I'm Over You, My Billionaire Ex

Chapter 6 Ryan Gave Me a Checkup

Olivia's face turned pale instantly.

I stared at her coldly. "Olivia, the truth is out. Are you still going to deny it?"

"I... I..." Olivia stammered, unable to find her words.

Amanda stood up, walking firmly to my side. She pointed at Olivia and said, "I'm so sorry, Alice. I can't believe I was fooled by her... I never imagined she would do something like this..."

Her eyes locked on Olivia, her voice icy. "What you did was illegal. I'm calling the police right now."

Olivia crumbled to the ground, her body trembling. She kept muttering, "It was just a few diet pills... I didn't mean to hurt anyone... I was wrong..."

The police arrived and took Olivia away. Amanda also went to the station to help with the investigation.

As soon as they left, Ryan pulled up to my cottage on his motorcycle.

"Hey, Alice," he said with a smile. "I'm here for your checkup today... Wait, what happened? You look a little pale."

He noticed my pale complexion. I shook my head, not wanting to talk for the moment.

"Why don't you lie down? Let me take a look." Ryan suggested, his blue eyes filled with concern. "You know, I'm just a clinic doctor, but I can handle a simple checkup."

I slowly laid down, and Ryan sat on my bed, gently lifting the hem of my shirt. I was wearing a plain white T-shirt and a denim skirt, and my smooth belly was exposed as he moved my shirt. As he moved, my neckline parted slightly, revealing a hint of a seductive cleavage.

"Have you been feeling any stomach pains?" Ryan asked softly as he examined me, his voice warm and soothing.

"Mmm..." I sighed in response to his touch. The warmth of his fingers seemed to ease the discomfort in my stomach, and I couldn't help but let out a contented moan, answering his question in the process.

His hands continued to move carefully around my belly, but when his fingers brushed against the underside of my chest, my body tensed instinctively.

He paused for a moment and then quickly moved his hand away.

I chuckled lightly. "Ryan, is something wrong?"

His brow furrowed slightly. "There's a hard lump in your stomach. I'm worried it could be a tumor. You should go to the hospital and get a thorough checkup."

My heart skipped a beat. 'A tumor? Could it be... Could my stomach cancer be coming back?'

A few years ago, I had stomach cancer and had to have a third of my stomach removed. It could return at any time, a reality I'd been avoiding and the reason I lost custody of my child. I didn't want to explain all of this to Ryan, so I just nodded and agreed absentmindedly.

After Ryan left, I tried to shake off the worry about cancer. I had bigger problems, like barely making ends meet. I turned my attention back to my vegetable-growing project, though I had no idea a much bigger problem was sneaking up on me.

The next morning, I walked outside to find a group of villagers gathered near my cottage, their eyes filled with suspicion.

"Hey, Alice!" A middle-aged woman shouted. "We know you've been adding something weird to your vegetables!"

"That's impossible!" I protested. "My vegetables are completely natural. I'd never add any chemicals!"

But no one believed me. The villagers started pointing fingers at me, and some even threw rocks at my garden. Watching the vegetables I worked so hard to grow get destroyed tore at my heart.

Things only got worse from there. I found traps set around my house, and I nearly tripped over one.

Even Amanda was getting ostracized because of her connection to me, forcing me to distance myself from her.

To top it all off, my magic seashell necklace stopped producing its mysterious liquid for reasons I couldn't understand.

I tried every method to get the big shell to produce more liquid. I sunbathed it, watered it, and even sang to the shell necklace, but nothing worked.

One day, after summoning the courage to help Amanda trim her lawn, I returned home and was stunned to find a single drop of liquid inside the shell. At first, I thought I was imagining things, but after rubbing my eyes, I realized I wasn't mistaken.

That was when it hit me. 'Helping others seems to trigger the shell's magic.' To test my theory, I started offering help to the townspeople, even though they still treated me with cold disdain.

Little by little, the shell's liquid began to increase. I used it to water my vegetables, and they grew even more vibrant and fragrant than before. Though I couldn't sell them, they kept me fed while I looked for work online.

One day, a little girl snuck into my garden and picked a tomato. She took a bite, and her eyes widened in amazement. "This is so good!"

Before I could say anything, her mother stormed over, yanking her away. "If anything happens to my daughter, you'll be hearing from my lawyer!"

Not long after, Ryan informed me that he had checked the girl and found nothing wrong. In fact, her chronic sinusitis had nearly healed. He had thought she needed surgery!

Ryan marveled at the miracle, but I wondered. 'Could it be my vegetables that healed her?'

That night, I kept hearing faint rustling sounds outside my cottage.

The next morning, when I saw the yard was completely empty, I nearly fainted!

Though all my vegetables had been picked, something unusual was left behind in the garden...

As I approached, I couldn't believe my eyes. 'Wow, dollars!' Finally, I had some income, though I couldn't help but think how strange it all was.