Chapter 2

Ryan was Alex's friend, and I fell for him the moment we met.

I'd always been a mediocre student, but suddenly I started working my ass off. I had one goal—to get into a university in his city.

When I arrived, Alex asked Ryan to look after me, and we began spending more time together.

Ryan's business was just getting off the ground back then, and on top of that, he had to take care of me. There were weeks when he barely slept three hours straight.

I asked him once why he didn't just take over the family business instead of starting from scratch.

He'd been drinking that night, and his eyes were unfocused. Even his smile looked bitter.

"Someone told me I'd never be anything without my family's money," he said. "I wanted to prove them wrong. I wanted to build something on my own."

My heart ached for him when he said that, and before I knew it, I'd worked up the courage to kiss him.

I saw his eyes go wide with shock, but then he closed them and kissed me back.

After that night, being together just felt natural.

Ryan pulled me into his arms and made me a promise. He'd take care of me forever and spoil me like a little girl for the rest of our lives.

But his version of forever was pathetically short. Six years later, he left me alone in our empty apartment to meet another woman.

*****

Ryan didn't come home all day, and he didn't send me a single message either.

I didn't reach out to him. Instead, I spent the entire day clearing out everything that belonged to us. Matching mugs, toothbrushes, clothes, and throw pillows printed with our cartoon faces—I got rid of it all.

Every time I tossed something out, Ryan's face flashed through my mind.

Whenever I'd come home with another set of matching items, he'd always give me that helpless but affectionate look and ruffle my hair. "Babe, I'm a grown man. What'll people think if they see me using this stuff?"

I took everything downstairs and dumped it in the donation box.

It seemed wasteful to just throw it all away, so I figured someone else might need it.

At least now Ryan wouldn't have to worry about being embarrassed anymore.

I stood there for a moment, lost in thought. When I finally turned to head back upstairs, I walked straight into a solid, warm chest.

Ryan looked down at me and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "How much did you donate? You look exhausted."

"Not much. Just some clothes."

He didn't press for details and simply took my hand to lead me back up the stairs.

The apartment looked different with so many things gone, but Ryan only glanced around briefly. "Feels kind of empty in here, doesn't it?"

I looked around and brushed him off. "No, you're seeing things."

He didn't seem to care.

If he really cared, he would've noticed the missing throw pillows on the couch and the empty spot on the shelf where our photo frame used to sit the second he walked through the door.

I let out a bitter laugh, but then my eyes caught something—the corners of Ryan's mouth were still turned up slightly.

His phone buzzed a few times. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and then looked at me. "Emily, you've always wanted to meet my friends, right? How about I take you tonight?"

I used to want nothing more than to be part of his world, for everyone to know we were together. But Ryan always said I was too young, that Alex would come after him the moment people found out about us.

So he kept telling me to wait.

Now I didn't want to be part of his circle anymore, but suddenly he was ready to bring me in.

I smiled, "You go ahead. I'm tired."

Ryan frowned and scooped me up, carrying me straight to the walk-in closet. "We have to go. I promised I'd make up for our six-year anniversary, so put on your prettiest dress."

He pulled out a white dress and handed it to me, rushing me along. I didn't have much choice, so I changed and left with him.