Ryan was too tied up vacationing to take my call.
Many envied our relationship and claimed it was rare for a couple in an arranged marriage to remain this enamored.
Ryan supposedly adored me so much that he didn't want children.
But that was just the surface.
In truth, he didn't want children with me.
It didn't hold him back from having one with the other woman.
Ryan rang the next day, inquiring about my birthday.
But he didn't return until three days later.
Hearing him at the door, I stepped out from the sunroom to see Ryan poised in the entryway.
His physique was striking in a crisply tailored suit, his smile polite yet detached.
Now he was worlds apart from the man I'd seen laughing freely on the beach.
"When did you get back? Why didn't you give me a heads-up?"
"If I told you, you'd have come to pick me up. It's chilly out, and you're not feeling well. Better to stay in."
I simply smiled, no reply.
Was he more concerned about my health or about me running into his secret wife and kid?
After a quick change, Ryan presented me with a bracelet.
"Hannah, sorry to miss your birthday. I made this myself, do you like it?"
I took and examined the bracelet.