CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72 THIS TIME, I’D GET IT RIGHT.

Ryan’s POV

I watched the city lights blur past my window as Simon drove us away from the airport. The heavy silence in the car felt suffocating.

All I could think about was Serena’s retreating figure as she walked away from me without a backward glance. Her silent treatment during the entire flight home had been excruciating.

Sophie sat beside me, close enough that I could smell her familiar perfume—the same one she’d worn years ago.

It should have triggered something in me, some echo of the feelings I once had. Instead, it just made me more aware of how much I missed Serena’s scent.

"Ryan, is Serena misunderstanding our relationship?" Sophie’s voice was soft, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I turned to face her, noticing how she’d positioned herself to catch the light in the most flattering way possible. A skill she’d always had.

"Sophie, don’t worry about it. Serena’s pregnant—her emotions are more sensitive right now."

The words sounded hollow even to my own ears.

This wasn’t just pregnancy hormones. I’d hurt Serena deeply, and I knew it. The memory of her face when she first saw Sophie clinging to me on the beach made my chest tighten.

Sophie sighed delicately. "I’m so sorry, Ryan. I’ve only just returned and already I’m causing problems for you."

"I’ve arranged accommodations for you," I said, checking my phone to avoid her gaze. "As for work, you can start at the Blackwood subsidiary in Chicago."

I needed distance between us. Between her and Serena. Between her and me.

Sophie’s smile flickered for just a moment—so briefly I almost missed it—before she composed herself.

"Ryan, I’d rather stay in New York. This city holds so many memories for me, and I’m afraid I’d feel completely out of place somewhere new after everything I’ve been through."

I hesitated, torn between my desire to keep her at arm’s length and not wanting to appear cruel. "Fine. You can stay in New York."

Before she could celebrate this small victory, I signaled to Simon to pull over. We’d reached the hotel I’d arranged for her.

"Sophie, this is your stop.The room has already been prepared for you,you can just go and settle in. I need to go."

I needed to find Serena. Every second away from her felt like wasted time.

Sophie froze, her eyes wide and glistening. "You...you’re leaving me here?" Her voice trembled, almost fragile. "After everything...after coming all this way...am I just...nothing to you?"

Before I could respond, she collapsed into my arms, her body clinging as though I were the only anchor in her world. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, her sobs muffled against my chest.

"Ryan...I’ve only had you," she whispered, her lips brushing my collarbone. "All these years...I’ve waited. I thought...I’d never see you again. I can’t...I can’t go back to being alone."

Her arms wrapped around my neck, squeezing tight as if she could fuse herself to me. I tried to pull back, but she only clung harder, her forehead resting against mine.

"We lost so many years," she continued, her voice breaking in perfect rhythm with her tears. "I just...I just want to be near you. I promise I won’t get in the way. I won’t make Serena uncomfortable, I swear."

Her gaze lifted, wide, pleading, almost unbearably vulnerable. "Please...let me stay. Let me be close to you...even as your secretary. Just...let me be near you."

For a heartbeat, I felt my resolve waver. The raw desperation, the way she made herself so small, so needy...it tugged at something I thought I’d locked away.

But then Serena’s face filled my mind.

How would she feel if she knew Sophie was making this request? How much more would it hurt her if I agreed?

The moment of weakness vanished, replaced by a cold clarity.

"No."

I pulled her arms away from me firmly, no longer concerned about appearing gentle. Something had shifted in me, and the ice in my voice seemed to shock even Sophie.

"You need to get out of the car now. If you need financial assistance or anything practical, I’ll help. But that’s all."

"Ryan," she whispered desperately, "have you forgotten everything we once shared?"

Looking at her, I felt nothing but certainty. The woman I once thought I couldn’t live without now seemed like a stranger—or worse, someone I no longer wanted to know.

"That was the past, Sophie. My heart belongs to Serena now."

The words came easily because they were true. Perhaps they had always been true, even when I was too blind to see it.

"We can only be friends. Nothing more."

Sophie’s face hardened for just an instant before she caught herself.

"I understand," she said finally, her voice small. "I just... I thought you still cared."

"I do care," I replied honestly. "Enough to be clear about where we stand."

After Sophie finally left the car, I leaned back against the seat, exhaustion washing over me. Simon glanced at me in the rearview mirror.

"Where to now, sir?"

I didn’t hesitate. "Dreamland Studio."

If Serena wouldn’t answer my calls, I’d go to her. I needed to fix this before the distance between us grew any wider.

"Sir," Simon began cautiously, "perhaps it might be better to give Ms. Quinn some space right now?"

"Space is the last thing we need," I said firmly. "Every second I’m not explaining the situation is another second she’s misunderstanding what happened."

Simon nodded, though I could tell he wasn’t convinced. "As you wish, sir."

As we drove through the city toward Dreamland Studio, I rehearsed what I would say to Serena. How could I explain that seeing Sophie again had only confirmed what I already knew? That she—Serena—was the only woman I wanted in my life?

That watching her walk away at the airport had felt like someone was ripping my heart from my chest?

I pulled out my phone and tried calling her again. Straight to voicemail.

"Serena," I said after the beep, "I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. But please, give me a chance to explain. Sophie means nothing to me—not anymore. You’re everything. You and our baby."

I hung up, knowing my words probably sounded hollow to her right now. Words were cheap. I needed to prove myself through actions.

As we approached the studio, I straightened my tie and took a deep breath. I would fight for Serena with everything I had. I wouldn’t lose her again—not to Sophie, not to misunderstandings, not to my own stupidity.

This time, I’d get it right.