Chapter 23
Ryan must have sensed that I was doing it on purpose, he knew I was up to no good, but he wouldn’t even dare resist me now.
Ryan immediately backtracked. “No, no! Of course not,” he stammered, shaking his head as he endured the pain, refusing to let his anger show.
After a long, excruciating pause, I finally released his hand, and he let out a shaky breath, flexing his fingers painfully. I could see the sweat forming on his brow as he tried to keep up his act.
I just wanted to say I’m sorry for the other day” bord
his voice cracking with forced sincerity. “It was my fault. I acted impulsively. I can’t leave you, baby.”
I stared at him coldly, my smile never reaching my eyes. Ryan didn’t know it yet, but his suffering had only just begun. He wouldn’t die too soon. Not before I had fully repaid him for every moment of pain he had caused me in our past life.
At that moment, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen–it was Ethan. I answered the call, my tone instantly softening. “Hello?”
“Sophia,” Ethan’s voice came through the line, calm and steady. “I found the guy named Lirian you
asked me about last time.”
see!
My body tightened with a surge of excitement. “Where is he now? I want to see him!” I could feel my pulse quicken, the thrill of finally getting close to Lirian almost overwhelming.
Ryan turned his head with a puzzled frown. His dark brows knit together as his eyes searched my face. “Sophia, what’s going on? You’re acting strange.” His voice was calm, but I could hear the concern buried beneath it.
THE
I ignored Ryan’s question like he didn’t exist and continued to interact with Ethan.
Ryan’s face looked very bad, but when I glanced at him, he had to raise a sunny smile to beg my; forgiveness.
On the phone, Ethan’s voice hesitated. “You… you might not be able to see him right away. There gre… some differences between what you expected and what’s actually happened.”
My fingers gripped the phone tighter. The excitement gave way to a cold knot in my stomach. “What do you mean by different?” My voice was sharper than I intended, but I needed answers.
Ethan paused for a beat, his tone more cautious. “I can’t explain it over the phone, Sophia. We’ll talk tonight, after school. Just… be rently.”
The cryptic message left me with more questions than answers.
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, nodding despite knowing Ethan couldn’t see me. “Alright,” I muttered. My mind raced, but I had
in front of the school.
no time to press further. The car had already stopped
I stepped out, my thoughts still tangled around Ethan’s words.
I could feel his gaze lingering on me, but I was too distracted to meet his eyes.
Igot back in the car, ignoring Ryan’s lingering looks, and had a smooth ride to school.
Since I didn’t have to make a detour to bring Ryan with me, I arrived quite a bit earlier than usual.
After a while, Ryan arrived as well.
Linda was waiting in front of her class, and as soon as she saw Ryan, her eyes lit up.
She had clearly gone to extra lengths today–her long hair was curled perfectly, her outfit carefully chosen to accentuate her figure.
Her smile was wide, confident, and it was all aimed at Ryan. “Ryan, good morning!” Her voice was too bright, too cheerful, as if she didn’t even see me standing there.
Ryan gave her a polite nod, his expression softening. “Morning, Linda,” he replied, his tone light.
I had no time for their usual flirtations. My head was filled with thoughts of Lirian–Ethan’s warning
my chest. the strange feeling twisting in
Without waiting for them, I strode past, heading straight inside the school.
Linda barely acknowledged my presence, too focused on Ryan. But I wasn’t offended.
I had bigger things on my mind.
Linda glanced back at me for a moment, then turned to Ryan with a look of feigned concern.
“I heard about what happened last week,” she said sweetly, her eyes big and watery. “It was all because of me, wasn’t it? I feel so bad that you got hurt because of it. I was worried it might cause problems between you two, but seeing you and Sophia still together, I’m relieved.”
Chapter 23
Byan’s jaw tightened, and he glanced in my direction, though I was already disappearing into the building.
His voice was low when he spoke. “It’s not like that,” he muttered. “There’s nothing going on with
her.”
Linda took a step closer, lowering her voice. “Still… Sophia’s just a servant’s daughter. You shouldn’t. let her walk all over you. People are starting to talk, Ryan. They think she’s acting like some kind of first lady.”
When she finished, she carefully watched Ryan’s expression, as if confirming that there was a suspicion about my identity.
