After 999 Nights, He Said We Were Never Together Chapter 14

After 999 Nights, He Said We Were Never Together Chapter 14

During their first month in Spain, the Whitfields completed all the remaining paperwork and moved into their

new home.

Nearly two months of residency applications and relocation had exhausted the entire family.

Once everything was finally settled, the three of them planned a seaside vacation.

It was a clear, pleasant autumn day. Sophie lay on a beach chair and watched the waves gather and break, slowly feeling the tension leave her body.

She opened her phone and found WhatsApp flooded with messages.

[Major gossip! Sophie, I heard Ryan Blackwood and Isabelle Monroe’s wedding collapsed. Hahahaha!]

[You missed Isabelle’s face. She looked furious, and Ryan got slapped twice. You really should’ve been there.]

[I told everyone a rushed marriage wouldn’t last. They broke up on the wedding day. This is unbelievable.]

Every message said more or less the same thing.

Sophie found it boring.

She had just put down her phone when Helen approached with two glasses of juice. She handed one to Sophie and sat beside her, relaxed and cheerful.

“You’ve been lying here for hours without moving. Is this really your idea of a vacation?”

Sophie took a sip, her voice lazy.

“Why wouldn’t it be? I get to sit here and look at beautiful people. It’s very relaxing.”

On that point, Helen had to agree.

They chatted for a few more minutes. When Helen failed to convince her daughter to go into the water, she left her phone behind and walked off alone.

Sophie adjusted the brim of her sun hat and reached for more sunscreen when Helen’s phone rang.

Grace’s name appeared on the screen.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Sophie answered.

“Helen, we’re in Madrid. Are you home?”

Madrid?

We?

Sophie’s eyelid twitched, and unease rose inside her.

Still, Grace was an elder she respected, so she answered politely.

“Grace, why are you in Spain? We’re in Barcelona right now.”

The moment Grace realized Sophie had answered, her voice softened with apology.

“Sophie. Where in Barcelona are you? Could you send us your location? We came to see you. There are

some things we’d like to discuss in person.”

Grace’s explanation was vague.

But after hearing that Ryan and Isabelle had called off the wedding, Sophie immediately suspected the visit had something to do with her.

She thought for only a few seconds before asking,

“What is this about?”

Silence followed.

Then a familiar deep voice came through the phone.

“It’s me. Isabelle and I ended the engagement. My parents know about us now too. They want to talk to you, Thomas, and Helen and apologize properly.”

Apologize?

Hearing the word from Ryan was almost funny.

“There’s no need.”

The three words stopped everything else he had meant to say.

Sophie heard his breathing turn uneven, but she showed no mercy.

“Whatever existed between us ended completely a month ago. Our lives won’t cross again. Tell Richard and Grace I don’t want to discuss it, and they have nothing to apologize for. In my heart, they’ll always be Richard and Grace. Nothing will change that, including you.”

The words drove into Ryan like blades, tearing open a pain without end.

But he understood better than anyone that he had caused all of it.

There was no one else to blame.

He could only swallow the consequences.

For once, he couldn’t bring himself to speak harshly. He lowered himself and pleaded instead.

“Sophie, don’t be angry. There are things I can explain. Please give me one more chance.”

She had never heard him sound so humble, and the unfamiliar tone unsettled her.

She didn’t know what performance Ryan was attempting now, but she had no interest in playing along.

“There’s nothing left for us to discuss. Tell Richard and Grace that we won’t be in contact again, then go back

to the United States.”