Chapter 1

I spent three years simping over Ryan Brooks. Let's be honest, it was mostly because he's ridiculously good-looking.

But in the end, I was the one who walked away.

My bestie, Hazel Jenson, asked me, "If you loved him so much, how could you bring yourself to break up?"

I scoffed. "Come on, Ryan's just a pretty face. He's fun to date, but if we're talking about marriage? I need someone reliable. Someone who actually gets me."

I kept rambling on, completely missing the weird look on Hazel's face until I suddenly heard a cold voice behind me. "So that's the real reason you left."

*****‍

The moment I opened the door to the villa, something on the floor caught my eye.

A piece of leopard-print lingerie—a bra, to be exact—lay right in the entryway. The lace along the edges was wrinkled.

It looked nice, but it definitely wasn't mine.

I'd never been into flashy things. My underwear was all plain, solid colors. Something this wild? Not my style at all.

I looked up and saw Ryan propped up against the living room wall, shirtless.

His body was all smooth lines—defined abs, deep collarbones, a face that was almost unfairly handsome. He didn't show a hint of emotion and just gave the room a lazy glance, like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"A friend left it here yesterday," he said.

His tone was so casual, like he was just talking about the weather. He didn't even bother to look at the lingerie.

I didn't say a word, just crossed my arms and gave him a smirk. My look said it all, "Really?"

A friend? Seriously? What kind of friend just leaves their lingerie behind?

Just then, a soft, sweet voice called out from behind Ryan. "Ryan, where did you put my clothes?"

Then, a girl walked out, wearing nothing but his oversized shirt. The hem barely covered her thighs, leaving her smooth legs on full display.

When she saw me, she froze for a second, surprise flashing in her eyes, but then she quickly put on a polite smile.

It was Natalie Wynn.

Ryan's childhood sweetheart—the one he'd grown up with. She'd been studying abroad for years, which was the only window I ever had to get close to him.

And now, she was back.

I raised an eyebrow, my eyes darting between the two of them before finally landing on Ryan.

His lie was dead on arrival, and he didn't even care enough to cover it up.

Natalie jumped in first, playing the innocent card. "Please don't get the wrong idea. Ryan got wasted last night. Everyone had already left, so I just dropped by to help him home. He puked everywhere."

She played the whole "just dropped by" and "everything was an accident" card, putting on that pure, innocent "just trying to help" act.

I had to fight back a laugh.

Seriously, she was explaining this to me?

Did I really care how she got there or who that leopard print bra belonged to?

Not one bit.

From the start, I knew Ryan wasn't the type I'd build a future with. I was just someone to pass the time with—a pretty face who'd go along with whatever he wanted, a placeholder until something better came along.

But I never expected Natalie to come back and get back together with him so quickly, not even pretending to be subtle.

Ryan clearly wasn't in the mood for her explanations. He frowned, with obvious impatience in his voice. "Why are you telling her all this?"

His words washed over Natalie like ice water. Her smile faltered for a moment as hurt flashed in her eyes.

Honestly? The whole thing was almost too ironic to watch.

He wasn't defending me. He just found Natalie's whole explanation pointless.

To him, I was probably just the kind of girl who'd keep quiet and stick around, no matter what I found out, just because I couldn't bring myself to leave.

For three years, he always had girls flocking around him, and I never made a scene or called him out. I just kept smiling and went along with it all.

He got so used to me letting him do whatever he wanted that he was convinced I'd never actually leave.

I let out a bitter little laugh—more of a smirk. It wasn't loud, but in the quiet living room, it seemed to echo.

Ryan and Natalie both turned to look at me. His face was full of confusion, like he expected me to freak out or start crying, but I just didn't.

"It's fine," I said, my smile fading, my voice as flat as dead water. "Ms. Wynn, you don't owe me any explanation. Whatever's happening between you and Ryan, it's got nothing to do with me."

I paused, my gaze lingering on his annoyingly handsome face. Whatever crush I had left—just because he looked good—disappeared right then and there.

Yeah, he was hot, no doubt. But a pretty face didn't make up for a heart of ice and a soul full of trash.

Ryan glanced at Natalie in his oversized shirt, then fished a black card out of his wallet and tossed it onto the table. "Go buy her some clothes in a size L. Keep what's left," he said, not even bothering to look at me.

The black card hit the glass with a sharp, clean sound, like it was mocking how ridiculous the whole scene was.

I wasn't about to turn down free money. I bent down, picked up the card, and replied without missing a beat, "Fine."

As I was heading out, I could hear Natalie behind me, pitching her voice sweetly, telling Ryan she wanted something in silk.

Ryan didn't respond at first, but right before I shut the door, he threw in, "Don't buy anything cheap."

I didn't bother replying and went straight to the mall.

I picked out a silk dress from an affordable luxury brand, exactly what Natalie had asked for. I paid and headed out.

Then I swung by the convenience store next door and grabbed two boxes of condoms.

Back at Ryan's, I handed him both the dress and the condoms, all in one go.

He took the dress without batting an eye, but when he saw the condoms, his face went completely dark, fury practically spilling out of his eyes.

"Sandra, care to explain?" he bit out, his voice cold as ice.

I just shrugged, looking all innocent. "Thought you might not be prepared. Wouldn't want Ms. Wynn to face any... consequences, right?"

Ryan's face got even darker. Without another word, he slammed the door in my face, leaving me standing outside.

The cold air outside hit me, awkwardness hanging in the air, but I didn't feel angry at all. If anything, I just felt relieved.