THE END OF ME

Chapter 5 Melting ice cream

Elara

I sat there patiently with Ryan, who had driven me here. Seconds melted into minutes, minutes dragged into hours. After five hours of waiting, the sun had started to set, and my hope was wearing thin. My thoughts were so tangled, I couldn’t form a single rational one.

I called Jaycee again. No answer. Same as before.

“Do you think she’s actually coming?” Ryan asked, concern etched in his voice.

“I don’t know, Ryan. I just want my child,” I said, my frustration bubbling up. “And if she’s not coming, she could at least pick up the damn phone and say so.”

“Let’s give it one more hour,” he suggested gently.

I nodded, sighing as I scrolled mindlessly through my phone—until I froze.My eyes widened in disbelief.

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asked quickly.

“’Popular Roland Sway’s Baby Mama Is a Cheat,’” I read aloud, my voice shaky.Ryan burst into laughter.

“Ryan, this is not funny!” I snapped.

“Dude just flipped the script on you,” he chuckled, shaking his head.

“And why the actual f**k is Elina’s photo here with the caption, ‘The child might not be his’? I’ve never posted my daughter on social media! Who the hell did this?!”

My hands trembled as rage surged through me like a volcano on the brink of eruption.

The moment was shattered by the sound of a cough. I looked up—and there she was. Jaycee. Standing all alone.No Alina.

My heart cracked instantly.

“Where’s Lina?” Ryan asked, beating me to it.

“Roland’s home,” she said flatly. “He hasn’t let her out of his sight since morning. I tried—really, I did—but I couldn’t get to her.”

She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing with something sharp—anger, maybe betrayal.

“I could try again tomorrow… if you tell me whether the news is true.”

I blinked, stunned. “What news? That?” I pointed to my phone, still open to the article. “You believed that?”

My hand found my forehead, rubbing it as if that would stop the headache forming. The disbelief in my chest was swelling—rising up like bile. Out of everything, she believed a headline?

“I don’t know!” Jaycee snapped, arms folded. “That’s why you have to tell me everything. I can’t just help you blindly, Lara.”

I sighed, nodding slowly. She was right.

“You’re right. Okay—Cassia is sleeping with Roland.”

I said bluntly, watching her face for a reaction.She blinked, stunned… then scoffed.

“You’re trying to flip this? Cassia told me Roland caught you with him.”

She pointed at Ryan like he was a crime scene.

“That’s not true, Jay!” I cried, my voice cracking. “Cassia broke me into pieces—she’s lying to you.”

She looked at me, eyes conflicted, jaw clenched.

“I don’t even know who to believe anymore.”

“Anyway… I’ll try to help you tomorrow. I’ll text you when to come,” she said, already turning away.

“Jay…” My voice was barely a whisper. “You know I’m not a cheat.”

She paused, not turning back.

“I know. That’s why I said I’ll help you.”

Then she walked away—cold shoulder, hot mess.

“I don’t trust her,” Ryan muttered beside me.

I turned and shot him a look.

“Don’t even say that,” I said quietly. “She’s not Cassia. I do trust Jay. She’s not the kind of person who’d hurt me.”

He snorted. “Funny. You said the exact same thing about Cassia… until now.”

I didn’t respond. Just rolled my eyes and started walking away, letting the ache in my chest speak for itself.

Ryan fell in step behind me, silent this time.

Time waits for no one, they say. And lately, time had been sprinting.

It’d been days—days—since I last heard from Jay. No call. No text. No update about helping me get Lina.I stared at my screen, took a breath, and clicked Submit—my resignation letter sent off. I was ready. Ready to start over. The plan was simple: go to her school, take her, and leave this damn country. No more begging. No more waiting.I was lost in that thought, sitting on the couch, when a gentle tap on my shoulder pulled me back to reality. I turned—and there was Ryan.

“Ice cream,” he said casually, handing me a cup of chocolate—the only flavor that ever fixed anything.

I smiled, taking it from him. “Thanks.”

“So, what’s up? You submitted the letter?” he asked, plopping down beside me.

I nodded, letting the cold sweetness melt on my tongue. “Mmm… this tastes so good,” I sighed.

He smirked and gave my head a light tap. “Stop making that face. It’s just ice cream.”

“What’s wrong with it?”I blinked and He paused, stared at me for a while , then said, deadpan,

“It makes you look ugly.”

He stood and walked off like he hadn’t just insulted me.

“That’s not true!” I yelled after him, half-laughing. I could hear his soft chuckle echo from the hallway.

Ryan’s POV

“What the hell is wrong with me?”

I asked no one—just the empty room and my spiraling thoughts.

Why did she look so… alluring just now?

It was just ice cream. A dumb smile.

But it pulled something in me I didn’t expect.I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake it off.

“Get a grip, Ryan,” I muttered under my breath, turning on my heel and heading for the bathroom.