As I closed the door behind him, I felt a strange emptiness. His dramatic display of regret only left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I knew he wouldn’t have the courage to do what he’d done to me.
Not long ago, he was by Miranda’s side, but now, he was here, pretending to be full of deep affection.
What disgusted me the most was that he had destroyed my life, yet now, as I was starting to pick up the pieces and move forward, he showed up again to disrupt things.
The doorbell rang again, and I hurried to answer it, only to find Ryan standing there once
more.
Annoyance surged through me as I asked sharply, “Why are you here again?”
Ryan’s voice was hoarse, and his expression was downcast. “I came to apologize.” Apologize?
I froze for a moment, then lowered my head.
Only then did I notice that Ryan’s left hand was holding a hammer.
“You…” I looked at him, confused, and Ryan raised the hammer without hesitation, swinging it down with all his strength onto his own hand.
In an instant, his hand was mangled, the same way mine had been.
He gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead, and forced a smile, though it was strained. “Can you… forgive me now?”
If he hadn’t hurt me so deeply before and showed up looking so pitiful now, I might have felt a twinge of sympathy.
But as I looked at the broken, desperate man before me, my heart remained cold and unfeeling.
