Although I tried to close my eyes, drowsiness did not come to me. River's breathing was also irregular, I'm sure she was also still awake despite not making a sound since a few minutes ago. Since then, we've been silent in the darkness, hugging each other and pretending to each other that everything is fine.As the silence lingered between us, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. I knew that avoiding the conversation was only delaying the inevitable. I turned my head slightly to look at River, his face illuminated by the dim light coming from the kitchen. His eyes were closed, but I could see the lines on his forehead that I knew were a sign of worry."River..." I began, my voice almost a whisper. "I can't take this anymore, I have to tell you something."River's eyes flicked open, his gaze immediately searching mine. "What is it?" he asked, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it before.I took a deep breath, my chest tightening with each inhale. "The girl I saw with Evan at t
"How about we just get married?" he said very suddenly, and my brain was instantly unable to think.My eyes were wide open. “What?”My heart ached a little when I realized River had just opened his eyes and looked at me. Regardless of how he affected me by what he said earlier, I knew he didn't mean every word of it. River said it very casually, without any burden at all, just like asking if I had eaten or not. And what really bothered me was the fact that he said it without looking at me, he said it while closing his eyes and leaning back on the couch.My heart broke even more when he shook his head. “Forget it,” he said softly.I let out a soft sigh, my eyes searching his for any clues about what he was thinking.He looked at me, a sad smile on his lips, and then he said, ”I just...I don't know.” River looked at me closely, his eyes full of concern. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just... it’s complicated.” He trailed off, lost in thought.As usual, I wanted to try to u
I had no idea how long I had been curled up in the blanket, but my eyes could never feel sleepy. As the night stretched on, the weight of Evan's words lingered heavily in my mind.“No matter how hard you or he tries, you won't be able to replace my mom's space in his heart.”The darkness of the room seemed to press in on me, matching the suffocating feeling in my chest. I couldn't shake the doubt that crept in, poisoning my thoughts about River and our relationship. Was Evan right? Was I just a pawn in some twisted game of emotions?I tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position as my mind raced with conflicting thoughts. The memory of River's casual proposal haunted me, intertwined with Evan's warning like a tangled web. It felt like I was standing at a crossroad, unsure of which path to take.With a heavy heart and exhausted body, I finally succumbed to sleep, though it offered little solace from the turmoil swirling within me.***As consciousness began to find me again
“Did you have your breakfast?” Sharon asked, her voice trailing off as she turned her attention to the tray of food beside her bed.I shook my head, smiling softly. “I will wait for River.”“He had just been upstairs to sleep an hour ago. Don’t wait for him.”I nodded in understanding, actually a little surprised by what I heard. “Ok then, I'm going to the kitchen.”I then left Sharon's room. While in the kitchen, I saw Katie preparing breakfast with a focused expression on her face. She noticed me entering and greeted me with a warm smile. “I hope you want bacon and eggs,” she said, her voice tinged with a hint of amusement."That sounds perfect, thank you," I replied, taking a seat at the kitchen island. The aroma of sizzling bacon filled the air, making my stomach growl in anticipation.As she plated the food and set it down in front of me, I couldn't help but feel grateful for her kindness. “Thank you, Katie. You really didn’t have to do this.”She waved her hand in the air. “No n
After all this time, I finally realized that Evan actually didn't dare to act much towards me if River was around. Starting from the incident in front of my apartment that night where Evan immediately gave up when he was threatened by River; then at Sharon's house for the first time, he just bluffed like a child, and even remained silent when I was openly being intimate with River.After that, I almost never saw Evan again until last night at the art exhibition. And all the nonsense he said, it all happened when River wasn't around. He even secretly came to my room to talk, knowing that River wasn't with me.River may be right. Although Evan openly harbors hatred for him, Evan is not actually that brave to go all out against him.However, things were quite different at lunchtime."Evan, honey, are you getting along with Mia?" Sharon asked sotfly.Evan swallowed his food before answering, "Yeah, something like that, remembering we actually knew each other before."I glared, stopping ch
Arriving in Manhattan, River went straight to the office, picked up by Richard at the airport. He then arranged for a driver to take me home.“I'm sorry to leave you on a Sunday like this. I'll be back tonight," he said and then gave me a peck on the lips, one more time (a little longer this time) because he himself felt it wasn't enough."It's okay, I can understand," I replied. He would not have earned much money if he could always relax on the weekends, right?After getting in the car, I told the driver to take me to my apartment building instead of River's penthouse. I have sent a message to Addy that I want to stop by.As the car weaved through the familiar streets of Manhattan, I found myself lost in thought. Evan's cryptic behavior at lunch nagged at me, his words lingering like a dark cloud overhead.Upon reaching my apartment building, the driver bid me farewell, and I made my way upstairs, the weight of unanswered questions bearing down on me.Without further ado, I immediat
(I'll pick you up after work. See you soon!)A stupid smile was etched on my face when I read River's message. We hadn't seen each other for 24 hours, but I felt like my chest was going to explode. Sounds stupid and pathetic, right?I only replied with an emoji, even though I wanted to type a reply that clearly showed that I was very happy, but I held back."Did you meet someone lately?" Emma suddenly stood near my stool. She was sipping juice while rubbing her growing belly.“What?” I asked, confused."You seem happier these days." She then leaned her face even though it looked a little difficult, observing my face while frowning, which instantly made me feel mischievous. "Your skin is smoother and glowing too!""Huh?" I touched my face with the back of my hand, looking confused at him.She stood up straight again, giving me a meaningful smile. "I'm happy if you're happy." She then walked away with a hum, leaving me still gawking.I watched Emma walk away, her words echoing in my min
After getting out of the car, River immediately grabbed me and ran giggling into the private elevator that led directly to his penthouse.It didn't wait until the elevator doors were fully closed for River to push me into the corner with his right hand that was behind my head as a safety measure to prevent it from being bumped. His lips crashed against mine in a frenzy of desire and need, and I melted into his embrace.My hands instinctively found their way to his hair, tangling in the soft strands as I kissed him back with equal fervor. The anticipation and longing that had been building up between us ignited like a fire, consuming us both in its passionate flames.As the elevator ascended, our kisses grew more urgent, more heated. River’s hands roamed my body, sending shivers down my spine. When the elevator finally dinged, signaling our arrival at his floor, we rushed out in a tangle of limbs and desire.I dropped my shoes and bag when River picked me up and wrapped my legs around