‘Chicago Fire’: Severide and Stella Break up During Winter Premiere

One of Chicago Fire‘s most beloved couples did not survive the winter premiere episode.

Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) have been struggling for some time after the arrival of a ghost from her past and Severide’s father’s sudden death earlier in the season, but during “The Solution to Everything” the couple officially pulled the plug on the relationship.

The trouble started with the arrival of Tyler earlier in the season, someone from Stella’s past who is clearly still interested in her despite her denial. During the fall finale, Severide and Stella have a heated argument when she is uncomfortable with his jealous comments and dismisses his concerns about her hanging out with Tyler.

During Wednesday’s episode, the firefighters seem to avoid each other for most of the time, other than Severide telling Stella about a possible job fixing a boat that he might do on the side for extra cash.

Later in the hour, Stella and Tyler hang out in her apartment while she gets ready for them to go meet other friends and Tyler begins to flirt with her. He suggests he wouldn’t mind skipping their outing and just hanging out indoors with her, which she dismisses for a joke.

Then, Tyler brings up the fact that he will be returning to Texas soon meaning this could be the last time they hang out for a while, and Stella continues to dismiss him by saying it is O.K. since he’ll be back in a few months.

Refusing to shoot his shot with his friend, Tyler admits to Stella that he is in love with her. Stella does not seem shocked by the revelation but, knowing that Severide was right, she asks Tyler to leave and the conversation ends there.

Still reeling from the reveal, Stella goes to the bar to work not wanting to be alone, though she seems deep in thought and upset about the revelation.

Near the end of the episode — as Severide gets home from his first day on the boat job — Stella waits for him outside his building and she tells her how she’s feeling. She admits what happened with Tyler but adds that she has felt like Severide has been pushing her away since his father’s death and that she refuses to be in a relationship with a man going down a dark hole in his life like she did when she was married.

She then tells him that she loves him, but that they cannot be together at this moment. Severide stays silent with a shocked look on his face the entire time, letting her walk away after she announces their breakup.

Could Severide and Stella find their way back to each other or is this the end for this beloved couple? Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.