Chapter 6
tella blinked, realizing Ryan had actually heard what the manager said at the party.
But she was confused as hell.
f he’d heard it, why act like he didn’t? And why corner her about it now?
o avoid more drama, she decided to lie.
Nah, I was just making up an excuse to quit.”
yan looked like he wanted to say more, but then Ivy’s voice drifted from the bedroom.
Ryan, babe? Everything okay out there?”
Yeah, all good.” His voice instantly went all soft and gentle like he was a completely different person.
Vithout another word, he headed back to the room.
tella let out a bitter laugh.
–
yan used to pick up on every little thing when it came to her. He was crazy observant.
¡ut now? The second Ivy needed anything, she had his full attention. Nobody else existed.
hat’s just who he was.
le used to be that way with her too.
tight before going back inside, Ryan gave her this long, weird look. Then he shut the door.
Maybe she was imagining things, but for a split second, he almost looked… panicked? Like he didn’t know
what to do.
The next day, Stella met up with her best friend Emma for coffee.
Emma asked about everything how she was doing, what was up with Ryan.
After Stella filled her in, Emma’s face went weird.
“Stella, I keep thinking… what if Ryan isn’t actually suffering from memory loss?”
“What do you mean?”
20.8
Chapter 6
Emma thought for a second: “He texted Jake last week. When Jake brought up that camping trip we all took last summer? Ryan’s responses sounded way too normal for someone who supposedly forgot everything.”
Jake was Emma’s boyfriend, and the four of them used to hang out all the time back in the day.
Out of nowhere, Stella remembered that weird look Ryan gave her last night.
For a hot second, she actually wondered if Ryan’s memory was totally fine.
But she shook that thought off fast.
Because if Ryan remembered everything, there was no way in hell he’d treat her like this. He just wouldn’t.
And besides, what would he even get out of faking amnesia?
Walking downtown, Stella spotted two homeless people sitting against a building.
They looked rough, clutching some old, yellowed photos like their lives depended on it.
Stella glanced over and her heart stopped.
Even though the photos were beat up and curling at the edges, she instantly recognized the little girl in
them. It was Ivy as a kid.
She’d seen Ivy’s childhood photos all over the Reed house.
Her mind started racing as she walked over to them.
Turns out, they’d been searching for their lost daughter for years, begging their way across the country until they finally made it to the city.
Everything clicked for Stella.
But she didn’t tell them she knew Ivy. Instead, she got their contact info and said she’d reach out if she found anything.
Emma asked why she’d want to help Ivy find her real parents.
Stella just smiled. “You never know when something like that might come in handy.”
12:00
The Last Text I Sent My Ex: “Rot in That Wheelchair, I’m Off to Marry a Better Man”
