Chapter 6
Finally, I swallowed a sleeping pill and drifted into a heavy, dream-filled slumber. That night, I ended up having a dream—totally unexpected.
I dreamed about the guy who turned me down.
In the dream, he told me he regretted everything. He said he should've chosen me, not that awful woman who never appreciated him.
I burst out laughing right in his face. "Serves you right! Honestly, you let me off the hook by not picking me. Otherwise, I wouldn't be living the good life I have now. Back then, I pretended to be poor just to protect your ego, went through hell with you, and in the end, you just called me your little sister!
"Samuel's way hotter than you, richer than you, and loves me way more than you ever could! What do you even have? I must've been out of my mind to ever pine for you! Go spend your life with that piece of work—enjoy being a cuck!"
After letting it all out, I felt totally free—like all the weight had finally been lifted off my shoulders.
Suddenly, a knock at the door snapped me out of sleep.
"Good morning, room service!" someone called.
Bleary-eyed, I opened the door.
And there he stood—the very man from my dreams, the one I had once longed for day and night.
"Julia?" The voice was familiar, edged with tentative surprise.
"Ryan Turner? Why are you working here?" I blurted out.
I noticed he was holding onto a cleaning cart, and it really caught me off guard.
He used to be a programmer—how did he end up as a janitor?
"Yeah, I got laid off. But Lily's pregnant, so I took whatever job I could find for now. She's not working, so there's no income. I can't just sit at home and watch our savings disappear," he explained.
"Yeah, makes sense," I replied.
After that, things got awkward between Ryan and me for a moment.
"Are you still resting? Want me to come back and clean later?" he asked.
"Oh, it's fine. I was just about to head downstairs for breakfast," I replied.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.
The next moment, Samuel showed up right in front of me.
"Julia!" he called out.
He saw me talking with Ryan and instantly looked tense. Without hesitation, he pulled me into his arms, like he was staking his claim and making sure everyone knew I was his.
Ryan took one look at Samuel's commanding presence and immediately realized what was going on.
He lowered his head and just started pulling cleaning supplies out of the cart, minding his own business.
"I'll get back to work," he said, trying to sound casual.
Before I could get a word out, Samuel crushed his lips to mine, silencing me with a possessive kiss.
Ryan, seeing the scene, bolted into the bathroom like he was escaping, and started frantically scrubbing the wet sink.
"Let go of me!" I pushed him away, fighting to break free.
He'd been way too rough—he actually hurt me.
"I'm going to get breakfast now," I said, trying to pull away.
"I'll come with you," Samuel insisted.
Samuel stayed close, following me into the elevator and right to the restaurant.
"Why didn't you just order room service?" Samuel asked.
"I just prefer eating in the restaurant," I replied.
I wiped my lips as we walked.
Who knew if he had kissed some college girl before kissing me?
"Julia, at least tell me why you ran away," Samuel said, his voice low and tense.
"Do you really need to ask?" I shot back, a bit too loudly.
People around us started staring.
"Who is that guy? Why do you care so much about him?" Samuel dodged, trying to avoid the topic.
I was still fuming, and even though I knew it would hurt him, I just couldn't help but jab at his sore spot.
"He's the guy I loved but could never have, okay?" I snapped.
Samuel froze, stunned by my words.
I lowered my head and walked off, not looking back or caring about anything else.