Chapter 3

But I didn't give up. I wanted to save my crumbling marriage.

I hugged Liana and quietly begged, "Liana, let's have a child, okay?"

She shoved me away with all her strength, her eyes filled with nothing but disgust. "Do you even have the money to raise a kid? Do you want them to spend their lives slaving away? I told you before, I hate kids. I'll never have a child with you, not in this life!"

That one sentence cut straight through my heart.

On the first day back at work after the new year, a runaway truck came barreling toward us and ended both our lives.

But I wasn't afraid. If anything, I felt relieved.

Now, with both of us regressing into the past, we had silently agreed to go our separate ways. There was nothing left between us.

I pushed the check back to her and said calmly, "It's fine. I don't want charity from a stranger. Thank you."

Liana looked unhappy, her brows furrowed. "Ryan, what's that supposed to mean? Are you calling me a stranger?"

I nodded slightly. "What I wear is my own business. I can buy my own clothes. As for my job, it's respectable, and there's nothing shameful about it. I'm not stuck in the past, either. If you want to help, give the money to someone who actually needs it."

Her hand holding the check trembled, but she didn't move.

Serge hurried over to her side. Seeing the check, it was like he instantly understood what had happened. His eyes were burning with rage, but he was forcing himself to act gentle.

"If you don't want money, we can get you a real job. I recently invested in a barbershop. You can start as an apprentice. Twenty dollars an hour. The pay isn't great at first, but once you learn the trade, you'll have a skill for life. Even if you can't find another job, you can always open your own shop someday. I'll give you the manager's number. Just contact him. What do you think? It's way more respectable than whatever you're doing now."

I kept my expression calm and kept eating. "Thanks, but I'm happy with my job. I'm not looking to change careers."

Some classmates chimed in as they watched the drama unfold.

"Come on, Ryan. Stop being so stubborn. They're just trying to help. Why not accept it?"

"Yeah, look at yourself. You can't even afford a decent outfit. Isn't that why you came to the reunion? To network and find a better job? Now that someone's handing you an opportunity, you act all high and mighty. Who are you trying to impress?"

Serge forced a smile. "Don't say that. Maybe Ryan really does like his current job."

He turned back to me.

"Ryan, we're only doing this for old times' sake. Don't turn it down just to save face."

Honestly, I couldn't understand this obsession with forcing money and jobs on other people. Truth be told, if we were serious, all of them put together probably wouldn't have as much money as I do.

"I really don't need it, but thanks."

Serge kept his smile, but the contempt in his eyes was plain to see.

Liana's grip on the check tightened, and she began her sarcasm.

"Just as hopeless as ever. You don't even know how to recognize an opportunity when it comes your way. No wonder you're broke!"

No sooner had she finished than the other classmates swarmed around.

A three-hundred-pound woman even tried to make me drink.

"Ryan, seeing that you're having such a tough time right now… Let's see. Drink a glass, and I'll give you a hundred dollars. If that's not enough, I can sweeten the pot a little more."