I stared at him, my eyes filled with emotions he couldn’t read. After a long pause, I said,
“Andrew, do you even realize how cruel you are?”
His expression darkened.
“Cruel? No, Rachel—you’re the cruel one. Don’t think I don’t know this is all your doing with Dad.”
“If you don’t agree, then Buddy won’t live.”
In his hand was a photo of Buddy hooked up to IVs at the clinic.
My voice trembled. After a long silence, I finally whispered, “Fine.”
You can’t force love. I finally understood.
Soon after, Andrew took Chloe on a “business trip” to New York, though their social media was flooded with photos that looked more like a honeymoon.
That day was my father’s death anniversary. I sat before his grave, torturing myself by staring at those photos.
Grief overwhelmed me, and without realizing it, I drank too much. Through tears, I called Andrew Smith, sobbing that I missed him, that I wanted to see him.
He hung up and immediately bought the earliest flight back. When I woke, I was still in a daze.
Seeing him bustling in the kitchen filled me with shock and joy.
But when I noticed what he was making—a pot of ginger tea—my heart sank as if doused with ice water.
I was allergic to ginger. He knew that.
He packed most of it into a thermos, thoughtfully prepared cookies, even small toys, and before leaving said:
“There’s some left in the pot. Drink it, it’s good for your health.”
I couldn’t hold back and asked before he walked out, “Do you even remember that I’m allergic to ginger?”
He didn’t move, didn’t turn back, just stood there like a block of ice.
At that moment, I knew—my warmth could never melt him.
I arranged for Buddy to be transferred to a more reliable hospital and turned my attention to matters with the Smith Corporation.
Back then, we had only held a wedding ceremony without getting a marriage license. Arrogantly, I thought I would make Andrew fall in love with me, waiting for him to pursue me.
Looking back now, how ridiculous.
I went to meet a man who had once saved my life. If not for him, I would have died that night.
Buddy had dragged me into the road, where this man recognized me while driving home. He took me to the hospital and stayed up all night caring for me.
When we finally met again for dinner, conversation flowed effortlessly, as if we had known each other forever.