After all this time, I finally realized that Evan actually didn't dare to act much towards me if River was around. Starting from the incident in front of my apartment that night where Evan immediately gave up when he was threatened by River; then at Sharon's house for the first time, he just bluffed like a child, and even remained silent when I was openly being intimate with River.After that, I almost never saw Evan again until last night at the art exhibition. And all the nonsense he said, it all happened when River wasn't around. He even secretly came to my room to talk, knowing that River wasn't with me.River may be right. Although Evan openly harbors hatred for him, Evan is not actually that brave to go all out against him.However, things were quite different at lunchtime."Evan, honey, are you getting along with Mia?" Sharon asked sotfly.Evan swallowed his food before answering, "Yeah, something like that, remembering we actually knew each other before."I glared, stopping ch

(I'll pick you up after work. See you soon!)A stupid smile was etched on my face when I read River's message. We hadn't seen each other for 24 hours, but I felt like my chest was going to explode. Sounds stupid and pathetic, right?I only replied with an emoji, even though I wanted to type a reply that clearly showed that I was very happy, but I held back."Did you meet someone lately?" Emma suddenly stood near my stool. She was sipping juice while rubbing her growing belly.“What?” I asked, confused."You seem happier these days." She then leaned her face even though it looked a little difficult, observing my face while frowning, which instantly made me feel mischievous. "Your skin is smoother and glowing too!""Huh?" I touched my face with the back of my hand, looking confused at him.She stood up straight again, giving me a meaningful smile. "I'm happy if you're happy." She then walked away with a hum, leaving me still gawking.I watched Emma walk away, her words echoing in my min

The next morning, I woke up in his arm, still tangled up in the sheets. For a brief moment, I mentally replayed the previous night's events, feeling the heat of his body against mine.I looked at his face which still looked peaceful, his breathing very smooth and regular. His words from last night are spinning in my head.**"You were the one who found my heart for the first time after more than two decades."I didn't know what else to do after hearing his answer. I honestly didn't prepare anything. I wasn't prepared enough for all the answers. Was I supposed to feel proud and special? Of course! After twenty-plus years, I was River's first woman. I should feel happy, feel proud to have him and have my ego boosted. But why was my heart even more constricted? Why do I wish River had played with more women before getting into a relationship with me? What kind of stupid thoughts are these?“Is there something bothering you in your mind?" he asked, noticing the long silence.“Does that me

"Mia," called Cody who was already wearing a brown knit beanie. The lights on the outskirts of the snow ski area revealed his reddened nose. The cross earring in his left ear was almost frozen. "People say the road to Manhattan will be covered in snow tonight. It looks like we'll have to spend the night here. Do you mind?" I tightened my thick coat. "How bad is it?" I asked. Staying here with Cody wasn't really a problem for me. However, River probably wouldn't be too happy with that idea. Even when I told him that I was going to be late, he called me right away. "It's not that bad, but I don't think the roads will be safe for us to drive to Manhattan tonight. Besides, we'll miss out on some great shots if we leave now.” With a heavy heart, I finally nodded in agreement. I'll handle River later. "Look for an inn around here." I took the company credit card that Rory had given me from my wallet and handed it to Cody. “I'll stay here to take some pictures.” “Ok, cool!” Cody said with

River's eyes widened at my words, and for a moment, then a quiet chuckle escaped River's lips until he finally burst out laughing loudly.“Shut up,” I said as I punched his arm and then couldn't help but join him in the laughter, feeling a sense of relief wash over me."Well, I'm glad we cleared that up." River wiped the tears from his eyes.There was a knock on the door and River got out of bed. She walked to the door with a short, lingering giggle. A woman appeared when the door opened. They made small talk until River turned and closed the door with his foot while carrying a tray with two mugs that seemed to be steaming."Hot cocoa to raise your body temperature," River said while handing me a mug.I said thank you when I received it, feeling the heat in my palm which instantly made me more comfortable. "So, now that that's settled, can we talk about why you're here, in the middle of this snowstorm?" I asked when he rejoined me on the bed. One sip of the drink made me close my eyes