, a slow burn that didn’t just die out after their arguments ended. Cass carried those feelings with her, letting them simmer just beneath the surface, fueling the next clash. And lately, Evelyn had felt that burn, too, though it ignited something far more complicated inside her—something she couldn’t allow herself to name.

This time, though, it would be different. This wasn’t a disagreement over protocol or priorities. This was about survival—the survival of the fire department, the city’s budget, and Evelyn’s own position. Cass wouldn’t care about the reasons or the pressures Evelyn was under; she’d see it as proof that Evelyn didn’t care about what mattered most.

And yet, Evelyn had to do it. There was no alternative. The weight of that reality pressed down on her like a leaden hand, the familiar pressure of duty clashing with the unfamiliar ache of knowing how much this would hurt someone she was starting to care about more than she should.

When Evelyn finally arrived at the firehouse that afternoon, she felt like she was walking into enemy territory. The usual hum of activity seemed muted, the weight of her impending conversation settling over the space like a storm cloud.

Cass was in the garage, overseeing a training drill. She was barking orders at her team, her tone sharp but not unkind. When she spotted Evelyn, her expression hardened, the faint smile she’d been wearing vanishing in an instant.

“Evelyn,” Cass said, her voice cool. “What brings you here?”

Evelyn cleared her throat, her palms damp. “We need to talk. In private.”

Cass’s eyes narrowed, suspicion flashing across her face. “Alright,” she said after a moment, nodding toward her office.

The walk to the office felt interminable, the silence between them heavy and oppressive. Evelyn’s heels clicked against the floor, the sound unnaturally loud in the stillness.

Once inside, Cass closed the door and crossed her arms, leaning against the desk. “What’s this about?”

Evelyn hesitated, her carefully rehearsed words evaporating under the weight of Cass’s gaze. She looked at the woman in front of her, so strong and resolute, and for the first time, she felt a pang of genuine shame.

“There’s been a directive from the city,” Evelyn began, her voice softer than she intended. “The cuts…they’re worse than we anticipated. We’re being forced to increase reductions by fifteen percent.”

Cass’s expression darkened immediately, her jaw tightening. “You’re joking.”

“I wish I were.” Evelyn forced herself to meet Cass’s eyes. “This isn’t what I wanted. I fought against it, but the decision’s out of my hands now.”

Cass’s laugh was bitter, devoid of humor. “Out of your hands? That’s convenient. You’re the one delivering the orders, Evelyn. Don’t pretend you’re some powerless messenger.”

Evelyn flinched, the words cutting deeper than they should have. “Do you think this is easy for me?” she snapped, the crack in her composure surprising even herself. “Do you think I enjoy sitting in meetings with people who see this department as nothing more than a line item on a spreadsheet? I’m trying to make this work, Cass, but I can’t perform miracles.”

Cass pushed off the desk, her anger radiating from her in waves. “You’re not trying hard enough. You’re so busy playing by their rules that you’ve forgotten what’s at stake. We’re not numbers, Evelyn. We’re people. And if you can’t see that, then maybe you shouldn’t be the one making these decisions.”

The words landed like a blow, knocking the breath out of Evelyn’s lungs. She took a step back, her hands trembling at her sides.

“Do you think I don’t know that?” she said, her voice breaking. “Every decision I make keeps me up at night, wondering if I’m doing the right thing. But this isn’t just about you or me or this department. It’s about the entire city. And sometimes, doing the right thing means making impossible choices.”

Cass shook her head, her anger giving way to something colder, more final. “No. The right thing is standing up for what’s right, no matter how hard it is. If you can’t do that, then I don’t know what we’re even doing here.”

Evelyn felt the ground shift beneath her feet, the fragile connection they’d built crumbling before her eyes. “Cass…” She reached out instinctively.

Cass stepped back, her expression unreadable. “I can’t do this anymore, Evelyn. I can’t trust you—not with my department, and not with me.”

The words hung in the air, a finality to them that made Evelyn’s chest ache. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came.

Cass turned and walked out, leaving Evelyn standing alone in the office, the silence deafening.

Evelyn drove home in a daze, the city lights blurring past her. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles white as she replayed the conversation over and over in her mind.

She had known this would happen. She had known that telling Cass about the cuts would drive a wedge between them, undoing whatever fragile bond they had managed to build. But knowing hadn’t prepared her for how much it would hurt.

The house felt emptier than usual when she arrived, the quiet oppressive. Evelyn dropped her bag by the door and sank onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. She had spent her entire career keeping people at arm’s length, building walls to protect herself from the pain of personal connections. She had thought she was good at it—until Cass.

Cass had torn through those walls with a force Evelyn hadn’t anticipated, leaving her vulnerable in a way she hadn’t been in years. And now, those walls felt like they were closing in on her, suffocating her with the weight of her own choices.

Evelyn stood alone in her living room, the weight of silence pressing in on her from all sides. She stared at the papers in front of her, but they blurred together in a haze, unreadable and unimportant. Her mind kept drifting back to Cass, to their last exchange. It felt like an explosion had gone off in her chest, leaving her stunned and broken, every part of her aching from the force of it.

I never should have let it get this far.

The thought repeated itself like a mantra, echoing through the empty spaces of her mind. She had known the risks, of course. She had known the consequences of letting someone like Cass into her world, into the space where professional decisions and personal emotions never intersected. She’d always kept them separate—kept her guard up, her walls high. But somehow, somewhere along the way, she had allowed those walls to crack. Maybe it was the long hours spent arguing, the way Cass had been so fiercely passionate, so alive with conviction that had drawn Evelyn in. Or maybe it was the quiet moments when their gazes lingered a little too long or when Cass had said something that made Evelyn’s heart flutter against her will. Either way, it didn’t matter now.

I should’ve known better.

The truth, of course, was that Evelyn hadn’t allowed herself to think about the consequences, hadn’t let herself truly consider what would happen when the inevitable clash came. She had convinced herself it was manageable, that she could compartmentalize the relationship, keep it tucked neatly away from the professional decisions that needed to be made. But now, with the finality of their words hanging in the air between them, Evelyn realized how wrong she had been.

She never should have let herself care, never should have allowed that dangerous spark of attraction to turn into something more. The lines had been blurred from the start, and she’d been foolish enough to think she could navigate both worlds without them colliding. But they had. And now it had all come crashing down.

And it’s my fault.

She couldn’t look at the mirror without seeing the truth staring back at her. Cass had trusted her. She had opened herself up, even when Evelyn had been nothing but cold and distant. She had given her all, all while Evelyn had been playing the role of the consultant, the outsider, the one who had to push through no matter the cost. Evelyn had pretended it was all part of the job. But it wasn’t. Not really. She had let herself be swept up in something she wasn’t prepared to handle. And now, everything was falling apart because of it.

Cass had made her choice. She’d drawn a line in the sand and told Evelyn that she couldn’t be a part of this mess anymore. It was the logical conclusion, wasn’t it? The breakup had been inevitable. And yet, Evelyn’s chest ached with the raw, hollow emptiness left in the wake of Cass’s departure. She had never felt so utterly alone.

I never should have let her in.

She wanted to scream, to do something—anything—to make it right again. But there was nothing to be done. Cass was right. She couldn’t expect her to understand. The decisions Evelyn had to make weren’t personal; they couldn’t be. But that didn’t matter. Cass had seen it that way. She’d taken everything personally, and Evelyn hadn’t been strong enough to stop herself from letting it hurt.

Now there was nothing left. Just an empty home, a hollow ache in her chest, and the bitter taste of regret that Evelyn couldn’t wash away.

For the first time in a long time, Evelyn felt the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away, forcing herself to take a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to fall apart now.

Cass’s words echoed in her mind, sharp and unforgiving. “ I can’t trust you.”

Evelyn closed her eyes, the ache in her chest spreading until it felt like it might consume her. She had always prided herself on her ability to remain composed under pressure, to make tough decisions without letting her emotions cloud her judgment.

But now, for the first time, Evelyn wasn’t sure if she could.