Just as Chicago Fire fans thought firefighter Sam Carver (Jake Lockett) was going to run off into the sunset with paramedic Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith), the tides turned for the couple.

Carver has struggled with sobriety this season, and he went to rehab for treatment. With Carver away from his post, Violet realized how

much she missed him and, in turn, discovered the depths of her lingering feelings for him. Violet poured many of those emotions into a

letter for Carver that she never sent because she didn’t want to trigger him while in rehab. But upon Carver’s return to Firehouse 51, his and Violet’s chemistry became downright explosive. During Fire’s Season 13 finale (“It Had to End This Way”), Violet finally shared the letter with Carver so that she could come clean about how she feels, but she was met with a shocking response.

“Carver is really on a journey of his own that he’s been on for a while, and we wanted to portray that in a realistic way,” Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman told NBC Insider. “Not kind of make it too sweet and easy, what he’s going through. So what he’s going through is a lot.”

Despite his many friends and loved ones at Firehouse 51, Carver decided that his best shot of sticking to his sobriety was to leave Chicago to get a fresh start somewhere else. In the Season 13 finale, Carver emotionally revealed to Violet that before he returned to 51 (and learned his feelings for Violet were mutual), he made the tough call to apply for a position at the Denver Fire Department.

While fans are saddened to lose Carver at Firehouse 51, no one will feel the absence more than Violet. At the end of Season 13’s finale, Violet met Carver at his car after getting a pressing text. Concerned, Violet rushed to his side, only for Carver to kiss her passionately.

Following Carver’s exit from Firehouse 51, NBC Insider chatted with Chicago Fire showrunner Andrea Newman about the character’s future.

“We may not have Carver full-time next season, but we may have him for a bunch of it too, and I think there’s a lot left to figure out between [Violet and Carver],” Newman told NBC Insider.

“The main thing I’d say is that the fact that [Violet] was able to articulate [her love for him] is such a journey for her, that she actually got to that place,” Newman continued. “After everything she went through with Hawkins, and everything the first go-around with Carver, that she got to a place where she could say that was a major evolution for her, too.”

“In a way, you could look at [Violet] as one of [Carver’s] drugs. So is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing? Is it going to be a rollercoaster of them together? Are they gonna bounce apart? There’s so many ways that it could go between the two of them, but now we know how they really feel about each other,” Newman concluded. “And that’s where we end this season.”