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    A minute ago, I’d actually felt bad for Ryan, seeing how hurt he looked. But now? Looking out for myself means keeping my distance from him, no matter what.


    When I got home, I flipped on the lights, put on some soft music, and dragged my yoga mat into the living room. I spent an hour doing yoga, letting the music soothe me. Then I opened the fridge and whipped up some dinner for myself.


    To keep myself in shape, I’d been cutting out greasy, salty foodstely. My skin was looking way better, and I wasn’t even cutting out carbs–just eating less of them.


    Nathan texted me, asking what I was up to.


    I sent him a photo of the city at night and told him I was going to get some rest.


    Nathan seemed like he wanted to keep chatting, but my tone was cold, and he could feel it.


    These days, the only calls I made were either to Yvonne or for work. Unless Nathanes clean about what happened that day, I’m not going to bother with him.


    Now that I know, it just keeps bothering me like a thorn.


    Five days slipped by in a sh. The renovation ns kept getting revised over and over, and all those nitpicky details were seriously wearing me out. Meetings–big, small, endless–just kepting.


    Even though work was hectic, I felt pretty at peace. My days were full, and every so often, my parents would call to check up on me. Latways kept things upbeat, never mentioning anything stressful.


    They never outright pressured me <i>to </i>get married, but there was always that gentle nudge–if I met someone good, I should at least give it a shot.


    Just because I ran into someone like Jared doesn’t mean every guy out there is like him,‘ I kept reminding myself. I had to keep my mind open and not let one bad experience close me off.


    Having parents who actually get me is honestly a huge stroke of luck. I’m really grateful–even though I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon, my parents have always backed my choices.


    Whenever I spotted something my parents would like while out shopping, I’d just buy it and have it shipped to them. These days, I barely bought anything for myself–most of my shopping was just spoiling my parents a little.


    They’din about me spending too much, but I knew deep down they loved it.


    “Hello, is this Ms Murphy?” a stranger’s voice came through the phone.


    “Yes, this is the May I ask who’s calling?” I answered, keeping my tone businesslike.


    “Our young master is sick. He won’t eat or drink anything Could you pleasee and try to talk to him?” the caller pleaded, sounding desperate


    “Who exactly are you talking about? Tasked, momentarily stunned–Ryan was the first person who came to mind.


    “It’s Ryan. He got sick right aftering home from ying basketball. The doctor already gave him an injection, but it hasn’t done any good,” the person <b>said</b>, pounding even more anxious


    09:17 Mon, 25 Aug


    “I… I’m not sure if me going will help,” I said, honestly surprised that Ryan could actually get sick.


    “It’s not his body that’s sick–it’s his heart,” the caller added, sounding even more desperate.


    I thought back to thest time I saw Ryan, that look of disbelief on his face. ‘Did I really break his heart that badly?‘ I wondered.


    “So… where can I find him? Which hospital is he at?” I asked. Even if I wanted to just walk away, after everything he’s done for me, I couldn’t just ignore him while he’s sick. Checking on him was the least I could do.


    “I’ll send you the address. He’s at his apartment,” the caller replied, then shot me a text with the details. They told me to bring some food, since Ryan hadn’t eaten anything in over twenty–four hours.


    I furrowed my brows, thinking, ‘Ryan really does have that young master attitude. He skips a meal and everyone’s losing their


    minds over it.


    I walked out of the office, picked up some food to go from a local restaurant nearby, and drove over to his ce.


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