Chapter 1

I loved Ryan Cooper for eight years. But I was finally done.

When I had a high fever and begged him to take me to the hospital, he called me dramatic and stayed at his childhood crush's welcome party instead.

I thought my eight years of sticking by Ryan meant something, but apparently, his old crush batting her eyes at him mattered more.

I agreed to meet the guy my parents set me up with. Right when we sat down, I got a photo of Ryan kissing his crush—and my date saw it.

He asked, "Want to make him regret it?"

I froze. Then I heard myself say, "How?"

"Marry me. Let's give him a taste of his own medicine."

When Ryan found out I'd married someone else, tears filled his eyes. His voice shook. "Emily, are you really done with me?"

"Yes. I'm done."

*****

Work got crazy with the season change. After days of overtime and getting my period, I caught a bad cold.

I had to call in. I took some cold medicine, crawled into bed, and passed out. When I woke up, I was soaked in sweat and burning up. I fumbled for my phone and called Ryan.

He finally picked up after forever. Music blared in the background. I frowned, my voice hoarse. "Ryan, I have a fever. Can you take me to the hospital?"

"Just take some cold medicine. I'm busy," he replied flatly.

My chest hurt. "I already did, and I feel awful. Can't you just—"

A soft voice cut in. "Ryan, who's calling?"

I recognized it immediately. Sophie Stone. His childhood crush. When did she get back?

I froze for a second.

"It's Emily. She has a fever," Ryan said.

"Oh, Emily," Sophie drawled. Then she pouted, "Ryan, I just got back. You're not leaving my welcome party already, are you?"

"No," Ryan said without hesitation.

When I heard how fast he answered, my heart dropped. I gripped my phone, my voice trembling. "Ryan, I feel terrible. Can you please come back?"

Ryan frowned. "Emily, stop being dramatic. It's just a fever. Take some medicine and stop bothering me."

The call ended with a sharp beep. It felt like my heart cracked in half.

Head pounding, chest aching, I called my friend Chloe.

At the hospital, the nurse frowned. "103.1°F? Why didn't you come sooner? Any higher and you could've had brain damage."

Minutes later, I was in a hospital bed with an IV in my arm, too weak to move. My head felt foggy, everything distant and unreal.

Just thinking about Ryan made my tears come.

Chloe rushed around handling everything. When she saw me crying, she hurried over. "Emily, what's wrong? Do you feel that bad?"

Her question broke something in me. I sobbed harder, ready to spill out everything.

After a few minutes, my voice thick from crying, I managed to say, "Chloe, I want to break up with Ryan."

She went still. She knew I'd loved Ryan since we were teenagers, even though his heart always belonged to Sophie.

"Did you fight?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Sophie came back."

"So what? You've been together for years. She can't come between you now."

Chloe paused, realization dawning. She frowned and asked tentatively, "Ryan didn't come with you because he's with Sophie?"

In Chloe's mind, my five years with Ryan weren't perfect, but they'd been solid.

I stayed quiet.

After a moment of silence, Chloe exploded, "Is Ryan out of his mind? He'd rather play the simp for another woman than be there for his own girlfriend?

"Did he forget how hard she rejected him back then? What's wrong with him? Or does he just like getting treated like crap?"

Chloe was seething. After a beat, she added, "Emily, I'm all in on this breakup. Leave that jerk—you deserve way better!"