Chapter 2

Ryan’s attention was immediately drawn to Mia's soft voice of protest. He turned, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of me rummaging through her bag. His tone hardened instantly.

“Emily Carter, where are your manners? Who gave you the right to go through someone else’s bag without permission? That’s stealing.”

He stepped closer, his voice rising. “Have you no shame? Give Mia her bag back. Now.”

But my hands wouldn’t stop. The small bear keychain dangling from the bag was unmistakable. It was something I had helped assemble with my parents out of building blocks when I was a child. There was no way I could be wrong. This was my bag. My medication had to be inside.

As we struggled over the bag, its contents spilled onto the floor.

Among the scattered items, I immediately spotted the familiar bottle—the one that held my lifeline, my medication. Relief surged through me. But before I could grab it, a hand shot out quicker than mine.

Ryan picked up the bottle and tipped it into his palm, inspecting the pills like they were some harmless novelty. His expression was calm, almost amused. “It’s just a bottle of chocolate candies,” he said with certainty. “What’s the big deal?”

Those pills weren’t candies. They were specially formulated by a military doctor—designed to look like chocolate to mask the bitterness and make it easier for me to take. My grandfather had them made specifically for me.

My vision turned red, anger and desperation surging up as my voice came out hoarse and shaky from lack of air. “Give them back. Those are my pills…”

Ryan ignored my plea entirely. Instead, he casually handed the pills to his friends. One by one, Jake, Tyler, and Ben popped them into their mouths, chewing with exaggerated enjoyment.

Jake smirked. “Sweet. They taste just like chocolate. Emily, you’re a grown woman. Why are you still eating candy like a kid?”

Tyler chimed in with a chuckle. “Maybe she’s just having a sugar low. A glass of honey water should fix her right up.”

Ben laughed. “Ryan, is your fiancée prone to fainting spells? Low blood sugar, maybe?”

Hearing this, Ryan waved dismissively at one of the attendants. “Bring her some honey water,” he said, his tone dripping with irritation. Then he turned to me, his expression full of blame and impatience. “Emily, if it’s just low blood sugar, say so. Stop pretending to have a heart condition. You’re only making things harder for yourself.”

A few moments later, the attendant returned with a glass of honey water. Ryan thrust it toward me with an annoyed sigh. “Here, drink this. If Mia hadn’t been looking out for you, I wouldn’t have bothered. You’re such a hassle.”

His indifference, his complete lack of care, made my chest tighten even further. My breath came in shallow gasps as my rage boiled over, overwhelming the pain. I lunged forward, sinking my teeth into Ryan’s arm with all the strength I had left.

Ryan yelped in pain and instinctively shoved me away. My body staggered backward, collapsing onto the couch. My vision dimmed, and the room spun around me.

He stared at the deep teeth marks on his arm, his face twisting in anger. “Emily Carter, are you a dog? All this over a few chocolate candies? If I don’t put you in your place now, how are you going to behave once we’re married?”

I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms as I forced my eyes open. Through the haze of pain, I glared at him with all the strength I could muster. My voice was barely more than a whisper, but it carried the weight of my fury.

“Chocolate candies? Those were my life-saving pills! Mia deliberately switched my bag!”

My accusation startled Mia, and she immediately put on her usual act. Tears welled up in her wide eyes as she looked at Ryan, her voice trembling with feigned innocence. “Ryan…I didn’t know it was Emily’s bag. It looks exactly like the one you gave me. I must have accidentally taken the wrong bag after dinner last night. I didn’t mean to…”

Ryan’s face faltered for a moment, a flicker of guilt crossing his features. He turned to me with an awkward smile, his tone softening just enough to seem conciliatory. “Alright, Mia just made a mistake. You’re overreacting. It’s just low blood sugar—you’ll feel better after drinking the honey water.”

A mistake? That bag was a gift Ryan had given me for our three-year anniversary. He had told me it was one of a kind, handcrafted by him personally. If it was truly unique, how could there be another one just like it? And how could it have ended up in Mia’s possession?

The realization hit me like a blow to the chest. This wasn’t just a coincidence. Ryan had given the same gift to both of us.

I thought back to all the times Mia had inserted herself into our relationship. Every date, every moment that should have been ours, she had been there. Every gift Ryan had ever given me, she had one too. I had voiced my frustrations before, but Ryan had always brushed them off, insisting Mia was just like a little sister to him. He called me paranoid, jealous, unreasonable.

But now, as I looked at him, standing so close to her, his arm protectively around her shoulders, I knew the truth. My chest ached, not just from the physical pain but from the betrayal I could no longer ignore.

I forced myself to stand tall, swallowing back the tears threatening to fall. My voice was steady, cold, and final.

“Ryan Hayes, the engagement is off. We’re done.”