Chapter 13
It was five years ago, when Green left. He had held me in agony, asking if I would be with him.
And it was from that moment that I became nothing more than his backup–always there when summoned, dismissed when no longer needed.
“North…”
He looked at me, his eyes shattered.
Is it really so difficult to see you now?”
I paused, staring at him.
It was hard to believe that the arrogant Ryan, the man who had once looked down on me, had now
let himself fall to this point, all for me.
“Ryan, what is this about?”
He took a slow step toward me. His finger lightly brushed my cheek, then lingered on the scar.
“I don’t want the land in the West City anymore. I don’t want Green anymore. I just want you. I want to be with you.
Whether you’re disfigured or still love me, I’m willing to spend the rest of my life making amends.”
“North, please, give me one more chance.”
I turned my face away, ignoring the pain in his eyes.
“Ryan, go back to Green.”
“North, she hurt you. I could never be with her again.”
So, it was because of me that he had fallen out with Green.
But what did that matter now?
The harm was done.
heart was cold.
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“Ryan, if you still feel guilty, then stop bothering me.”
Isaid this coldly, and as I walked past him, he gently grabbed my wrist.
As the distance between us closed, I could feel his pain more clearly.
And perhaps he could feel my resolve even more.
His hand, once strong on my wrist, dropped in defeat.
I thought to myself, our story was finally over.
The scar on my face had healed well.
Though it wasn’t quite back to normal, the doctor assured me it would eventually fade completely.
When I looked a bit concerned, the doctor smiled reassuringly.
“Miss Foster, if I didn’t have the skills for this, Mr. Nelson wouldn’t have flown me in from abroad to perform the surgery for you.”
I was surprised.
“Doctor Sam, what did you say? Mr. Nelson specifically had you flown in from abroad to perform my surgery?”
“Didn’t you know?”
Um…
I really didn’t.
I hadn’t heard from Gray in a while.
As far as I knew, he had been busy flying around the world, only occasionally returning home to
visit his elderly father.
This Dr. Sam, I had arranged through my best friend.
I turned to give her a questioning look.
She rolled her eyes.
“Well, who did you think helped arrange it? Do you think I know someone as skilled as Dr. Sam?”
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“But why didn’t Mr. Nelson tell me himself?”
He said you were busy with graduation and might get distracted, so he asked me to introduce the doctor to you and accompany you through the surgery.”
“Aren’t you busy with your graduation too?”
“Mr. Nelson said that as long as I took good care of our Mrs. Nelson, in addition to a million–dollar reward, I could choose any position at the Nelson Group once I graduate.”
My best friend squeezed my shoulders, her voice filled with admiration.
“Mr. Nelson is so generous. I feel so lucky to have you as a friend!”
“So you sold me out for that?”
“Sold you out? I was just taking advantage of the good fortune that comes with having a great
friend!”
I could only roll my eyes at her in response.
As I left the doctor’s office, I ran into Green.
She was sitting in a wheelchair, looking utterly defeated.
It made sense. She had built her entire life on her looks, thriving in the entertainment industry where every detail, from her hair to her nails, had to be immaculate.
Now she was reduced to being pushed around in a wheelchair.
Anyone would have a hard time accepting that.
I expected her to be angry, to insult me the way she had in the past.
But to my surprise, she recoiled as if she had seen a rat in front of a cat.
I later found out that her stepfather, who had never been favored by Mr. Nelson, had divorced her
mother after she offended Gray.
Green no longer carried the Nelson family name.
Losing her position as the cherished daughter of the Nelson family had turned her into a rat in the
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1
On graduation day, my best friend sold me out again.
When I saw Gray standing outside the crowd, his tall figure and elegant demeanor accentuated by the white roses, I couldn’t help but tug at my best friend’s sleeve, asking with feigned ignorance,
“How did he know our graduation was today?”
My best friend glanced at Gray, who was surrounded by several girls flirting with him, and coughed lightly.
“Mr. Nelson said he wanted to surprise you, so I couldn’t resist selling you out.”
It was certainly a surprise.
But I wasn’t keen on such high–profile attention.
When I had dated Ryan, the whole school had known about it. The embarrassment had been
unbearable.
What if one day I divorced Gray?
Wouldn’t that just give everyone something to laugh at?