ter two hours hooked up to an IV, it was finally over. | pressed my hand over the spot where the needle had
been, staring blankly ahead.
Jared cover with my meds and said softly, “Let's go. We'll head back.”
| got up, feeling chilled to the bone. The coat | had on wasn’t keepingwarm at all.
Just then, a trench coat was gently draped over my shoulders. | froze for a second and glanced at Jared.
“Just wear it. Don’t complain,” he murmured, then ledtoward the car.
“You're this sick, and where's your little boyfriend?” Jared sneered as we got into the car.
He took the opportunity to mockas soon as we sat down.
| didn’t want to admit that Ryan and | had already broken up, so | just muttered, “He's busy with work. I didn’t
want to bother him.”
Jared let out a couple of dry laughs but didn’t say anything else.
When we got home, Jared toldto head upstairs first while he went out to pick up something to eat.
| obediently did as he said and went inside. Jared used to go everywhere with his assistant, but this time, he
must've been in such a rush he didn’t even bring his driver along.
| sat at home, not liking how quiet it was, so | turned on the TV.
There was a girl group dancing on a variety show, and one of the girls had a pretty mixed-race face that looked
familiar.
Then it hit me-it was Nathan's sister.
I didn’t expect her to look so fresh and pretty on camera, and she was even standing in the center.
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This girl really lucked out—with a big-shot brother supporting her and her own hard work, she’s bound to have a
bright future.
| quickly flipped to another channel and landed on a wildlife show. The scenes of animals and nature had me
glued to the screen. Maybe it’s t| actually gave Animal World a real watch.
Honestly, being an adult is no different—it’s all just survival of the fittest, jungle law, just like in the wild.
My phone rang in my bag, and | reached for it, thinking it was Jared calling to say he was back with food.
| picked up without even checking the caller ID, and a deep, husky male voice cthrough: “Vic, are you sick?
Are you alright?”
The voice startledso much | almost dropped my phone. | glanced at the screen-turns out, it was Ryan.
Before | could even get my emotions in check, | blurted out, “How did you know?”
Ryan lowered his voice and said, “Jared just called and totally ripped into me, said you were sick and | hadn't
even bothered to show up.”
| was totally caught off guard. Turns out, when Jared toldto go upstairs, he wasn't just out getting food—he
was actually calling Ryan to give him an earful.
“I'm sorry, | didn’t expect him to call you. I'm already feeling better,” | replied, my
voice cout flustered.
“I'm the one who should apologize. Just make sure you rest,” Ryan let out a self- deprecating laugh.
“I will. Bye!” | blurted out, and before he could get another word in, I hung up.
When I noticed my fingers trembling, it suddenly hit me-I'd turned into an emotional deserter.
About ten minutes later, Jared cback.
He brought back sof my favorite light snacks, but his face was anything but
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happy as he walked in.
“Did Ryan call to apologize?” Jared asked, setting the food down on the table, hands on his hips, a clear look of
annoyance on his face.
| turned to look at him, and for a moment, he was acting more like a protective dad or big brother than anything
else.
Why is he meddling in my relationships like this?
“Jared, please don’t call Ryan again, okay?” | pleaded.
“What? You love him that much? Even when you're sick, you can’t bear to ask him to take a day off?” Jared's
irritation only grew as he strode over to the couch, looming overwith a mocking look. “You've already been
divorced once, and you're still letting love cloud your judgment? When it comes to men, the only way to keep
them in line is to make demands, tell them exactly what you want, and don’t just spoil them or let them off easy.
Haven't you suffered enough in your previous life?”
| was stunned. Was Jared seriously givingtips on how to train a man?
“So... you knew all along how much | suffered in my previous life.” | shot him a resentful glare. “You just acted
blind, played dumb, and watchedstruggle in misery, didn’t you?”
Jared just stared at me, stunned for a moment, then sat down beside me, raking his fingers through his hair,
clearly annoyed. “Of course | knew you were hurting. | was the one who put you through all that.”
I launched myself at him, all that pent-up frustration finally boiling over as I tried to slap him.
But instead of landing the hit, my hand, weak with emotion, accidentally hooked around his neck.
Jared: “..."”
My face flushed red with anger, and while he was still frozen in shock, | finally managed to slap him across the
face.
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It wasn’t too hard or too soft-just right in the middle, not enough to really hurt.
Jared stared at me, totally confused. “Why are you hitting me? Ryan's the one who ditched you when you were
sick-he’s the one you should be slapping.”
“I'm hitting you,” | panted, still catching my breath. “For being the bastard who tormentedin my previous
life.”
Jared's lips curled into a wicked, teasing grin. “Oh, so you're here to settle old
scores from our previous life? Fine, hitall you want. But with that kind of strength, it just feels like you're
trying to scratch an itch.”
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