Chapter 4

Michael, who loved stirring the pot, jumped right in. "Oh, so you're still single? Even better then. Why let a good match go to waste? Ryan, what do you think of my sister? You already know everything about her..."

My heart suddenly skipped a beat, and my nails dug into my palm.

"Michael," Ryan cut him off, his voice carrying a rare edge of irritation. "Don't joke around about Emily. She's my sister."

The heart I'd been holding suspended finally crashed back down into the abyss and shattered.

Good.

Only when something dies completely can it be reborn.

I took a deep breath. When I looked up again, I was already wearing an easy smile. "Mike, stop playing matchmaker. Ryan will always be my brother."

Ryan looked at me, his gaze unreadably deep. In the end, he said nothing.

After lunch, he left with Claire, who looked visibly downcast.

The next few days were calm. I didn't contact him, and he didn't come looking for me either.

I went to a few reunions with Michael, met some new people, and did my best to fill my life with other things.

On the night of the fifth day after Christmas, Michael had another gathering and insisted on dragging me along.

"Tonight's a big moment for your Ryan. You have to be there to witness it," he said mysteriously.

It wasn't until we got there that I found out Claire was planning to officially ask Ryan to get back together at tonight's party.

According to the people in the know, Claire had come back for Ryan. The two of them had been seeing each other often in private, and getting back together was practically a done deal.

One classmate who worked at a luxury store said Ryan had stopped by yesterday to pick up a diamond ring he'd ordered a long time ago.

And it happened to be Claire's size.

I knew a lot of the people at the gathering, and when they saw me, they all started greeting me.

Someone said, "Emily's here? You're getting prettier every time I see you."

Another echoed, "Got a boyfriend yet? Want us to see if any of our old classmates are a good match?"

I smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ryan sitting on a sofa not far away, drink in hand, silently watching this side of the room.

Before dinner started, Claire called me out into a quiet hallway.

She wore a gentle smile, but there was no warmth in her eyes. "Emily, I know Ryan has always spoiled you and treated you like his real little sister. He listens to you more than most people.

"Later... I'm going to be a little more direct. If the moment feels right, could you say a few nice things for me and give him a push?

"I really want to start over with him."

She knew exactly where my weak spot was. She knew how humbly I'd loved Ryan, how much I'd feared her existence, and even more than that, she knew that for Ryan's sake, I'd once been willing to do anything.

She wanted me to personally push the man I loved into her arms.

If this had been the old me, I'd probably have been in agony, but I still would've forced myself to say yes.

But now...

I gave her a smile even brighter and more sincere than hers. "No problem, Claire. You're amazing, and you and Ryan have been through so much together. Of course you should end up together. I'll do everything I can to help."

Claire clearly hadn't expected that response. The words she'd prepared seemed to get stuck in her throat. She stared at me for a few seconds before forcing out a smile. "Then, thank you."

We went back into the private room, and dinner began.

For some reason, Ryan suddenly started putting food into my plate over and over again.

The tenderest part of the steamed fish, peeled shrimp from the fried prawns, braised beef so soft it fell apart... one thing after another landed in my plate until it turned into a little mountain.

It looked exactly like the kind of thing I used to do for him.

When the server brought over a nourishing chicken soup, he picked up the ladle again and moved to pour some into my plate.

I raised a hand and lightly blocked the rim of my plate.

"No need, Ryan," I smiled, my voice clear. "I can do it myself. You should pay more attention to Claire instead."

The ladle full of soup froze in midair.

The mood at the table stalled for a beat.

Claire immediately lifted her own plate to take it, saying softly, "Ryan, Emily's grown up. She has her own tastes now. You can't keep treating her like a kid."

Before she'd even finished speaking, the classmates around the table started taking turns toasting her and welcoming her back.

The moment Claire picked up her glass, Ryan reached out and took it from her.

"Her stomach isn't great. She can't drink," his tone was calm, but left no room for argument. "I'll drink this for her."

Then he downed it in one go.

Everyone froze for a second, then erupted into cheers.

Ryan didn't refuse a single glass. He drank several for Claire in a row, and his pale skin gradually flushed red.

Claire tugged on his sleeve, her voice sweet and soft. "Ryan, stop drinking. It's bad for you."

Ryan lowered his head to look at her, and his eyes held a tenderness I'd never seen before. "It's fine. You can't drink, but I can't kill the mood for everyone either."

That line made it crystal clear to everyone there how protective and close he was with Claire.

The teasing and cheering in the room grew even louder.

I knew that "big moment" was about to arrive.