Chapter 22
Early the next morning, we packed our luggage, ready to go skiing.
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Not seeing Ryder outside, I breathed a sigh of relief and pushed my suitcase toward the car.
I had just loaded everything when I heard my father exclaim.
“What’s this? Autumn, did you leave one of your neighbor’s birthday gifts by the door?”
I turned and saw the familiar box. My brow furrowed slightly..
I walked over quickly, took the box, and handed it to our housekeeper, giving him the Caldwells‘ address and instructions to mail it back to Boston.
My parents grew more curious, asking the whole way who had sent the gift. Seeing I couldn’t keep up the lie, I finally came clean, also telling them about the birthday wishes from Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell the day before.
The car was quiet for a moment before my father nodded firmly several times. “Your mother and I have been wondering how to handle things with the Caldwells after what happened. Although this is between you young people, you’re our daughter, and we should stand firmly with you. We’d already decided that if you didn’t want to have any contact with them anymore, we’d respect that. Now that we’re thousands of miles away, it’s not an issue anyway.”
“But since you’ve made up your mind to just break ties with Ryder and not blame his parents, we understand. They are our contemporaries after all. You’re not forgetting old friendships or misdirecting your anger. You’ve got good judgment, and we’re proud of you.”
This was the first time since everything came out that we’d sat down as a family and calmly discussed the situation.
Having my parents‘ support warmed my heart.
I nestled against my mother and started chatting about our upcoming itinerary, my tone becoming lighter.
Our family’s good mood restored, we headed to the ski resort.
Because I hadn’t practiced in a long time, I fell several times as soon as I hit the slopes.
Though I eventually got the hang of it, my legs were still sore on the way down.
Back at the hotel, I gasped when I saw the purple, swollen bruises on my knees and immédiately searched for a nearby pharmacy.
The closest medical facility was over fifty kilometers away.
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Looking at that distance and the dark sky outside, I grew concerned.
After thinking it through, I decided to wait until tomorrow to buy medicine and just use some hot eggs as a compress tonight.
After changing into clean clothes, I limped out the door, heading to the restaurant. The elevator had just stopped on my floor.
I looked up and my eyes met a familiar pair.
Ryder. Again.
The moment I saw him, my face turned cold.
“You’re stalking me.”
It wasn’t a question but an accusation.
Seeing me angry, Ryder panicked, stammering an explanation.
“Autumn, I just, I was just worried about you…”
“Worried? My parents are right here with me. What is there to worry about? And what right do you have to worry about me anyway? Stop trying to make criminal behavior sound romantic.”
Ryder was left speechless.
Seeing me get on the elevator, he quickly followed.
“I’m sorry, Autumn, don’t be mad. I saw you get hurt at the ski resort, so I specially bought medicine for you. Don’t play with your health, okay?”
Hearing this from Ryder just made me laugh bitterly.
The scar from the car accident was still visible on my forehead, the wound on my
arm from the chandelier was ten centimeters long, and the back of my heels had calluses from being rubbed raw by over a hundred pairs of high heels.
Because of him, I’d been hurt so many times, and he’d never once offered a word of comfort, always acting like he didn’t even notice.
Now I had a minor injury that wasn’t even bleeding, and suddenly he was
pretending to care, playing the devoted lover.
So I didn’t even look at the bag he was holding out. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I walked away.
My complete dismissal of him made Ryder’s chest tighten with pain.
But he wasn’t ready to give up, following right behind me.
When he saw me asking for some eggs, he guessed what I was planning and became even more anxious.
“Autumn, I bought medicine. Why won’t you accept my goodwill? Do you have to be
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so stubborn about this?”
gave a light laugh, my eyes absolutely resolute.
“Stubborn? We don’t have any kind of relationship, so why would I be stubborn with you? I simply don’t want any contact with you at all.”
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