Chapter 3
Lily was startled by the sudden turn of events, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.
She was already frail from slitting her wrists, and now, with that look on her face, she seemed heartbreakingly vulnerable.
Lily said, her voice trembling, "Anna, I'm sorry. I just couldn't control my emotions, and I ended up causing trouble for Ryan.
"It's all my fault. Please don't be mad at me, okay?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Lily swayed weakly and fell toward Ryan.
Ryan's grip on my hand loosened abruptly, and in a fluster, he gathered Lily into his arms.
"Anna, this is all my fault. Please don't give Lily a hard time, okay?" Ryan said, his voice pleading.
As he spoke, he gave me a look, signaling me to leave.
Seeing the plea in his eyes, I let it go and just turned around to walk away.
While I was walking, Ryan texted me.
[Anna, tomorrow I'll bring Lily with me to apologize to you. Please, don't stay mad at us, okay?]
I just stared at their couple profile pic in the chat for ages, before finally powering off my phone.
When I got home, I started packing to move out.
But every corner of the place was filled with memories of us, and my heart felt like it was being ripped apart.
Photos of us covered the walls.
There were shots of him tying my shoelaces, me wiping sweat from his brow, us snapping pics at all the hottest restaurants, and strolling hand in hand through the park.
Hundreds of photos shaped into a heart, with the center meant for our wedding picture. Now, that spot, and my heart, were both painfully empty.
On the nightstand sat a thick diary, every page written by Ryan himself. Each word made my eyes well up with tears.
[Anna loves sweets. Her coffee always has to be extra sweet.]
[Anna hates the cold, but she loves looking pretty. I always have to make sure she has warm clothes before we head out.]
[Anna's scared of thunderstorms. Whenever it rains, I need to keep her company.]
[When Anna's feeling down, she gets sick too. So I must never let her be unhappy, and I absolutely can't make her cry.]
*****
My tears fell, smudging the words on the diary pages.
I remember you promised to keep me happy, promised I'd never cry again.
But Ryan, in the end, you didn't keep your promise.
The apartment was filled with memories and things, but after spending the whole afternoon trying to pack, I just stood there, not knowing what I should take with me.
In the end, I only packed my essential documents.
The next day, I headed over to the Coopers' place as planned. On the way, I kept rehearsing what I wanted to say to Sophie and Mike, trying to figure out how to come clean about everything between Ryan and me.
But as soon as I pushed the door open, Sophie came rushing over, all smiles.
Sophie said, her voice warm and full of concern, "Anna, you've lost weight since I last saw you. I made your favorite Spaghetti Bolognese just for you today, so you'd better eat up.
"Mia heard you were coming and dashed out to get coffee. She claims it's for you since you love it, but honestly, I think she's just craving it herself and using you as an excuse."
*****
Sophie was talking a mile a minute, every word overflowing with concern for me. Her kindness left me speechless.
And with each word, my chest ached even more, heavy with emotion.
It wasn't until I was settled on the couch, holding some freshly washed fruit from Mike, that I finally forced myself to speak, my voice heavy with emotion.
"Sophie, Ryan, and I," I started saying, my words catching in my throat.
Before I could finish, Sophie suddenly interrupted, looking around as if she'd just noticed something.
"Where's Ryan? I don't see him. Weren't you two supposed to come back together?" she asked, her tone full of curiosity.
Just as I was struggling to find the right words, the door suddenly swung open.
Ryan strode in, holding Lily's hand tightly.
The room went dead silent. I pulled the pregnancy test result from my bag and finally said what I'd been holding back all morning.
"Sophie, Ryan, and I have broken up," I said, my voice steady but heavy with emotion.
Lily's face went ghostly pale, and she clung to Ryan's hand like her life depended on it.
"Anna, I came here today to say sorry. Please, don't be mad at me anymore, okay?" Lily said, her voice trembling.
As she spoke, she couldn't hold back her tears.
Seeing this, Ryan pulled her into his arms, his voice cold.
"Anna, it's just three months. Do you really have to treat Lily like this?" Ryan said, his tone icy.
Mike and Sophie looked from me to Ryan and Lily, completely at a loss, unable to process what was happening.
The atmosphere froze in a tense standoff. Lily, nestled in Ryan's arms, flashed me a provocative, challenging smile.
She mouthed the words, soundlessly, "Anna, Ryan is mine."
The next second, Mike suddenly raised his hand and slapped Ryan hard across the face.
"You bastard! How could you do something like this?" Mike shouted, his voice shaking with anger.
Sophie took my hand, her face full of guilt.
She said softly, "You loved Ryan so much, did all kinds of crazy things for him. If you hadn't been through so much pain, you never would've broken up with him.
"We already know about you going to the hospital yesterday.
"In the end, we're the ones who let you down."
As she spoke, she took the pregnancy test results from my hand, holding them carefully, her eyes full of emotion.
"I was hoping I could ask you to keep the baby, but after everything that's happened," Sophie said.
She let out a long, weary sigh; it was like she'd suddenly grown ten years older.
Ryan clutched his swollen cheek, staring at me in utter shock. He asked, "What? Anna, you're pregnant?"