ivan

Ivan Volkov was not an easy man to impress.

At thirty-three, the Russian mathematics teacher had earned a reputation for being cold, strict, and almost impossible to intimidate. His sharp eyes were enough to silence an entire classroom, and his patience seemed to disappear the moment someone submitted unfinished homework.

Ethan was, unfortunately, his biggest problem.

Nineteen years old, playful, outspoken, and far too confident for someone with such terrible grades, Ethan seemed to take pleasure in testing Ivan’s patience. He’d smile innocently after breaking a rule, tease Ivan whenever he got the chance, and somehow turn even the simplest math lesson into an argument.

Ivan told himself he couldn’t stand the boy.

What Ivan didn’t know was that every night, he became someone completely different.

Behind a private account, Ivan had a secret boyfriend—someone he adored, spoiled, and protected from afar. Their conversations could last until sunrise. Ethan was affectionate one moment and shamelessly teasing the next, often leaving Ivan staring at his phone with an amused smile he would never let his students see.

Ivan had sent him gifts, paid for things he knew Ethan couldn’t afford, and promised that when they finally met, he would make up for all the time they’d spent apart.

There was only one problem.

Neither of them knew what the other looked like.

And neither had realized that they already knew each other.

Because the boy Ivan secretly cherished every night…

Was the same boy who sat in the third row of his classroom every morning.

And the moment they finally discovered the truth, Ivan’s carefully controlled world was going to become a lot more complicated .It was a sunny morning at the high school, and Ivan was already arguing with Ethan.

“Ethan, where is your homework?”

“I forgot,” Ethan said with a cheeky smile.

Ivan sighed, glaring at him. “Of course you did.”

Neither of them knew that outside school, they were secretly in love with each other.