However, there was client confidentiality in place. He quickly went to do tests on the dried clot of blood.
Niamh walked out of the lab feeling uneasy.
The results may not be out yet, but she could already guess what they would be.
She did not want to question Kendrick for he was only hiding it from her so that she would not need to worry about him.
She was the reason why he hid from her at all.
Niamh returned to the office dazedly, not in the mood to work at all.
It had only been a moment since she sat down when she suddenly received a call from Ryan. “Are we still meeting today, Eveline?”
Hearing him, Niamh remembered that today was Ryan’s birthday.
She reined her thoughts back and spoke softly, “Yeah. Happy birthday.”
“Thank you. See you tonight.”
“Alright.” Niamh agreed.
Hanging up the phone, she exhaled a long breath of relief.
Her union with Ryan was about to be annulled.
She would soon be able to openly be the wife of the man she loved.
Still…
The mere thought of Kendrick’s physical condition unsettled Niamh.
The lab results would only come out tomorrow. Everything she was thinking about now was merely a suspicion.
Not knowing what to buy Ryan, Niamh finally decided on making him a cake from scratch.
Kendrick stood by her side while she made the cake, handing her things from time to time.
Evening came, and Kendrick then took it upon himself to send her off, all the way to where she and Ryan had decided to meet.
By the empty riverbank stood Ryan in a black suit, quiet as he stared at the body of water before him. The man exuded an aura of elegance.
Niamh had Kendrick wait in the car as she approached Ryan from behind with the cake in hand.
“I’m here, Rye. How’s your leg doing?”
Ryan slowly turned around.
The setting sun shone behind the man. There was a cold and dangerous look between his defined brows that Niamh had never seen before. Still, he gave her a warm smile.
“Happy birthday.” Niamh handed the cake over. “I couldn’t think of what expensive gift you would need from me, so I made you a cake instead.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it later.” Ryan took the cake and stared at it. “Could you open it and light a candle for me? I’d like to make a wish.”
“Of course.” Niamh opened the box and pulled out a slender candle, poking it into the cake.
She had not brought anything to light the candle, but Ryan pulled out a lighter from his pocket and lit it himself.
The glow of the setting sun faded, and the flickering candle flame danced in the breeze.
Not too far away sat Kendrick in the car, watching the scene before him. The man’s sharp eyes bore into Ryan as frost seemed to seep from their bottomless pits.
Knowing that Kendrick was waiting for her in the car, Niamh did not want to make the man wait too long either. She was going to return the moment Ryan made his wish, blew the candle, and signed the papers.
This would mark the end of her relationship with Ryan.
Staring at Niamh who seemed to be deep in thought, Ryan’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.
“Do you know what I wished for, Eveline?” Ryan asked.
Niamh had no idea, nor was she interested in knowing. She merely smiled and replied, “Whatever it is, I hope it comes true.”
Ryan nodded as his smile deepened. “Thank you. I’m sure it will.”
He turned around and picked up the divorce papers from the bench before walking back to stand in front of Niamh.
“These are the divorce papers you gave me before.”
“Did you sign them yet?” Niamh asked, feeling more joyful with every passing second.
She would finally be able to be with Kendrick without hiding.
Niamh thought to herself as a smile graced her lips.
In the next moment, however, she saw Ryan shaking his head. “I didn’t.”
Niamh’s smile dropped slightly. “Is there a condition you’d like to change, Rye?”
“No.” Ryan shook his head and stared heavily at Niamh. “I made a wish just now that I’d be able to be with the woman I love forever and we would never need to part.”
“…”
At Ryan’s words, Niamh felt that something was wrong.
She did not have the opportunity to speak when she saw Ryan taking the lighter and lighting the corner of the divorce papers on fire right in front of her.
Watching the flames eating the papers, Niamh stared at the man in disbelief.
“Ryan?”
“I don’t want to change the status between us,” he replied.
Niamh frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to get a divorce, Eveline.”
“…”
“You’re still Mrs. Jones. This is a fact that will not change,” Ryan emphasized.
Ryan taking his words back shocked Niamh. “Why? Why are you suddenly going back on your words?”
“You’ll understand someday, but that someday isn’t today,” Ryan replied mysteriously to Niamh’s frustration.
She placed the cake on the bench and gave Ryan a confused and disappointed look before turning around.
Ryan turned to look at the car parked not too far away and suddenly pulled Niamh by her wrist into his embrace.
This seemingly elegant gentleman now had his arms domineeringly around Niamh. He leaned down and accurately pressed his lips against Niamh’s.
Niamh began to struggle when she was forcibly pulled into Ryan’s arms. Seeing him lean down to kiss her, she quickly tilted her head to evade it.
“What are you doing, Ryan?! Let go of me!”
Niamh struggled harder against his hold only to have Ryan suddenly reach out and grab the back of Niamh’s head, forcing her to look at him.
His eyes were cold, a radical contrast to the gentle one he displayed before.
“Ryan?” Niamh found herself no longer familiar with the man in front of her.
Ryan merely smiled. “Do you know, Eveline? You’re the best birthday present I could ever have.”
“…”
Niamh heard the deeper meaning behind those words, and a sharp glint flared in her eyes. There was no way she would let him do as he wished.
She was just about to fight back with every ounce of strength within her when a familiar palm grabbed onto her shoulder tightly, pulling her out from Ryan’s hold.
Just as she was pulled into Kendrick’s arms, Niamh caught sight of the man’s icy features. He grabbed Ryan’s collar roughly and sent a heavy punch to the side of his face without a second thought. The man seemed to have been possessed by Satan himself.
“Ryan Jones! I don’t care who you touch, but she’s off-limits!” Kendrick’s tone was bone-chilling and his eyes honed sharply into Ryan like an eagle. It was a new-found brutal edge on Kendrick!
After taking the punch, Ryan looked to the side as he raised a finger to lightly wipe off the blood around the corner of his lips. A nonchalant smile graced his lips.
He stared at an enraged Kendrick. “Kendrick Waldburg, that’s my wife.”
Ryan gave a light reply.
It was one that set off an explosion within Kendrick. He then reached out for Ryan’s collar again.
His bloodthirsty eyes glared harder into the man.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.