I suddenly spotted a lean figure in a black T-shirt. From the back, he looked so much like Ryan. I was stunned for a moment, then hurried after him. But when I finally saw his face, my heart sank – it wasn’t him.
“Ryan, where are you?” I muttered, leaning against the railing and watching the endless stream of people. For the first time, I found myself genuinely worried about someone.
I asked the building management about Silas and found out he was just renting the place – it wasn’t even his property. The door had been shut tight these past few days, and I’d even gone over to knock myself.
An uneasy feeling kept gnawing at me. I kept picturing Ryan’s fresh, gentle face and the way his eyes looked so clear and sincere whenever he smiled. I was annoyed at how much I cared about him.
Yvonne video called me that afternoon. I ignored her first call, but when she tried again, I happened to be taking a break in a café, so I picked up this time.
Yvonne was sprawled out on a couch, chin in her hands, her eyes fixed on the screen. She beamed and asked, “Mom, guess where I am?”
I replied, “No idea. What’s up?”
“I’m at Dad’s office. He’s working right now. Where are you having fun, Mom?” Yvonne said, then angled her phone so Jared came into view, sitting at his desk.
Jared looked over at us, and Yvonne turned the phone back to herself. She said, “Mom, when you come back, can you bring me a small present?”
I saw the expectant look in her eyes and replied coolly, “We’ll see. If I see something, I’ll get it for you.”
Yvonne replied, “Okay. Mom, are you and Dad divorced? Does that mean I’ll be staying with Dad’s family from now on? Will you still come see me?”
As she spoke, her eyes started to turn red. She buried her face in her arms for a moment. When she looked up again, she choked out, “Mom, I’m sorry for always making you mad. You must not like me anymore. I won’t make you mad again. Please come visit me when you have time, okay?”
Yvonne had learned her lesson this time. I didn’t feel soft-hearted at all. I was happy for her.
I knew that without me spoiling her, she wouldn’t grow up the wrong way. Honestly, I was at fault too. I couldn’t just blame everything on her and Jared.
Because I knew I was partly to blame, I didn’t hold any deep resentment. I just wanted to get away from them.
Suddenly, Jared took the phone from Yvonne. He was sharp-eyed – he must have seen the view behind me and figured it out right away. So he asked, “Victoria, are you in Shariport?”
Seeing Jared’s face on the screen made my heart skip a beat. I quickly said, “I’ve got something to do. Gotta go.” Before he could say anything else, I hung up.
That night, I planned to take in the night view at Azure Bay, grab some dinner, and then head home to rest.
As the sky grew dark, I found a nice restaurant for dinner. Afterward, with the cool night breeze on my face, I headed to one of those Instagram-famous hotspots.
Standing in the crowd, I gazed up at the stunning nightscape. Suddenly, not far away, I spotted a group of young, attractive men and women walking in my direction. The guy at the front looked a lot like Ryan.
I stiffened, thinking maybe I was just seeing things again, so I headed over to check.
Before I even got close enough, I heard one of the guys laugh and say, “Ryan, are you seriously going back to that lame job in Hachester tomorrow?”
Hearing Ryan’s name stunned me. I followed them at a safe distance and recognized the man with that striking aura: Ryan. But he looked nothing like the Ryan I remembered.
He was dressed in a crisp white designer shirt, looking effortlessly polished – almost regal. A sea-blue diamond stud glinted in his left ear, lending him an unmistakable air of quiet luxury.
I hurriedly pulled a sun hat from my bag and slipped it on, not wanting them to notice me.
I heard Ryan reply, “Had enough fun – time to get back to work.”
“Ryan, you love making things hard for yourself. Who’s got you so hung up back there?” one of the guys teased, curiosity all over his voice.
Ryan shrugged and said, “She’s someone pretty important to me.”
Right then, the girl on the edge sidled up to Ryan and said, “Ryan, if you dare get yourself a girlfriend, watch out – your grandpa might just break your legs.”
I was so caught up in their conversation that I accidentally bumped into a middle-aged man.
The man immediately let out a loud yell, then dropped his thermos on the ground. He exclaimed, “Hey, beautiful, my cup’s broken – what are you gonna do about it?”
The thermos hit the ground with a loud crash, shattering into pieces. Everyone around us jumped at the noise.
I froze, stunned.
Ryan and his group, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned to look back.