MY EX RETURED AS A BILLIONAIRE

Chapter five

Chapter Five — The Life Before You

Sophie’s POV

I woke up on Saturday with Ryan on my mind.

Again.

I stared at the ceiling for several seconds, hoping the thoughts would disappear if I refused to acknowledge them.

They didn't.

His face came back to me.

The sound of his laugh.

The way he used to look at me whenever I was talking too much.

And those eyes.

Those same eyes I had seen yesterday after three years of believing I would never have to see them again.

I sighed and sat up.

"He's just Ryan," I whispered to myself.

But even saying his name made something inside me ache.

Before I could think about it any longer, I heard the doorbell.

I frowned.

I wasn't expecting anyone.

When I opened the door, Daniel stood there with two paper bags in his hands.

"Good morning," he said with a smile.

I blinked. "Daniel?"

"Who else would it be?"

He lifted the bags.

"I brought breakfast."

I couldn't help smiling.

"You didn't have to."

"I know."

He walked past me and placed the bags on the table.

"I wanted to."

That was Daniel.

He was thoughtful in ways that sometimes made me feel guilty for not appreciating him enough.

While we ate, he told me he had planned a little outing for us.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Daniel."

He laughed.

"Trust me."

A few hours later, we arrived at a small park on the quieter side of the city.

It was beautiful.

There were trees everywhere, children running around, couples sitting on benches, and a small café tucked away near the entrance.

Daniel looked pleased with himself.

"I thought we could spend the day here."

I smiled.

"I like it."

We walked slowly along the path.

For a while, everything felt normal.

Just me and Daniel.

No work.

No wedding stress.

No Ryan.

At least, that's what I wanted.

Daniel suddenly took my hand.

"I've been thinking about the wedding."

I looked at him.

"Already?"

He laughed.

"Of course already. We're getting married, Sophie."

The excitement in his voice made me smile.

"What have you been thinking about?"

"Everything."

He started counting on his fingers.

"Our home. Where we'll live. How many children we'll have."

I laughed.

"You're already planning the children?"

"Why not?"

"Daniel!"

He laughed again.

Then his expression softened.

"But seriously, Sophie. What do you want?"

I looked at him.

"What do I want?"

"Yes."

He squeezed my hand.

"Forget what everyone expects from us. Forget the wedding for a second. What do you actually want your future to look like?"

I opened my mouth.

Then stopped.

I wanted to say something.

Anything.

But instead, another face appeared in my mind.

Ryan.

Three years ago.

This exact park.

That was when I remembered.

---

Three Years Ago

"Sophie, slow down!"

I turned around, laughing.

"Then catch me!"

Ryan shook his head as he hurried after me.

"You know you're impossible, right?"

"And yet you keep following me."

"Unfortunately."

I gasped dramatically.

"Unfortunately?"

He smiled.

"Fine. Very fortunately."

I laughed and dropped onto a bench.

Ryan sat beside me, still catching his breath.

"You run too much."

"You talk too much."

"That's not possible."

"It is."

He looked at me for a moment.

Then his smile faded into something softer.

"Do you ever think about the future?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you suddenly serious?"

"Just answer."

I looked ahead.

"Sometimes."

"What do you want?"

I shrugged.

"I don't know. A good life, I guess."

"That's it?"

"And someone who won't get tired of me."

He turned toward me.

"I could never get tired of you."

I smiled.

"You say that now."

"I'll say it forever."

I laughed quietly.

"Forever is a long time."

"I know."

He reached for my hand.

"Then I'll spend it proving it."

My heart felt strangely full.

"What if things change?"

"They won't."

"You can't promise that."

Ryan looked directly into my eyes.

"I can promise one thing."

"What?"

"I'll always choose you."

I smiled.

"You better."

He squeezed my hand.

"I will."

For a moment, the future felt simple.

It was just Ryan and me.

And forever didn't seem impossible.

---

"Hey."

Daniel's voice pulled me back.

I blinked.

We were still sitting in the park.

The same park.

But everything was different now.

Three years had passed.

Ryan was gone.

And I was sitting beside another man who was talking about our future.

Daniel studied my face.

"You okay?"

I quickly nodded.

"Yeah."

"You look sad."

"I'm just tired."

He didn't look convinced.

But he didn't push.

Instead, he gently squeezed my hand.

"If something is bothering you, you can tell me."

I looked at him.

For a second, I almost did.

I almost told him that the reason I couldn't answer his question was because someone from my past had suddenly returned.

Someone I had once believed would be my future.

But I couldn't.

Not yet.

So I smiled.

"There's nothing wrong."

Daniel smiled back.

"Okay."

He kissed my forehead.

And somehow, that made me feel even worse.

---

That evening, after Daniel dropped me home, I changed into comfortable clothes and sat on my bed.

The apartment was quiet.

Too quiet.

My eyes wandered toward the small wooden box underneath my bed.

I stared at it.

I knew exactly what was inside.

I hadn't opened it in years.

Still, something made me reach for it.

I pulled it out and slowly lifted the lid.

There were old things inside.

A bracelet.

A movie ticket.

A folded note.

And then I saw it.

The photograph.

Ryan and me.

We were younger.

Happier.

His arm was around my shoulders while I smiled at the camera.

I picked it up.

My fingers brushed over his face.

And suddenly, everything I had tried so hard to bury came rushing back.

The laughter.

The promises.

The plans.

The way he had once looked at me like I was the only person in the world.

I closed my eyes.

Three years.

Three years of telling myself I was over him.

Three years of building a new life.

Three years of learning to smile without him.

But seeing Ryan again had changed something.

I didn't want it to.

I didn't ask for it.

But it had.

I held the photograph against my chest.

And for the first time, I allowed myself to admit the truth.

I still had feelings for him.

Maybe they had never completely disappeared.

I placed the photograph back in the box and closed the lid.

But the memories didn't disappear with it.

For three years, I had convinced myself that I had moved on.

Maybe I had only learned how to live without him.

And now that Ryan was back...

I wasn't sure I knew how to do that anymore.