Chapter 2
Ryan locked his eyes on me, like he was trying to catch me lying by staring.
But he found nothing.
He'd never seen this calm, almost icy look on my face before.
"Sharon, enough," he said, his voice low and tense, with a hint of panic he probably didn't notice. "Come out with me."
As he spoke, he reached out, aiming for my wrist.
I stepped back, avoiding his burning fingertips.
"Don't touch me," I said, my voice quiet but cuttingly cold. "You're filthy."
Those words landed on Ryan like a stinging slap to the face.
His hand froze in mid-air, and his face turned livid.
The awkwardness in the private room was unbearable.
Just then, Willow came over, looking fragile and pitiful as she leaned against Ryan.
"Sharon, I know you're still upset, but you shouldn't say that to Ryan," she said softly.
"Are we really that close?" I cut her off coldly. "Ms. Heller, please call me Ms. Palmer, or Mrs. Temple."
Willow's face went pale, her eyes welling up with tears as she bit her lip, as if I'd said something unforgivable.
Just then, my phone rang.
I pulled it out and saw the name "Hubby" flashing on the screen.
Right in front of everyone, I answered, my voice soft in a way I hadn't even known I could manage.
I said, "Hello? Yeah, I'm here, at the entrance. It's way too noisy in here. Why don't you come out?"
After hanging up, I didn't spare Ryan another glance. I simply turned and walked out.
Behind me, a deathly silence fell.
Stepping out of the private room, the cold air in the hallway filled my lungs, and I finally felt alive again.
Leaning against the icy wall, memories from the past flooded in before I could stop them.
It was sophomore year when I first spotted Ryan beneath the old oak tree on campus.
He wore a crisp white shirt, leaning casually against the trunk, sunlight streaming through the leaves and making him look almost unreal, like something out of a painting.
Back then, he was the youngest professor in the law school, the guy every girl worshipped.
And he was mine.
When Ryan was pursuing me, everyone on campus was talking about it.
He'd skip important academic conferences to sit through some sappy romance movie with me.
He'd arrange nine hundred and ninety-nine roses into a giant heart right outside my dorm.
He'd stand before the whole school, clutching his guitar and belting out off-key love songs, saying, "Sharon, from now on, I'll be your whole world."
Back then, Ryan treated me like I was a princess untouched by the real world.
He used to call me his "silly girl," saying I didn't have to lift a finger, just stay by his side.
His love was like a glass of undiluted whiskey, intense and burning, making me want to lose myself in it, to drown willingly.
I really thought our relationship would last forever.
Everything changed the day Willow appeared.
She was his unreachable first love, the one he could never let go.
As soon as she returned, the fortress I'd built around my world began to collapse.
The door to the private room was suddenly flung open from inside.
Ryan's tall frame blocked out the light, and he charged straight at me, his eyes wild and red.
"Sharon, what did you mean by that? Mrs. Temple? Who did you marry?" he barked.
He seized my shoulders, his grip so fierce it felt like he was about to snap me in half.
I winced from the pain, but stubbornly refused to make a sound.
"Say something!" he growled, losing all control. The gentleman act was gone.
I met his eyes with a cold, indifferent stare. "Who I marry has nothing to do with you, Mr. Pollock. We're divorced, remember?"
"Divorced." That word hit him hard. His hold slackened, and pain flashed in his eyes.
I seized the moment and pulled away from him.
Just then, I heard steady footsteps coming from the other end of the hallway.
A tall, upright figure walked toward us, backlit by the glow behind him.
He wore a deep gray coat that matched mine, standing straight with an air of quiet confidence. The soft light brushed over his sharp profile, but it couldn't dull the strong presence he carried.
Right then, my heart calmed.
I looked at the man, and before I knew it, a smile crept onto my lips.
"You're finally here. What took you so long?" I asked.