Chapter 1

I'd been with my boyfriend, Ryan Stone, for seven years. His germaphobia had gotten worse over time. Anything that got dirty, he'd throw away without a second thought.

To accommodate him, I wiped every surface in the house with disinfectant. Before any physical contact, I'd sanitize my hands with alcohol. But it was never enough.

Then his childhood sweetheart, Emily Goodwin, came back. On the way to her welcome dinner, I suddenly got my period.

Ryan glared at the stained seat cushion and shouted, "Can't you hold it in?"

I apologized, flustered.

He gave me a cold look. "Go by yourself. It's too dirty."

He left me there and drove off.

I finally made it to the private dining room. Through the gap in the door, I saw Ryan and Emily sharing a spoon.

I froze. So he was the dirty one. Not me.

If something were dirty, I should throw it away. And a dirty man? I should throw him away, too.

*****

When I finally made it to the private room, I caught Ryan, my germaphobe boyfriend, offering Emily a spoonful of soup.

Emily blushed shyly as she finished, and Ryan, not minding at all, scooped up another spoonful for himself.

I was stunned.

Wait, wasn't Ryan supposed to be a germaphobe?

Before I could even process what I'd seen, someone inside the room suddenly spoke up.

"Damn, Emily's impressive! She actually got Ryan, Mr. Germaphobe himself, to feed her."

"Even Sophie never managed that."

Everyone in the room burst out laughing.

Mark Linwood sneered, "Sophie's no match for Emily. Just a farm girl, really."

Ryan's friends never really liked me. They always thought my family background wasn't good enough for him.

But when I first met him, I had no clue he was the son of the CEO of Stone Enterprises.

I stared hard at Ryan inside.

I was hoping he'd speak up for me.

But he kept calmly peeling shrimp and handing them to Emily.

He chuckled at the comment. "They're not the same.

"Sophie's my girlfriend, but Emily's been with me since we were kids.

"I've known her way longer than I've known Sophie."

It was like a punch to the gut.

My fingers, cracked and rough from constantly scrubbing with alcohol, began to tremble.

Emily blushed and looked at him. "Ryan, that's enough shrimp for me."

Ryan stopped peeling and, naturally, gently wiped the sauce off her lips.

My heart twisted in pain.

The year before last, when I broke my foot and asked him to help me get to the bathroom, he turned up his nose and walked out, saying it was too disgusting.

So, I ended up limping there all by myself.

That was when it finally hit me.

All that stuff about being a germaphobe, all that supposed disgust was all because he never really loved me.

Mark shot Ryan and Emily a mischievous look, grinning as he asked, "So, if Emily hadn't gone to Marinport back then, would you guys have ended up together?"

The room instantly went wild. Everyone started laughing and teasing, egging them on.

But my heart sank.

380 flights abroad over five years.

I always thought he had to go because he was taking over his family's business. He'd always bring me gifts whenever he came back, so I never questioned it.

But one day, I got sick and begged him to stay with me.

He looked at me with a sigh and said he couldn't change his flight.

It wasn't really about the flight.

It was because someone else was waiting for him in Marinport.

I couldn't even force a smile. I lingered outside, torturing myself, waiting for his answer.

Emily glanced at Ryan, her heart pounding, and gave a nervous nod.

She waited, eyes full of hope, for his answer.

Ryan stayed silent.

As the seconds ticked by, Emily finally broke down and started crying. "Ryan, you used to like me too, didn't you? Why won't you admit it?"

Ryan gently wiped away her tears. "It's not that I don't like you.

"It's that I already have a girlfriend."

Emily looked at him, stubborn and determined. "I don't mind, Ryan.

"I can wait."

Ryan didn't say anything, gently patted her head.

I let out a bitter laugh.

I tried to stifle the laughter rising in my throat, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from what was happening inside.

In the end, all my love was him settling for me as a backup.

I wanted to sob my heart out, but I couldn't, not here, not in front of everyone.

I clenched my fist so hard it hurt, but that sting couldn't cover up the pain inside.

I was done with a man who trampled on my feelings and betrayed my trust.

Everyone inside kept chatting.

Chris Jordan suddenly asked, "Where's Sophie? Why isn't she here yet?"

Emily chimed in, looking curious, "Did she get lost or something?"

Ryan shot her a fond look. "She's not as scatterbrained as you are.

"Still, I'll give her a call in case."

My hands were shaking as I quickly set my phone to silent mode.

It kept buzzing in my bag for a long time before finally going quiet.

Ryan shrugged. "Maybe she's still on her way."

Everyone changed the subject, and the room got lively again.

No one mentioned me again.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and turned to leave, only to bump right into a waiter bringing in the food.

She greeted me with a bright smile. "Hi, are you here for this private room as well?

"Why aren't you going in?"

The room instantly fell silent.

Footsteps echoed from inside, and when the door swung open, Ryan was standing right in front of me.

He looked down at me, a hint of awkwardness flickering across his face. "When did you get here?"

I gave a small smile. "Just now. I was about to walk in, but ran into the waitress."

Ryan glanced at me, then at the waitress.

The waitress nodded at him.

He breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to take my hand, but I moved aside, avoiding his touch.

His hand hung awkwardly in the air. "What's wrong?"

I said, "I didn't disinfect myself."

Ryan stood there for a moment, then slowly lowered his hand.

Everyone had their own reaction when they saw me, and Ryan went around introducing me to everyone.

When it was Emily's turn, she stood up with a smile and said, "Hey, Sophie, Ryan's got some weird habits, but don't stress about it.

"If he ever messes with you, tell me. I'll set him straight.

"He's always done whatever I say, ever since we were little."

Emily beamed at me, her smile bright and warm.

But my gaze landed on the pink diamond necklace hanging around her neck.

I'd once found an expensive receipt in Ryan's pocket, from a store in Marinport.

I asked him about it, thinking it was for me.

He got impatient and said it was something he bought for someone else.

Now, looking at Emily, I finally understood. All those gifts he gave me were accessories for her, never really meant for me.

Emily noticed me staring and gently touched her necklace. "Ryan gave this to me for my birthday."

Ryan smiled at her, his eyes soft and gentle.

Mark let out a snort of laughter. "We get it, you and Ryan are close, but you don't have to show off like that.

"You're making Sophie feel awkward."

He shot me a quick, almost imperceptible glance, but I kept my face blank.

Emily smiled. "Sophie, you're not that petty, are you? It's a gift. If it really bothers you, I'll apologize."

Mark raised an eyebrow, his face full of that classic "let's see how this plays out" look.

I gave a wry smile and kept quiet.

Ryan looked annoyed. "It's Emily's first time meeting you. You didn't have to make things so uncomfortable."

I asked softly, "Am I the one making things awkward?"

Everyone froze.

Chris jumped in with a laugh, trying to smooth things over. "Emily's still young, and we've all spoiled her."

Ryan looked at me. "She didn't mean anything by it. She's got that childish streak.

"Don't take it to heart."

I gave him a wry smile. "Why would I care?"

Ryan was momentarily at a loss for words.

He frowned. "Don't you care?"

I shrugged. "It's a couple of words. Why would I care?

"Besides, you only see her as a little sister, right?"