I Made Us Matching Avatars, But He Protected Another Girl Chapter 06

I Made Us Matching Avatars, But He Protected Another Girl Chapter 06

I spent three full days in bed, only surfacing to eat when someone dragged me out.

When the day finally arrived, I got up feeling like a new person.

Ryan was already waiting outside, and the second he saw me, his whole face lit up. He didn’t hold back the compliments for a second.

“Claire, that outfit is perfect on you. You look incredible.”

I smiled and slid into the passenger seat of his car.

The whole ride there, Ryan kept the conversation flowing easily, never once letting it go quiet, but never forcing it either.

We fell into an easy rhythm, like no time had passed at all since we were kids.

I hadn’t skied in ages, and my first few runs were rusty enough that I nearly went down.

Ryan caught me before I hit the snow.

We ended up pressed close, closer than I’d meant, and I couldn’t stop the heat rising in my face.

I was just about to step back when a voice, cold as the mountain air, cut through from behind us.

“What exactly is going on here?”

I flinched and pulled away from Ryan on pure instinct.

I turned to find Nate standing barely ten feet away, his expression thunderous.

“I want an explanation, Claire.”

Same as always.

I didn’t want to look at him. I didn’t want to deal with any of this, and I definitely didn’t want to think too hard about why Nate had shown up at a ski resort in the first place.

I grabbed Ryan’s arm and started walking the other way.

Nate stepped directly into our path.

His eyes were dark and unreadable, fixed on me, and I didn’t need him to spell out what they meant.

Whatever was left of my good mood evaporated instantly. I gave him a mocking little smile.

“Open your eyes, Nate. I’m not your employee anymore. You have no right to order me around, and you definitely have no right to interrogate me about my private life.”

“You’re overstepping.”

“Claire!” His voice sharpened, his expression darkening further.

In five years, I had never once talked back to him like this.

But he’d spent every one of those years counting on my love to absorb whatever he threw at me.

“I have no right? And he does? I’m your girlfriend. Your fiancée. What exactly gives you the right to question

me?”

“Don’t you owe me an explanation of your own?”

His eyes locked onto mine, unblinking.

His fists were clenched so tight the knuckles had gone bloodless.

I knew that look.

It was the lead-up to one of his rages, the kind that would take him two weeks to talk himself down from.

Except none of that was my problem anymore.

I let out a cold laugh, looking at him like the whole thing was almost funny.

“Girlfriend? Fiancée? I made myself pretty clear, Nate. We already broke up.’

He went rigid, something painful moving across his face.

I pretended not to notice at all.

“Weren’t you always so careful to keep us hidden? So what is this now? Don’t tell me you’re having second

thoughts.”

“Don’t make me lose whatever respect I still have for you, Nate.”

I grabbed Ryan’s arm again and turned to leave.

That’s when Nate spoke, quieter this time.

“Claire. About that day. I’m sorry.”

I looked back at him, honestly stunned.

In all our years together, that was the first apology I’d ever heard out of his mouth.

But I didn’t need it anymore.

I smiled.

“It’s fine.”

“So what if I got called a homewrecker. So what if you didn’t lift a finger to defend me while someone screamed in my face. So what if you clearly played favorites with Lily. None of it matters to me anymore.”

“And if you’re hoping I’ll go clear her name for you, I’m going to have to disappoint you.”

I gave him an easy, careless smile, like none of it had ever cost me anything.

But that permanent ice in his expression, the one that never budged, was crumbling apart piece by piece.

He stared at me, silent and heavy, his mouth opening like he wanted to say more, but nothing came.

Finally, his voice came out rough.

“You don’t need to go find someone else just to spite me.”

I laughed again.

“You’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not that pathetic.”