Chapter 569

Time seemed to stand still in that moment.

Ryan and I locked eyes. We hadn’t seen each other in days, and he looked a lot thinner.

Maybe it was the feelings I’d buried deep inside, but I gently pushed Jared away.

Jared’s fingers gave my waist a little tug, a bit unwilling, but he still took two steps back.

“What are you doing here?” I walked over to the door, trying to sound casual.

Ryan’s eyes were shadowed with sadness, but even more than that, there was a resolve in them I’d never seen before.

“I forgot to give you your key back,” he said, his voice rough. Then he opened his palm, and the blue key lay nestled quietly in his warm hand.

I reached out to take it, and as my fingers brushed his skin, a dull ache throbbed in my chest.

I thought Ryan would just leave, but instead, he suddenly walked right in.

I stared at him, surprised.

“I have a few things I want to say to you,” Ryan said, shooting a glance at Jared. “Could you step out for a minute?”

Jared just stayed silent.

Thinking about how suddenly Ryan had distanced himself from me, I blurted out, “I’m sick, and he’s here to look after me. Whatever you want to say, just say it in front of him–no need to hide anything.”

Jared said quietly, “Victoria, I’m going to step outside for a smoke.”

Surprisingly, he didn’t stick around. He just turned and walked right out the door.

I frowned, starting to go after him, but Ryan stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

“Ryan, don’t do this,” I snapped, genuinely angry.

Since things were bound to end this way, him showing up like this again was really throwing me off.

“Just a few words, and they’re important. You have to listen,” Ryan said, sounding more domineering than ever.

Honestly, I found it kind of laughable. I looked up at him, my eyes already turning red. “Is there really anything left for us to talk about? Ryan, I saw the engagement photos of you and Miss Chamberlain. You two look like the perfect couple—seriously, a match made in heaven. Since you picked her, be a responsible man and take care of her. Don’t keep pulling me back into this mess. It’s just wrong.”

Ryan’s whole body stiffened for a second. He looked at me, hurt and disappointed, his voice low. “You think I’m in love with her?”

I turned my face away, forcing back the tears. Trying to keep my voice steady, I said, “You’re about to marry her. It’s only natural you’d fall for her. I met Miss Chamberlain before–she’s from a great family, gorgeous, talented. Someone like her is worth loving.”

“I’ll never love her,” Ryan said, his voice suddenly cold and hard. “She’s not worthy of any love from me at all.”

I was stunned, just staring at him, lost. “Ryan, I really don’t want to talk about this. That’s between you and her.”

“No, this is about you and me,” Ryan said, taking a deep breath. Then, with a nervous urgency, he grabbed my hands. “Do you know what it means when immortals hide beneath the peach blossoms? You’re the first–and the only– woman I’ve ever wanted to spend my life with, Vic. But right now, what I’m up against is bigger than love itself.”

My breath caught, a bad feeling creeping up on me.

Ryan had never spoken to me in such a grave tone before. Was he trying to tell me something important?

“Ryan, what happened?” My chest tightened with every beat–I couldn’t shake the feeling this had something to do with me.

Ryan lowered his head, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again.

Then, in a hushed voice, he said, “The day my grandfather invited you to dinner, I was actually in a room on the third floor. And in the room next to where you and my grandfather were eating, the Chamberlain family was there too.”

A chill ran down my spine, and I stared at him, my eyes wide with disbelief.

“What’s going on?” I could barely get the words out, my voice trembling with fear.

Ryan lowered his gaze, his fingers trembling as he brushed my cheek. In his eyes, I saw a steely coldness and unwavering resolve. “When you left in Uncle Ryan’s car, I saw someone from the Chamberlain family make a gun gesture right in front of me, aiming at the direction you were headed. Do you know what that did to me? For a moment, it felt like my heart just stopped.”