Chapter 4

The discomfort faded quickly, and soon we arrived at our destination.

Ryan helped me out of the car, while Claire added the wheelchair for me.

As I caught the familiar scent of Claire's hair, for a moment, I almost couldn't hold back my tears.

Kissing her hair used to be my favorite thing in the world.

But after they quickly settled me into the wheelchair, they both stepped away. The moment Claire left my side, she pulled out two wet wipes from her handbag and frantically wiped her hands clean.

Ryan awkwardly explained to me, "Sorry, David. Claire's a bit of a neat freak. If any guy except me touches her, she can't stand it."

Watching Claire, I lowered my head and bit my lip, acting like I hadn't seen what she did or heard what Ryan said.

After that, I let Claire and Ryan, arm in arm, wheel me into a restaurant.

As soon as we sat down, Claire grabbed the menu and started ordering a bunch of spicy dishes.

Listening to her call out the names, a bitter taste rose in my chest. I never ate spicy food, and neither did Claire. No need to ask who she was ordering for.

I wasn't going to make things harder for myself. These days, even eating is a challenge for me. There's no way I could handle anything spicy or heavy.

So I asked the waiter to get me a bowl of plain vegetable soup.

Out of nowhere, Claire suddenly lost her cool. "You're so skinny already, and now you're trying to eat like a rabbit?"

Her sudden burst of concern sent a sharp pang through my chest, but it only lasted a moment before I forced a smile and replied, "Jessica prefers me skinny. She says I'll look better in a suit at the wedding."

Jessica was the woman Claire's mom once accused me of having an affair with.

After Claire left the country because of me, I never saw her again.

When Claire heard what I said, her face darkened.

Ryan, sitting next to her, quickly smiled and said, "David, don't get the wrong idea. Claire's a doctor now, so she gets upset whenever she sees someone trying to lose weight.

"Back when we were overseas, I kept talking about dieting, and Claire totally went off on me more than once."

As he spoke, Ryan turned to Claire with a smile. "Claire, am I right?"

But Claire didn't even look at him. She stood up angrily and pushed her chair back. "I'm going to the restroom."

She didn't even look at Ryan or me, turned, and headed for the restroom.

Watching her walk away, that bitter ache in my chest came back. Did I mess things up again?

Did I ruin Claire's new life? Did I mess up her new love?

Guilt gnawed at me, and suddenly Ryan, sitting across from me, snatched up a cup of hot water and, without warning, threw it right in my face.

He snapped, "David, do you think I'm an idiot? You keep acting pathetic. Don't think I can't see through you. You're trying to seduce my fiancée."

Pain flared across my cheek from the hot water, but I clenched my fists.

With guilt weighing on me, I muttered, "Sorry. If I gave you the wrong impression, I apologize."

Ryan sneered, stood up, and marched over, gripping my collar tight and pulling me right up to his face.

He said, "David, you think pretending to be crippled is going to make Claire change her mind about you.

"Let me tell you. Claire's mine, and that's never going to change. Because you were her first love doesn't mean you can take her away from me."

Ryan's grip on my collar was so tight I could barely breathe. I could put up with him throwing water at me. After all, I was the one shameless enough to still yearn for Claire's warmth.

But I didn't want to cause a scene in public. All I wanted was to spend a little quiet time with Claire; that's all.

So I forced myself to endure it and lightly tapped the back of Ryan's hand. "Ryan, I'm sorry. If I gave you the wrong idea, I apologize."

But before I even had a chance to react, Ryan snickered, let go of my collar, and socked me right in the nose.