Chapter 3

He let out a low laugh, his chest rumbling against mine.

"Fine. Hate me. Your body doesn't seem to."

My lips parted.

The question I'd swallowed a thousand times caught in my throat again.

'What am I to you?'

In the end, I said nothing.

Afterward, Ryan cleaned me up.

His warm chest rested against my back as one arm circled my waist.

"Hungry? I'll have someone bring us something."

Inside this condo, hidden from everyone else, Ryan dropped his usual cold, arrogant mask.

Here, he could be surprisingly gentle.

Bitterness rose in my chest.

I turned and wrapped my arms around him.

He held me without a word.

For a long time.

Then the voices from earlier came rushing back.

Ryan's mother's insults.

Mom's scorn.

My body went rigid.

I shoved him away.

Ryan frowned, confused.

He probably thought I was throwing a fit.

Assuming I was tired and cranky, he kept his voice calm.

"What do you want to eat? I'll have the kitchen send something over. Mango pudding? Strawberry cheesecake? You like sweets."

Ryan had always been like this.

He ran the entire Whitmore Corporation and had power most people could only dream of.

Yet he remembered every tiny thing about me.

That thoughtfulness had kept me trapped for years.

But his tenderness was cheap.

And dangerous.

I swallowed everything I wanted to say.

Then I turned away, picked up my clothes, and got dressed.

I didn't even look at him.

"What's this supposed to mean?"

Ryan finally lost his patience.

He stepped in, yanked the belt from my hands, wrapped it around my wrists, and pinned me against the cold wall.

His presence swallowed me whole.

Locking eyes with me, he said impatiently, "What's your problem now? Jealous? You should be used to this by now. Or are you not feeling well?"

I looked at the face I loved so much.

The same face that always made me feel so small.

One word at a time, I said,

"Ryan Whitmore, let's break up."

The room went dead silent.

His grip tightened around my wrists.

"What did you say?

"Say it again."

He forced me to meet his eyes.

Mine were red as I shouted, "Let's break up!"

His grip suddenly loosened.

He looked down at me, his voice turning ice-cold. "Why?"

"You're getting engaged. You're getting married." My voice shook with exhaustion.

To my surprise, he gave me a mocking smile.

"That's it?"

Pain ripped through my chest.

My eyes burned. "What do you mean, 'That's it'? You had dinner with your fiancée while your mom called me trash. She said I wouldn't leave you alone and only wanted your money. Even my own mom said I wasn't good enough for you!"

My voice cracked as everything I'd held back finally came pouring out.

Ryan only stared at me with cold contempt. "You've been with me all these years, and you're only now realizing how pathetic this is? Who said we were ever together? Tanya Tayler, did you really think I was dating you?"

He leaned closer, his voice cruel. "Don't forget who you are. You're just the maid's daughter. Walk out of this room tonight, and I'll tell everyone the truth.

"I'll tell them you did everything you could to seduce me."