Chapter 4

Just as I was about to crash for a nap, Ryan called.

He was downstairs.

After thinking it over, I decided to go down and see him.

Ryan was rocking a white tee and jeans, always had that clean, boy-next-door vibe.

Right now, his puppy-dog eyes were lowered, looking at me all soft and a little whiny.

"Chloe, why didn't you pick up my calls? Do you know how disrespectful that is?" he said.

That was just how we were—one minute we'd be fighting, the next we'd be back to normal like nothing ever happened.

Ryan figured this time would be no different.

I yawned. "Didn't we already talk this through?"

He suddenly locked his eyes on my neck, looking shocked. "Whoa, what happened to your neck?"

I touched the side of my neck, but it didn't really feel like anything.

But I couldn't help remembering Ethan nuzzling into my neck last night.

I just said offhand, "Things got pretty intense last night."

I'm someone who respects boundaries.

I never get too close to other guys.

But Ethan? Ryan was the one who basically handed him over to me.

Me and Ethan? I didn't do anything wrong. I don't owe anyone an apology.

When Ryan heard me say that, he actually looked relieved.

"Chloe, don't say stuff just to get back at me," he said.

"It's not that I didn't want to go to the hotel with you, it's just we're both too young for that—"

I cut him off, rolling my eyes at his endless excuses. "You just turned 22 yesterday. You're old enough to get married now."

Ryan was left speechless.

I pressed on, "So you didn't want to sleep with me, but you went and kissed that girl from your class last night. Did you like it? Did it feel good?"

Ryan's face turned bright red. "It was just a game of truth or dare, that's all."

I stepped closer. "But it was pretty exciting, right? Sneaking around behind your 'controlling' girlfriend, getting cozy with another girl—bet you loved that adrenaline rush, huh?"

"Chloe, do you have to be so mean?" Ryan shot back, his voice tight with anger.

He was clearly struggling to keep his cool, his puppy-dog eyes starting to go red.

I just felt done with it all. "I told you last night—we're over. If you want to go after her, be my guest."

"Chloe, if you keep being so petty about everything, you're just going to push me right into someone else's arms. You'll regret it," Ryan said, his voice tight with frustration.

"Ryan, I'm not going to regret it," I replied, steady as ever. "You know me—I never regret my choices."

Ryan stood there, stunned, his lips moving but he couldn't say a thing.

Without another word, I turned and walked back to my dorm.

When I looked down from the hallway, Ryan was still standing there, staring up at me.

He looked just like a lost puppy someone had tossed aside.

I could never stand seeing him look so lost and pitiful—my heart would just melt.

I'd always rush over, pull him into a hug, mess up his hair, and say, "Ryan, be good. I love you."

But now, honestly, I can't believe how dumb I used to be.

Ryan was half a year younger than me.

My parents were childhood sweethearts, and their love story was always super sweet.

So I came to the conclusion: if you want a husband, you gotta start raising him right from the start.

Ryan was pretty much perfect for twenty-two years—then he suddenly went off the rails.

Breaking up was actually pretty easy.

I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

I'm still young—I can always find a new guy to train as my future husband.

My phone buzzed.

Ethan was blowing up my phone with messages.