Mason Reed

There is this girl. Her name is Ivy Carter. Gentle, sweet, and quietly intelligent, she grew up in a poor family where money was always tight. Even so, she never complained. She found comfort in painting, turning ordinary moments into beautiful pieces of art. After high school, she got a job at a small neighborhood art gallery. The pay wasn't much, but she loved making people smile through her work. And there is this guy. His name is Mason Reed. Funny, outgoing, and impossible to ignore, he also grew up with very little. Instead of letting it bring him down, he chased every opportunity he could find. After classes, he played street football for money, placing bets on matches. Some days he earned enough to help pay the bills. Other days he lost everything—or came home with bruised knuckles after another fight. They met in high school. Ivy was the quiet girl covered in paint. Mason was the loud boy everyone knew. Somehow, they became friends. Friendship slowly turned into love, and not long after graduation, they got married. Life stayed difficult. Their apartment was tiny, the furniture was second-hand, and every month felt like a race to pay rent. Still, Ivy always waited for Mason to come home. Whether he walked through the door with a pocket full of cash or nothing at all, she'd simply smile and ask, "Have you eaten?" Mason often joked that one day he'd buy the entire gallery just so Ivy could display every painting she'd ever make. She'd laugh and tell him he was dreaming too big. "Maybe," he'd grin. "But dreaming is free." And somehow... that was enough to keep them going.