After 999 Nights, He Said We Were Never Together Chapter 23

After 999 Nights, He Said We Were Never Together Chapter 23

Every word Sophie spoke turned Ryan’s heart colder.

After watching her leave, his arm fell to his side.

His exhausted eyes slowly reddened, and tears gathered in them.

Helplessness and despair closed around him until his breathing became quick and shallow.

Ryan sat alone in a corner for a long time.

The restaurant eventually closed, and a staff member came to remind him.

Only then did he return to himself. He handed over the bag of medicine and quietly asked for a favor.

Meanwhile, the heating pad reduced the swelling in Sophie’s knees but did nothing for the pain.

She became so focused on dealing with it that she skipped dinner.

Thomas and Helen brought a steak to her room. When they saw the bruises on her legs, their hearts ached.

A staff member happened to arrive with fresh towels, so they asked whether the hotel could help.

When he told them the hotel could arrange medication for one hundred euros, they immediately paid.

A short time later, the medicine arrived.

The unopened box made Sophie uneasy.

That afternoon, a member of housekeeping had specifically told her the hotel didn’t sell medication.

How had the answer changed completely in only two hours?

She was about to question the staff again when Thomas began applying the ointment.

“Sophie, we’ve already paid for it. Don’t worry about where it came from. Let’s deal with your knees first.”

Helen nodded. “Exactly. With swelling like this, I don’t know whether you’ll even be able to walk tomorrow. Maybe we should rest for two days before going to Iceland.”

Their concern quickly pushed Sophie’s doubts aside.

After one night’s rest, the bruises remained, but the pain had disappeared.

The family continued to Iceland according to plan.

Sophie was overjoyed to reunite with Aunt Claire after so long. The two stayed together almost every

moment.

Beneath the brilliant northern lights, Sophie lifted her hand and made her wish for her twenty-third year.

“I hope I see more of the world, meet more interesting people, and that everyone I love stays healthy and

safe.”

Claire laughed softly at the sensible wishes and nudged her with an elbow.

“That’s all? You don’t want to wish for a devastatingly handsome man and one wild, unforgettable love

story?”

Sophie knew her aunt was teasing. She was about to joke back when she noticed a familiar figure.

Ten yards away, Ryan stood among the crowd, staring at her without blinking.

Claire followed her gaze. Her eyes brightened, and she laughed.

“That handsome man looks promising. Why don’t you give him a chance?”

Ryan heard the comment. He immediately grew tense, awkward hope appearing in his expression.

Sophie looked away, her voice clearer than ever.

“That will never happen, Aunt Claire.”

Claire knew nothing about their history and looked surprised.

“That certain? From your tone, you two know each other. You sound like exes who broke up and cut all

contact.”

The casual joke struck the truth exactly.

But after everything that had happened and all the time that had passed, Sophie had truly let go.

Speaking about the past no longer disturbed her.

“We won’t have anything to do with each other again. That’s all there is to it.”

She said it with a smile.

The words cut through Ryan like a knife, and tears warmed his eyes.

Everyone around him posed for photographs and made wishes beneath the lights.

Ryan stood alone.

He lifted his head toward the glowing sky, and long-buried memories surfaced.

On his eighteenth birthday, he had made a list of wishes.

Climb the highest mountain.

Dive into the deepest sea.

Skydive once.

See the most romantic northern lights.

Sophie had stood beside him, repeating every wish after he spoke it.

Now they had finally reached the aurora,

But they had already lost each other in the crowd.