Semua Bab Fiancé Fell in Love With Assistant, I Left: Bab 1 - Bab 10

Nora's POVI host a relationship livestream.Two weeks into a cold war with my boyfriend, a woman called in to my show."Hi. I've fallen for someone I shouldn't have.""He has a fiancée. They've been together eight years. But he's frozen her out, for me. He's been hiding out at my place. What am I supposed to do? There's nothing left between him and her anyway, but eight years is a long time. He doesn't want to hurt her.""If you already know he's someone you shouldn't love," I said gently, "why won't you let go? Breaking up someone else's relationship isn't right."The girl was quiet for a moment."But he's so good to me."Maybe I imagined it, but I could have sworn I heard something mocking in her voice."He's my mentor at work. We're on the same projects every day. Feelings just grew over time.""A little while ago, it was their eight-year anniversary. All I did was call and tell him I'd cut my hand slicing fruit, and he dropped everything and drove through a downpour to get to me."

Nora's POVI didn't reply. My mind was a blank.I looked at my eyes, swollen from crying, and I couldn't stand the thought of walking in there looking beaten, so I forced myself to put on careful makeup.The second I stepped into the café, I spotted the girl by the window, stirring sugar into her cup.It was Phoebe Carter, the girl Ryan had been so desperate to protect at that dinner.She wore a baseball cap. She had pale skin, big bright eyes, and a stubborn set to her jaw. She looked exactly like I had eight years ago.I sat down across from her, my heart pounding."Hi," she said, sweet as anything."Ryan talks about you all the time. Says you two have been through so much together. I always wondered what kind of woman you were. Turns out you're nothing special."Her voice was soft, but it was full of mockery, full of dare.It was like a thorn going into my chest.I looked into those shameless eyes and said flatly, "If this is what you came to talk about, I'm leaving."I stood up.I

Nora's POVMy stomach went cold."Help you how?""I just need you to post a statement. Tell everyone the call was—""A script. Something I cooked up in advance to drive traffic. Right?"I cut him off, my voice shaking with how worked up I was. "Your assistant Phoebe already came to find me today. I turned her down."I said it coldly. "Everyone knows my show only takes real stories. You want me to lie? Not a chance.""Nora." There was a weary patience in his voice now, like he was reasoning with a child."It's just a statement. Why are you making such a thing of it?""Phoebe has depression. Those comments yesterday had her crying all night."A sharp ache went through me, and my stomach knotted."Is that so?" I asked. My chest felt like it was caving in.I'd cried all night too. I'd spiraled into the worst kind of self-doubt too."So she has depression. Does that mean she gets to do whatever she wants? Depression gives her the right to steal someone's boyfriend, to lord it over me to my

Nora's POVThe next day, I went to check out of the hospital alone.My body was still weak, just barely recovered. My face was bloodless. I clung to the wall and dragged myself forward one step at a time.At the billing window, I saw Ryan. He had an arm around Phoebe, carefully lowering her onto a bench in the hallway.He looked up, and his eyes met mine."Nora?"I looked at Phoebe, so fragile she apparently couldn't manage on her own, and then at myself, fighting just to stay on my feet, and my heart skipped."Hi," Phoebe said. She got up when she saw me coming, eyes timid, as if I might swallow her whole the moment she let her guard down."You don't have to keep playing the victim. I get it. I won't hold it against you anymore.""I know you're past thirty now, under all kinds of stress. Hormones out of balance, moods all over the place. It's only natural you'd lash out at me without meaning to. I'm still young, and Ryan keeps me so well protected, so I can't really understand what yo

Ryan's POVRyan's heart lurched.He punched in the code and threw the door open. The house was empty.He called her name, over and over. No answer.The flowers slipped from his hand and hit the floor, petals scattering.The place still looked the way it had that afternoon, set up for her surprise. Rose petals flown in for the occasion covered the floor. The photo wall was hung with pictures of the two of them, every one of them chosen because it was a shot of her laughing her hardest. The pigeon-blood ruby set sat squarely on the coffee table.Ryan stood there, blank, like something had been carved out of his chest.He ran upstairs and searched every room, careful, thorough. Nora had vanished like she'd never existed.Then he saw her vanity. All the makeup she used every day was gone. Only a few sample-size bottles were left, sitting there alone.And on the vanity was a small diamond ring.The one he'd given her when he proposed.His fingers tightened.He'd been at the lowest point of