BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

CHAPTER 76

Ryan's POV 

With curiosity eating at me, I go through each day with pain in my heart. I don't want to believe that the single word that Valerie said that keeps ringing in my ears is true.

I am also in pain because I love her. I want her to be fine. I want us to be together. If this turns out to be a joke like I presume it to be, then I don't think I can be with her.

She has no idea how close Mother and I are. I admit that I am not too close to Dad but Anita is closer to him than I am.

But Mother and I share an unbreakable bond. She tells me everything. Every secret. There is no way in the world that she can hide a huge secret like this away from me.

What Valerie is claiming is pure nonsense. I don't know if she knows the gravity of what she is saying.

It means Mother cheated on my Dad. It means I am a bastard. 

If this gets out, Valerie will be in big trouble because Dad won't let her go scot-free for wanting to ruin our prestigious family name.

I open the door and enter to see a heap of hair that scares the shit out of me. 

"Shit!" I curse loudly and the owner of the hair drags it away to reveal her face.

Valerie.

What the hell is wrong with this woman? 

There was hair all over her face when I came in. Why is she behaving like a crazy woman yet she keeps insisting that she is fine?

Is this the time when I have to start losing my trust in that doctor they call their family doctor? Are her parents trying to hide the fact that she is mentally unstable from me?

The doctor said she was fine. We went back to the hospital but he said she was fine. She refused to go to our family hospital for a reason best known to her.

I shove the door closed as she stares at me with a sad face before turning away with her head over the sofa and her arms folded.

She seems to be in deep thought.

We have been avoiding each other, even though we spend the night in the same room. I have no idea why she hasn't run back to her room and why she still spends the night here.

She always does that whenever she wants to avoid me.

I venture fully into the room, pretending not to see her as I take off my jacket.

"Welcome", I hear her say in a mumble, making me stop in my tracks.

For three days, we barely spoke a word to each other. Sometimes, I want to talk to her but the way she acts nonchalantly like she isn't affected by it makes me so mad and I always end up not talking to her too.

She ought to be begging me for the humiliation and for not telling my parents about this.

I turn back slowly to confirm what I heard but she is still seated on the sofa without moving an inch.

"How was your day?" she asks, without turning back and that confirms my suspicion that she actually welcomed me home.

Despite everything, a smile creeps to my face. 

She cares after all. I thought she didn't.

Without a reply, I walk to the closet and take my clothes off. I am thinking she would say something else before I am done changing into sweatpants and a clean shirt but she doesn't say a word till I am done.

She is still full of pride.

I doubt if she can ever beg me whenever she needs something from me.

I stand watching her from afar before I decide to go talk to her.