After 999 Nights, He Said We Were Never Together Chapter 03

After 999 Nights, He Said We Were Never Together Chapter 03

By early evening, the Blackwoods had arranged a car to take everyone to the restaurant.

The three younger guests rode together.

Ryan sat in the middle, tending to Isabelle with relentless care. He adjusted the temperature, found her a blanket, handed her water, and twisted the cap open for her.

Sophie sat on his other side, watching them talk animatedly. Without a word, she turned toward the window.

Halfway there, rain began pouring from the sky.

The road was dark. A car ahead switched on its high beams just as their driver started down a slope. Blinded by the glare, he missed the turn and slammed straight into the guardrail.

The instant danger struck, Ryan instinctively pulled Isabelle into his arms.

The impact thundered through the car.

Glass exploded from the windows. Sophie, trapped on the inner side, was thrown hard enough to leave her body covered in blood.

Pain tore through her until she felt as if every bone had come apart.

Through fading consciousness, she saw the door on Ryan’s side open.

He carried Isabelle out in a panic, calling the hospital while soothing her in a gentle voice.

It was as though he had forgotten someone else was still inside the wrecked car.

When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics insisted the most seriously injured patient should go first.

But faced with Sophie lying in a pool of blood and Isabelle trembling in shock, Ryan hesitated only a few seconds before choosing to accompany Isabelle to the hospital.

Sophie watched the ambulance pull farther away. Her vision slowly lost focus, and tears spilled from her eyes.

Ryan Blackwood.

More than twenty years together, and it still couldn’t compare to a single frightened look from her.

Sophie’s eyelids grew heavier. The agony that had been tormenting her seemed to drift away like smoke.

She never made it to the second ambulance.

Darkness swallowed her completely.

She had no idea how much time passed before the sound of voices reached her.

When she opened her eyes, Helen was patting her chest with relief and worry written across her face.

“Thank God, Sophie. You’re finally awake. The ambulance got you here just in time. You’d lost so much blood the hospital’s supply nearly wasn’t enough. All three of you were in the same car. How did the Monroe girl end up with nothing but a scrape on her hand while you were hurt this badly?”

Thomas finally relaxed enough to take a drink of water.

“Because Ryan protected her, obviously. Nothing reveals true feelings like a crisis. She was deeply moved. I stopped by the next room a little while ago, and Ryan was feeding her. The way those two looked at each other, I’d say this match is practically settled.”

Sophie listened quietly until they finished gossiping, then asked in a hoarse voice,

“How long was I unconscious? Are the Spanish residency applications finished?”

“Two days. You scared us half to death.”

“Don’t worry about the paperwork. It should be approved in a little over twenty days. Your only job is to recover.”

Less than a month.

Relief loosened something inside Sophie.

Over the next few days, she kept hearing nurses talk about everything Ryan had done for Isabelle.

He stayed beside her bed around the clock. If she coughed in the middle of the night, he immediately went looking for hot water.

He personally checked the temperature of every dose of medication and kept mints and chocolate nearby so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

Afraid she would get bored, he found games and little distractions to keep her entertained.

Sophie listened without comment.

One day, as a nurse wheeled her down the hall for a follow-up examination, a commotion rose nearby.

When they passed the next room, Sophie turned her head and saw Ryan holding an enormous bouquet of roses as he confessed his feelings to Isabelle.

“Isabelle, I fell for you the first time I saw you eight years ago. None of those meetings at school were accidents. I kept finding ways to get close to you. I remember everything you like, and I know all your dreams. I never got the chance to tell you then. Will you give me one now?”

His voice held so much hope and nervousness that Sophie remembered how, one month before Isabelle left the country, Ryan had already been preparing this very confession.

They had missed their chance back then because of circumstance.

Now it had simply arrived several years late.

When Isabelle said yes, Sophie gave a soft laugh and continued toward the examination room.

The instant she turned away, applause erupted from the people gathered in the hallway.

Ryan glanced toward the sound and caught sight of Sophie’s lonely figure disappearing down the corridor.

His smile froze.

Something strange tightened in his chest.

The feeling lasted only a moment before the tide of joy washed it away.

He reached out openly, without hesitation, and pulled Isabelle into his arms.