Chicago Fire star Hanako Greensmith says Violet is headed into a ‘new phase of her life’ without Carver (exclusive)

Violet (Hanako Greensmith) is no stranger to heartbreak. And things aren’t looking good for her current romantic entanglement.

Chicago Fire ended season 13 with a long-awaited kiss between Violet and Carver (Jake Lockett), but with Lockett having announced his departure from the series, it’s hard to imagine fans will get the happily-ever-after they might’ve been hoping for.

“It’s been such a dream working with Jake,” Greensmith tells Entertainment Weekly. “It was really wonderful to get to live out those last few scenes together and just bring to life as much as possible and make it as heartfelt and raw and honest as possible.”

As for what comes next for the paramedic, Greensmith says that the season 14 premiere has a “bit of a time jump” that will quickly give fans what they want. “We’re going to be giving answers to a couple of the questions from last season pretty immediately,” she says. “No one should be left with too bated of a breath.”

Carver or no Carver, Violet will always be surrounded by the support of Firehouse 51. And she’ll likely need it in the first few episodes. “Violet has taken on so much heartbreak and disappointment and frustration,” Greensmith says. “I feel as if I am witnessing her walk into a new phase of her life where she’s learning to live with these disappointments in a different way. They’re just kind of adding to the tapestry of her experience as opposed to being the chip that weighs her down. I think she’s walking into a new phase of her adulthood. A part of growing up is learning like how to live with it as opposed to live against it.”

And there’s a chance she won’t be alone. Fellow cast member Michael Bradway also recently announced he’d be leaving the show, and his character, Jack Damon, had a bit of a thing with Violet’s paramedic partner, Novak (Jocelyn Hudon). “It’s single girl season,” Greensmith says with a laugh, before adding, “I can’t give away too much, but I am excited to have those answers myself because as of right now, it does seem as if Violet is in a new dating pool in a different way than she has been before.”

But there is one Firehouse 51 couple that’s in a very different stage of life: In the season 13 finale, Stella (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Kelly (Taylor Kinney) found out they were going to have a baby. “I do think we’ll probably see a new phase of Stella and Violet’s relationship,” Greensmith says. “Because there’s so few women in the firehouse and Stella has been going through an innately female time.

“I think having the women in the firehouse to support her and be a soundboard for her is really important,” she continues. “So hopefully we’ll be seeing more of that this season and I would love that.”

As the show heads into season 14, there’s also the matter of untold stories. Greensmith, who joined the show in season 8, still has a few questions about Violet’s upbringing. And don’t get her started on which Firehouse 51 members she’d like to spend a bit more time with. “I would kind of love to see more of how Violet is with Herrmann [David Eigenberg] because I feel like they’re kind of similarly a little aggressive,” Greensmith says with a laugh. “Watching them either band together or butt heads could be pretty comedic.”