Chapter 3
His unruly, headstrong ways were just a thorny armor he put on to keep the world at bay.
But beneath it all, he had a gentle side.
He longed to connect with others.
With that thought, I gave him a smile and a nod.
"Alright, from now on, we're friends. Oh, and my name's Sherry Martha."
Ryan smiled, and it was the first time I saw a big guy smile through his tears; it was actually beautiful.
*****
From that day on, we became the best of friends.
We studied together, hit the library, and took walks around the track.
He'd even take me out of school to go racing, horseback riding, or skating.
My friends thought I was crazy, and even my teachers tried to warn me to stay away from a "bad influence" like him.
Everyone figured Ryan was just messing around with me, and he'd get bored and move on once he was done.
But I could tell he was genuine with me.
The more time I spent with him, the more my heart ached for him.
He might have been loaded, but deep down, he was incredibly lonely.
He grew up without a father, and not even one true friend by his side.
He deserved to be loved.
For him, I even gave up my guaranteed spot in grad school, just so we could graduate together.
Ryan was so thankful, he invited me to work at his mother's company.
And thanks to that opportunity, I finally met his mom, Stella Willard, the legendary powerhouse.
At their villa, Stella grasped my hand, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Sherry, thank you for sticking with Ryan. He's become a whole different person, and I can tell he really likes you.
"I know I haven't been the best mother. Please, stay by his side. All I want is to see him happy."
She really was an amazing mom.
How could I say no to a mother so worried about her son?
Truth be told, I really did like Ryan.
So I decided to stick around and work for her.
But it wasn't until later that I found out Stella had already been diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer.
Knowing her time was running out, the only thing that truly weighed on her heart was her son.
As she lay dying, she called me to her bedside, gripped my hand, and begged me again and again to stay with Ryan and live a good life together.
Only after I promised did she finally pass away with a smile on her face.
To fulfill my promise to his mom, I married Ryan.
Ryan wasn't a fan of the busy work. He was the CEO on paper, but pretty much all the day-to-day stuff fell on me.
I took it all in stride. After all, I loved him with everything I had back then.
Whenever I was working late and feeling totally wiped out, he'd give me a gentle massage, murmuring softly in my ear.
"You've worked so hard, babe," he'd say.
As he massaged me, he'd reassure me, "It's alright, babe. From now on, I'll be the one to protect you. I promise, I won't let anyone ever hurt you."
But in the end, he became the one who broke my heart the most.
It was half a month later when I finally got back from my business trip.
The company threw a welcome-back dinner for me.
At the table, Betsy came in late and slid right into the spot next to Ryan, the seat that had been saved just for her.
The lively atmosphere instantly turned icy.
The room went so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, and everyone's eyes were glued to me.
If this had happened before, I would've blown up right then and there.
But now, I just smiled and grabbed a random empty seat.
I didn't utter a single word the whole time.
Everyone else in the room breathed a sigh of relief, except Betsy and Ryan.
But honestly, none of them really needed to worry.
Over the course of my business trip, I'd already made up my mind.
I just didn't care anymore.
Just as everyone was toasting and having a good time, Betsy suddenly stood up.
"Sherry, you really are the backbone of this company. Honestly, this partnership's success is mostly your doing. Here's to you. Thanks for making us so much money," she said.
With that, she tipped her glass back and downed it in one go.
"Bottoms up for me, you can take it slow," she added.
I just sat there, didn't even budge.
Ryan looked annoyed.
"Betsy's raising a toast to you, and you're just sitting there? Is it that you don't respect her, or you don't respect me?" he demanded.
I just looked at him calmly.
He was sticking up for her.
"I just took some antibiotics. I can't drink," I said.
"Seriously? Who do you think you're fooling?" Ryan said.
Ryan just wasn't convinced.
"You knew about the welcome-back dinner tonight, so you took antibiotics on purpose, didn't you?" he accused.
I sighed, just feeling so emotionally drained by all his pointless drama.
I reached for some food, about to take a bite to fill my stomach, when Ryan suddenly slammed his hand down on the table.
"Sherry!" he shouted.
"Are you deaf or what?" he snapped.