Chapter 7

Mona didn't wake up until noon the next day. She was still half-asleep, but Kieran was the first thing on her mind. "Did the surgery go well? How is he? Is he awake yet?"

Ryder had been up all night looking after her. He nodded, his voice rough with exhaustion. "The doctor said he'll be fine. He just needs a few months to recover."

Mona let out a breath of relief. Even so, she wasn't satisfied with hearing it from someone else. She threw back the covers and tried to get out of bed, insisting on seeing Kieran herself.

Ryder tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen. It took a nurse arriving to start her IV to finally get her to stay in bed.

Mona glanced impatiently at the large IV bag, her thoughts clearly still on Kieran.

After a moment, she spotted the fruit basket on her bedside table and seized on an excuse. "Ryder, I called Kieran's parents yesterday. They caught a flight back last night, so they should be here by now.

"Could you take this fruit basket up to them and say hello? And while you're there, see how Kieran's doing."

Ryder studied her for a long moment before giving a quiet nod. He picked up the fruit basket and left.

Kieran's room was one floor up. Ryder was about to knock when he noticed the door was slightly open.

Through the gap, he saw Kieran nestled in the arms of a woman he'd never seen before, speaking to her in a sweet, affectionate voice. "Babe, I thought you were bringing your parents to meet me. How come you're here alone?"

"I wanted to, but you're still recovering. It doesn't seem like the best time. Once you're out of the hospital, I'll take you home to meet them, okay?"

Ryder's hand tightened around the basket handle.

Kieran had a girlfriend, and things were serious enough that they were planning to meet each other's families.

Just then, a doctor arrived to check on Kieran and pushed the door open, drawing the couple's attention.

Kieran looked up. The moment he spotted Ryder, his expression changed. "What are you doing here?"

Ryder didn't answer. He set the fruit basket on the floor, turned around, and headed for the stairs.

Despite his injuries, Kieran hurried after him and grabbed his arm at the stairwell. "You're going to run straight back to Mona and tell her what you saw, aren't you?"

Ryder turned to face him. He caught the brief flash of panic on Kieran's face, and his voice turned cold. "If you have a girlfriend, why are you still stringing Mona along?"

Kieran raised an eyebrow, his momentary panic disappearing. "Because I can. I like having them both wrapped around my finger. Why settle for one woman when I can have two giving me all their attention?"

"Do you have any idea how much Mona cares about you? How can you treat her like that?"

Kieran gave a smug little laugh. "Hey, it's not my fault women can't resist me. Even Mona, with all her money and everything she's got going for her, is crazy about me. Jealous? Just admit it. Maybe I'll give you a few tips if you ask nicely."

Ryder was so disgusted by his arrogance that he couldn't find the words to respond.

His silence only seemed to make Kieran more smug.

Kieran looked him up and down, his gaze finally settling on the wedding ring on Ryder's finger. "You know you're only her husband because I wasn't there, right? So, don't act like you're better than me.

"Here's something you don't know. I never went abroad back then. I got drunk the night before the wedding and ended up in bed with two older girls from the same university.

"We were up half the night, and I was too hungover to get out of bed the next morning. If Mona hadn't been so pissed at me, you never would've had a chance with her, let alone married her!"

Something inside Ryder finally snapped. He raised his hand and slapped Kieran across the face.

It wasn't even a hard slap. But Kieran reeled backward as though Ryder had hit him with all his strength, then went tumbling down the stairs.

Ryder was still trying to make sense of what had happened when Mona stepped out of the elevator and shoved him aside.

She rushed down the stairs and pulled Kieran into her arms, her face tightening with concern as she saw the bruises covering his body. When she looked back at Ryder, there was anger in her eyes. "He hasn't done anything to you! How could you hurt him like this?"

Kieran turned his face just enough to show her the red handprint on his cheek, then broke down sobbing against her. "It's okay, Mona. I guess Ryder's still upset that I'm your ex. I don't blame him. Really. Let's just go."

With that, Kieran had made Ryder look guilty before he could say a word.

Ryder watched Mona's expression harden. He knew there was no point trying to explain. She wouldn't believe him.

And to Mona, his silence was proof enough. She looked away, clearly disappointed in him.

Then she helped Kieran up and led him away without another word. She never once looked back.