Chapter 73
The way he’d stepped In so effortlessly made me wonder. But I didn’t ask. Instead, I simply smiled to myself, grateful for his presence.
The car pulled up In front of a small restaurant, and Lirian helped me out. We walked inside, and as soon as we sat down, my phone buzzed with a new message. Glancing at the screen, I froze. It was from Ryan.
“Sorry.”
Just one word, but it hit me like a wave. Ryan was apologizing? I stared at my phone in disbelief. In my last life, he had never once apologized–not even after everything he’d put me through. Until my death, he had shown nothing but indifference.
My mind swirled as I read that single word over and over. I couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted him to send it. Was he regretting how he treated me now that I was spending time with Lirian? The thought didn’t flatter me–it irritated me.
It wasn’t love that had him acting this way; it was jealousy. Pure and simple. Ryan hated the idea of me moving on, of me being happy without him. But that didn’t mean he loved me. He just couldn’t
and seeing someone else appreciate what he had carelessly tossed aside.
The rest of the dinner passed quietly, though my mind remained distracted by Ryan’s message. Lirian, as always, was attentive and warm, but I couldn’t shake the strange feeling lingering in the back of my mind.
When we stepped out of the restaurant, the sky had darkened, and rain was beginning to fall. Lirian, ever the gentleman, opened an umbrella and walked me to the car. The sound of raindrops hitting: the umbrella was soothing, but there was a tension growing inside me.
At Moonshadow, Lirian stopped to open the door for me again. “I’ll walk you to your door,” he said, holding the umbrella over both of us.
As we stood on the steps of my home, I turned to him and smiled softly. “It’s pouring now. You should head back before you get soaked.”
His eyes m met mine, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. “Goodnight,” he said gently, his gaze lingering a bit longer than usual.
I blushed under his tender stare. There was something so calming, so secure about him. “Goodnight, Lirian. Sleep well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter 73
The
way he’d stepped In so effortlessly made me wonder. But I didn’t ask. Instead, I simply smiled to myself, grateful for his presence.
The car pulled up in front of a small restaurant, and Lirian helped me out. We walked inside, and as soon as we sat down, my phone buzzed with a new message. Glancing at the screen, I froze. It was from Ryan.
Sorry.”
Just one word, but it hit me like a wave. Ryan was apologizing? I stared at my phone in disbelief. In my last life, he had never once apologized–not even after everything he’d put me through. Until my death, he had shown nothing but indifference.
My mind swirled as I read that single word over and over. I couldn’t help but wonder what had prompted him to send it. Was he regretting how he treated me now that I was spending time with Lirian? The thought didn’t flatter me–it irritated me.
It wasn’t love that had him acting this way; it was jealousy. Pure and simple. Ryan hated the idea of me moving on, of me being happy without him. But that didn’t mean he loved me. He just couldn’t rand seeing someone else appreciate what he had carelessly tossed aside.
The rest of the dinner passed quietly, though my mind remained distracted by Ryan’s message. Lirian, as always, was attentive and warm, but I couldn’t shake the strange feeling lingering in the back of my mind.
When we stepped out of the restaurant, the sky had darkened, and rain was beginning to fall. Lirian, ever the gentleman, opened an umbrella and walked me to the car. The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella was soothing, but there was a tension growing inside me.
At Moonshadow, Lirian stopped o open the door for me again. “I’ll walk you to your door,” he said. holding the umbrella over both of us.
As we stood on the steps of my home, I turned to him and smiled softly. “It’s pouring now. You should head back before you get soaked.”
His eyes met mine, and for a moment, time seemed to slow. “Goodnight,” he said gently, his gaze lingering a bit longer than usual.
1 blushed under his tender stare. There was something so calming, so secure about him. “Goodnight, Lian. Sleep well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He nodded, gave me a final look, and turned to head back to the car, leaving me standing on the doorstep, watching his retreating figure. As I stood there, a strange feeling of warmth and happiness filled my chest. For the first time in a long time, I felt content.
But then, as I reached for the doorknob, a voice broke through the rain. “You’re finally back.”
I whipped around, startled. Ryan emerged from the shadows, drenched from head to toe. His hair clung to his face, and water dripped from his soaked clothes. He looked like he had been standing in the rain for a long time, waiting.
“Ryan?” I gasped, taken aback by his appearance. “What are you doing here?”
He stared at me, his expression dark and conflicted. I could see the tension in his jaw, the frustration in his eyes. “What are you doing with him?” he demanded, his voice low but harsh. “You looked so happy. Laughing with him, smiling. Is it fun? Does he make you feel that much better than I ever
could?”
I was momentarily speechless. I had never seen him like this–so vulnerable, so raw. But I wasn’t about to let him guilt me. Not now. Not after everything.
“He treats me well, unlike you,” I said calmly. “And besides, what are you doing here, Ryan? You have a girlfriend. Shouldn’t you be with Linda?”
yan hesitated, and for the briefest moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes–regret, maybe? “What if I broke up with her?” he asked suddenly, his voice quiet but intense. “Would you still… would you still want me? Like before?
