LOGIN"But let's not meet for the next seven days."I handled the venue and the emcee before. This time, you take care of everything. That's fair, right?"Sean agreed so eagerly that I could hear the relief in his voice.I hung up without a trace of emotion, then booked two plane tickets for Dad and me to leave a week later. I also submitted a transfer request at work.Whatever reasons Sean might have had for what he'd done over the past five years no longer mattered. I had loved him sincerely, and he'd chosen to deceive me again and again.There was no future for us after that.My transfer was approved almost immediately. Since I was moving from the main office in a major city to a regional branch, I was even promoted to a higher position with a raise.Dad recovered faster than expected over the next week and soon became well enough to continue his recovery at a hospital back home.We got lucky in another way, too. The driver responsible for the accident was found, and we were reimbursed f
As Sean spoke, his thoughts drifted back over the past.Before he met Liana, he'd only ever been in one relationship.His career had just started to take off when his first girlfriend emptied out all of his available cash and ran off with his best friend.Almost overnight, everything fell apart. Vendors were demanding payment, clients were demanding deliveries, and he'd lost both the woman he loved and the friend he'd trusted most.At his lowest point, the only people who stood by him were Professor Ford, who had once helped him apply for financial aid in college, and her daughter, Summer.So when Sean eventually rebuilt his business, he treated them like the people who had saved him. He looked after them whenever he could and, over time, came to think of them as family.That was why, when he decided to ask Liana out after meeting her through work, he nervously went to the two of them for advice.What he didn't know was that Summer already had feelings for him.And Professor Ford hadn
Hearing what he said, Summer completely lost it.The argument had already disturbed everyone in the room, and the moment she started screaming, security came in and hauled her out.When they realized she was causing a scene over Sean, they escorted him out too, even though he kept trying to stay behind and explain himself to me.As soon as they were gone, Tanya turned to me."You're not seriously thinking about taking Sean back, are you?"I shook my head without hesitation."No. It's just that I came to the realization that he really does love me."He lied to me for five years. He lied to me for five years. I don't think it's too much to give him a little hope and make him hurt a little more later, do you?"Tanya stared at me for a few seconds before breaking into a grin."Now that's the Liana I know."Afterward, Tanya and I apologized to the other patients and their families for the disturbance and gave each of them some fruit.I was worried Summer might come back and cause more troub
"Don't worry." Tanya gave my hand a reassuring pat. "Your dad's okay. Summer wouldn't stop causing trouble, so I had the nurses move him to a private room."Only after hearing what Tanya said did I finally breathe easier.I turned to Summer, my expression cold. "Sean and I are done. If you like him, you're free to take him."But if you keep coming after me or my dad, I'm not going to keep letting it slide.""She likes me?"Sean's voice suddenly came from behind us, and the color drained from Summer's face.He seemed completely oblivious as he walked over, looking confused. "Summer, what are you doing in this room?"Then something seemed to click. He turned to me in disbelief."Liana, you're at the hospital because... your dad really was in a car accident?"Before I could answer, Tanya rounded on him. She'd been furious with Sean from the moment she arrived."Of course he was! Were you dropped on your head as a baby, or did someone flush your brain down the toilet?"Did you seriously t
"Your dad wore a pair of slippers while he was here, so I threw them out. They cost ten dollars."I also had the whole apartment professionally cleaned for three hours. That was a hundred and twenty. With the slippers included, your half comes to sixty-five."I stared at the payment request through blurry eyes and sent him the money.I didn't sleep at all that night.Sean seemed to remember the same incident. Embarrassment flickered across his face, and he looked away."I was angry that day, and I went too far."He paused, then looked at me with such hurt in his eyes that anyone watching might have thought I was the one who had betrayed him."Liana, how can you say I spent five years making a fool of you? Are you really saying I never treated you well?"I looked into his anguished eyes, and something hot and bitter burned in my chest.The truth was, Sean had treated me well before.When we first moved in together, I couldn't cook, and I hated the grab-and-go breakfasts everyone around
It was the middle of rush hour, and people passing by were starting to glance at Tanya and me.I quickly pulled myself together and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Come on. Let's go see Dad first."Tanya nodded. "Does he know you called off the wedding?"I shook my head, then hesitated and nodded. "I only told him we might postpone it. I'll tell him the rest once he's feeling a little better."We talked as we made our way up to Dad's floor. I didn't want him to see my suitcase and start asking questions, so I planned to leave it at the nurses' station for the time being.But the moment we got there, I found Sean waiting for me, his eyes bloodshot."Liana Zane! What the hell was that supposed to mean? Are you seriously breaking up with me?"He reached for me, but I stepped back before he could touch me."What did you think was going to happen?" I asked calmly. "You made a fool of me for five years. Did you really expect me to find that out and then go right back to pretending we're







