His Friends, Her Friends, His Mother, All Lied To Her Face Chapter 07

His Friends, Her Friends, His Mother, All Lied To Her Face Chapter 07

Ryan went cold all over.

The last trace of hope he had been holding on to shattered.

Only then did he realize that all the sympathy he had felt for Maya had been nothing but a joke.

The fragile, idealized first love he had treasured for years was nothing more than a liar.

The man shrugged.

“I’m just here to collect a little something for my trouble. You want to cover it for her?”

Then his eyes shifted to Tessa, who was staring at him in shock.

“Wait. Isn’t this the girl you said you’d set me up with?”

“I heard you’re so naive you’ll believe anything. We might as well call this our first date.”

Tessa flinched as though she had been struck.

She stared at Maya.

She had betrayed her best friend for someone like this.

“Maya, is he telling the truth?”

Maya realized there was no point pretending anymore.

“So what if he is? I was alone. Was I wrong to look out for myself?”

—

“And you can’t put all the blame on me. Every time Claire was hurt for my sake, you were the ones who chose to hurt her.”

Each word cut deeper into Ryan.

She was right.

No one had forced him to take care of Maya.

He had made every choice himself.

He had pushed Claire away with his own hands.

Nothing Maya said could be denied.

Ryan stood there with nothing left inside him but endless regret.

It wasn’t until they turned to leave that Maya finally panicked.

She rushed over and clung to Ryan’s arm.

“Ryan, I came back because I love you. You can’t abandon me.”

Revulsion twisted through him.

He wrenched his arm free as though shaking off something filthy, then walked away without looking back.

By then, I had already reached Riverton.

The branch office was close to my mother’s home, so I went to see her on my first night in town.

When she saw me standing there with a suitcase, she said only one thing.

—

“I’m glad you’re home.”

Tears pricked my eyes.

“Mom, I’m sorry. You won’t get to attend my wedding.”

She pulled me into her arms.

“Sweetheart, I only wanted to see you happy. I wasn’t trying to marry you off.”

“Your happiness matters more than anything.”

Over the next few days, I rented an apartment near the office.

A light rain began to fall on my first morning at the branch, but for the first time in a long while, everything inside me felt clear.

When I walked into the office, I saw several familiar faces. A few employees had transferred from headquarters just as I had, and I settled into the team quickly.

Near the end of the day, a former coworker called out to me.

“Claire, the team’s going camping outside town this Saturday. Keep your calendar clear.”

I froze.

I had wanted to go camping for so long. I had asked Ryan three times, but in the end, he had taken Maya instead.

Now I suddenly understood that I had never needed him to go with me.

At least I hadn’t realized it too late.

—

I smiled at her.

“Sounds good.”

That evening, I had just stepped outside the office when someone blocked my path.

It was Ryan.

He looked as though he had been waiting a long time. His hair was disheveled, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.

“Claire, I’ve been looking for you for days.”

I stopped but said nothing.

He swallowed.

“I’m so sorry. About Buddy—”

“Don’t say his name.”

I cut him off sharply.

“You don’t deserve to.”

His voice dropped.

“I’m sorry. I truly didn’t know Maya would get him killed.”

I remained silent.

“Maya lied to all of us. She was never sick.”

“Claire, I know I was wrong. I was blind. Please give me one more chance to make it up to you.”

—

“I neglected you, but you were always the one I loved.”

When I answered, my voice was completely calm.

“I don’t want you to make anything up to me, and I don’t care that you regret it.”

Ryan looked as if someone had grabbed him by the throat.

I continued.

“You knew how much Buddy meant to me. But you didn’t like him, so I boarded him somewhere else for you.”

“And what did I get in return?”

His lips began to tremble, but I didn’t stop.

“You got your entire family to lie to me and treat me like an idiot, all so Maya could be happy.”

“All she had to do was say she wanted a picture, and you let her wear my wedding dress.”

“You were terrified of dogs, yet you could take Maya to a pet store. But you couldn’t even let Buddy live with us.”

I stepped closer and asked quietly, “Ryan, you say you love me. If someone loved you the way you loved me, would you want it?”

He shook his head over and over.

“Claire, I was an idiot, but I really do know I was wrong.”

As though he had suddenly remembered something, he pulled out his phone.

—

“Claire, look. I ordered another wedding dress. No one else has worn this one.”

“I made plans for after we get married too. We’ll watch the sunrise together, go camping, and travel.”

“I’ll make up every date we missed.”

I looked at the desperation in his eyes and felt nothing.

“I don’t want any of it anymore.”

“I stopped wanting it the moment I found out you had lied to me.”

“Not the dates. Not you.”

The last trace of hope faded from Ryan’s eyes.

“Go home, Ryan. I will never forgive you.”

Then I stepped around him and walked away.