Goodbye to the Past, Hello to Love

It felt like I had to get everything off my chest. The more I spoke, the more heartbroken I became. By the time I finished, my voice was slightly hoarse. On the other end of the line, Ryan was silent the entire time. It wasn’t until my sobs finally died down that he spoke—his voice cold. "Are you done crying?" There was impatience in his tone, like a bucket of ice water dumped over me as if to remind me how ridiculous I was. The emotions I struggled to control vanished in an instant. I stared at the photo of him kissing Michelle, feeling a hollow ache spread through my chest. As much as I hated to admit it, when I had been pouring my heart out, I stupidly imagined he might still comfort me like he used to. But that single sentence shattered that illusion completely. Suddenly, everything felt meaningless. "Yeah," I murmured, not saying another word. Without hesitation, he hung up. …An hour later, an anonymous photo landed in my inbox. Ryan was carrying Mich

I stared in silence. Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Cathy was the first to speak."So, does this mean the blind date was a success? Are you two officially together now?" I opened my mouth to explain only to see Julian already nodding. I turned to look at him, and he lowered his voice. "Liz, that was my first kiss." Three sets of eyes remained fixed on me, waiting for my response.With nowhere to run, I could only nod. There was no getting out of this one. After all, I had literally tackled him in front of his mom—then kissed him on top of it. No excuse in the world would make this look any better. …When I got home, Julian sent me a message. "Liz, if you’re not interested in me, that’s okay. I’ll be fine."For some reason, that only made me feel more embarrassed. But when I thought about it, it wasn’t exactly a bad deal for me. He was handsome, and I already knew what kind of person he was. Maybe giving it a shot wasn’t the worst idea. And just like that,

He told me in private that if Julian ever mistreated me, I could just let him know.When I left his grandfather's study, I saw half a wooden rod hanging behind the door. Julian leaned in. "There’s another half. It broke when I was eight after I got into trouble and was punished with it." …Back in the new bedroom, Julian immediately set me down on the low cabinet by the entryway and kissed me deeply. His body pressed between my legs. I tensed up completely, only able to wrap my arms around his neck. "Liz." His eyes were slightly red, carrying a strange trace of lust. Suddenly, I understood what my mom meant when she said, "Younger men are the best."Lying on the couch, I finally reached out my hand. His eyes were a little damp at the corners. Yet, for some reason, I felt a twisted sense of pleasure. He let out a muffled groan, his eyes growing wetter.I finally understood what it meant when they said a man's tears were a woman's aphrodisiac. But soon enough, he

“Liz.” … On the other end, Michelle’s voice trembled with suppressed sobs. “Ryan, I asked Miss Lee out for tea, hoping to convince her to give you another chance. "But I never expected her to dump a whole cup of iced coffee on me.” …He barely registered anything else, only the mention of Lizzie’s name. Before he could think, the words left his mouth. “Liz, apologize to Michelle.” The moment he said it, regret hit him. But then again, this was how it had always been. Ever since Michelle returned, people naturally paired them together. At gatherings, there was always an empty seat beside him, left for her. Lizzie refused to play along. Michelle would then stand up, offering to switch seats, only to leave crying. The moment she walked away in tears, everyone would rush to comfort her. And he, frowning, would tell Lizzie to apologize. Lizzie’s face would stiffen with embarrassment. She’d press her lips together, refusing to say a word. So, he would simply

He even said, "If I lose my wife, I won’t be able to live." His grandmother was heartbroken. "How can that boy from the Patel family behave like this? He’s trying to steal my granddaughter-in-law? No way, you all have to do something about this." I finally understood why people always said, “You can offend anyone in the Walker family, but never Julian.”He was like a walking, talking menace, and being the youngest in the family, he was naturally spoiled. I thought it was a casual remark from his grandmother, but to my surprise, both of Julian’s uncles agreed. Only his father gave him a cold glance, almost as if he were used to it and had accepted it.The Walker family had strict rules. Even the tree by the gate stood tall and rigid, a symbol of their discipline.They didn’t take things lightly. If anything, it seemed like the once open door for the Patel family had now been firmly closed.… Ryan didn’t remember how he got back. He only knew that when he finally cleared his