Chapter Four

Vanessa stood in the middle of her room, staring at the half-packed boxes scattered around her. Clothes were folded neatly into suitcases, books were stacked in small piles, and a few of her favourite things were carefully wrapped before being placed inside another box. Everything she owned seemed to be disappearing into bags, and with every item she packed, the reality of what she was about to do became harder to ignore.

She was leaving.

Leaving the house she had grown up in. The same house where she had taken her first steps, celebrated birthdays, had countless arguments with her parents, cried herself to sleep, and made memories she would never get back. It had always been home. Now, in a matter of hours, she would be walking away from it and going somewhere completely unfamiliar.

She didn't know what waited for her on the other side. She didn't know what her life with Ryan would look like, or what exactly her future held. Everything had happened so quickly that sometimes it felt like she was simply being carried along by circumstances she had no control over.

Vanessa glanced around her room one last time before looking up at Ryan, who was standing beside one of her suitcases, helping her arrange some of her clothes.

At least he was here.

For some reason, that thought brought her a little comfort.

She watched him quietly for a moment. There was something different about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Ryan wasn't exactly the man she remembered from years ago. He seemed quieter now. More reserved. There was a certain hardness in the way he carried himself, something that made him seem more dangerous than the man she had known as a child.

Maybe it was just because she hadn't seen him in so long.

Or maybe people really did change with time.

Her eyes lingered on him as an old memory suddenly came back to her.

She had been fifteen.

She remembered how nervous she had been that day, standing in front of Ryan with her heart pounding so hard she thought he might actually hear it. Her friends at school had convinced her to confess her feelings to him, teasing her until she finally gathered enough courage to do it.

Looking back now, she could not believe she had actually gone through with it.

Ryan had always been much older than her. Not quite her father's age, but close enough that, even at fifteen, she knew how ridiculous her feelings sounded. Still, she had been young and convinced that what she felt was real.

When she finally confessed, she had expected him to laugh.

Or perhaps scold her.

But he hadn't done either.

He had simply looked at her with a gentle expression and told her that he was too old for her.

That was it.

There had been no humiliation, no mocking, and no harsh words. Somehow, that made the rejection easier to bear. Of course, she had still gone back to her room that day and cried for hours, burying her face in her pillow because she was too embarrassed to face anyone.

But at least Ryan had not made her feel foolish for having those feelings.

The memory made her lips twitch into a small smile before she quickly pushed it away.

She looked at him again.

"Ryan?"

He lifted his head from the suitcase he was arranging. "Hmm?"

Vanessa hesitated for a second before asking, "Are you married?"

He paused, then looked at her properly. A small smile appeared on his face.

"Why are you asking?"

She shrugged, suddenly feeling awkward. "I'm just asking."

She remembered something her father had told her years ago. Ryan had been engaged at the time, though Vanessa had never asked any further questions about it. After what had happened with her confession, she had been far too embarrassed to bring him up in conversation.

But that had been years ago.

Maybe he was married now.

Maybe he even had children.

The thought made her wonder what it would be like living in his house if there was already a woman there. Would she have to deal with a wife who didn't want her around? Would she feel like a stranger in someone else's home?

Ryan said nothing for a while.

Vanessa glanced at him, waiting for an answer, but he seemed more interested in folding the shirt in his hands. For a moment, she thought he wasn't going to answer her at all.

Then, without looking at her, he said in his usual calm, monotone voice,

"Nope."

Vanessa blinked.

"Nope?"

Ryan finally looked at her and gave a small nod. "I'm not married."

Something inside her relaxed before she could stop it.

She didn't understand why she had been holding her breath in the first place, but the relief that washed over her was unmistakable.

"Okay," she murmured, trying to sound casual.

She turned back to her clothes before he could notice the small smile forming on her lips.

For some reason, knowing Ryan wasn't married made the unfamiliar future ahead of her feel just a little less frightening.

She does not know what was waiting for her in his house.

She does not know what her life would become.

But at least she would not have to walk into it alone.