Chapter 5
Ryan ran with everything he had.
But how could two legs beat four wheels?
Still, he had to try-
Because deep down, he knew:
If I left now, I’d be gone for good.
He’d seen me in the hospital.
My cap pulled low as I passed right by him without a word.
I hadn’t called or texted him since.
And when he woke up this morning and saw the woman in his bed wasn’t me…
Panic kicked in.
For the first time,
He ignored that other woman’s whiny pleading-
And walked away.
Now he stood in the street, watching the car that took me further and further away.
He knew-
If he didn’t act now, he’d never get another chance.
He turned back, jumped in his car, and floored the gas.
“Isabella… wait for me.”
His grip tightened on the wheel.
This time, he was sure.
The person he loved had always been me.
Twenty years of memories surged back.
The first time he tried to protect me-
Even if it left him bruised and bloodied.
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He Got His Dream Baby Just Not With Me
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Chapter 5
He thought he was a man.
Thought he could shield me from the world.
We went to different colleges after high school.
On the day I left,
He stood under that old ginkgo tree.
And confessed everything he’d been holding in.
He kicked the trunk again and again, trying to shake the leaves down just so I’d see them fall.
A security guard yelled at him,
His parents chased him down the block.
But he just wiped the sweat off his forehead, grinned, and winked at me.
“As long as Isabella likes it,” he said, “I’ll do anything.”
As long as I liked it…
Ryan let out a bitter laugh.
All these years-
Had I really liked everything he did?
Every time he divorced me for another woman, then tried to marry me back?
Every time he cleared the path for himself at my expense?
Did I like that?
Did I want that?
The answer was obvious.
Marriage, love-
They’re built on loyalty and responsibility.
And he’d failed at both.
He’d been so sure I loved him too much to leave.
So cocky.
So stupid.
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He Got His Dream Baby… Just Not With Me
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Chapter 5
But hearts don’t stay warm forever.
And love fades when all that’s left is disappointment.
Now the woman he loved most was leaving.
Walking away for good.
And he was drowning in regret.
He couldn’t accept it.
Couldn’t face a world where I didn’t exist beside him.
He drove recklessly, weaving through traffic like a man possessed.
Desperate.
Just inches from catching up to the cab I was in-
When a semi–truck came out of nowhere and slammed into him.
A deafening crash.
Glass shattered.
Blood poured down his face.
And before the darkness took over,
He whispered one name again and again:
“Isabella… Isabella…”
Machines beeped all around him.
A doctor shook his shoulder, slapping his cheek.
“You need emergency surgery.”
“Give us a number to call–family, anyone!”
His mind flickered in and out.
His gaze lost focus.
“My wife… Isabella Garcia…”
Somehow, he managed to say the number he’d known by heart for years.
But when the doctor tried to call…
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He Got His Dream Baby… Just Not With Me
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Chapter 5
My phone was off.
And the plane I’d boarded-
Had already taken off, right on time.
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