Breaking Free, Loving Again -The Flash Marriage with Mr. CEO

Arwen's eyes turned cold the moment she saw Ryan. Her gaze flickered to his hands gripping her arms, and without hesitation, she shrugged them off, stepping away.

The repulsion on her face was unmistakable.

Ryan's expression darkened. His jaws tightened, but he forced himself to remain calm. Silently, he took a step forward and lifted his jacket, attempting to drape it over her shoulders.

Here, wear this," he said. "It's cold outside, and you are shivering."

Arwen took another step back, rejecting his gesture without a second thought. "Even if I am," she said icily, "I don't need your coat to keep myself warm. Thanks, … but no thanks."

With that, she turned to leave.

But before she could even take a single step, Ryan's hand shot out, gripping her arm by force.

A sharp jolt of pain surged through her, but Arwen refused to let it show. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction if that's what he was seeking. She swallowed the discomfort and turned her eyes into glacial daggers.

"Take your hands off me, Ryan," she said, her voice cold and unwavering.

Ryan didn't budge. His grip remained firm, his eyes searching hers as if trying to find something —anything —that proved she still cared.

But she seemed to have concealed it well. He couldn't even catch a flicker of his reflection in her eyes.

"Why?" he asked, his voice low and bitter. "Why are you behaving like this with me? Why are you ignoring me like I don't exist?"

Arwen didn't reply. Her gaze remained emotionless, simply staring at him.

"Arwen, we had something in the past. You can't just deny it all, pretending like you don't know me at all." His teeth clenched, his voice strained with frustration. "Just like you can't pretend to be happy with someone else when you clearly are not."

Ryan had been standing at a distance and watching her all along. He had seen it all —her smile, her flushed cheeks, and the stunned look on her face. But no matter how real those emotions seemed, he refused to believe them.

It had to be a pretension —or else, how could she give such a beautiful smile to someone else?

It must be a lie —or else, how can she get so flushed up by someone else's talks?

It had to be a lie …

Arwen didn't falter a bit. Holding his gaze, she lifted her free hand and pried hjis fingers off her arm, her grip unrelenting.

"First, I never denied the past I once shared," she said, her voice cutting through the night like a blade. "You were the one who did, not me. I just found it too worthless to dwell on."

Ryan stiffened.

"And second," she continued, stepping further away, "you don't hold a position in my life that required me to pretend for you. You are not that important."

Ryan flinched.

In the past, she had never been docile, but she had never been this harsh either. Standing before him, she seemed so different that he couldn't bring himself to recognize her the same.

Has she truly changed that much?

Or was it her anger that had turned her so distant and untouchable?

His fingers twitched at his sides. He wanted to reach out again, to demand answers, to make her look at him the way she once did. But deep down, he knew —maybe, except disappointment, he wouldn't receive anything.

"Is there anything else?" Arwen asked, her tone still frigid. "If not, I wouldn't like you holding me back again. And," she pointed toward his hand. "The next time you try to stop, keep your hands off."

Ryan looked down at his hands and felt them dirty. If not, why else would she be so repulsed by it?

"Arwen, you clearly weren't like this before," he said, staring at his hands. "You always tried to accommodate me. You seemed to —"

"At that time, I had to, given the arrangement we shared." Her tone was calm, but every word cut deep. "I did everything I could. But sometimes, no matter how much effort you put in, things don't work out. Like it didn't work between us. It ended for good. And since it ended for good, why would I still force myself to do something I don't want to?"

Ryan stared up at her in disbelief. "You forced yourself into it?" he asked, his voice cracking slightly. "You never wanted it? Not even for once?"

He had read the words in her diary where she clearly wrote how much she had wanted him …

How can she now say she didn't … that she had forced herself …

Arwen's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"I can be anything but stupid to desire humiliation." Her voice was quiet, but the weight of her words crushed him. "And that's exactly what being you gave me —nothing but disgrace, again and again. So, tell me, Ryan …" she tilted her head slightly, "do you really think I wanted to put myself through that?"

This time, Arwen decided not to throw a fit of anger like last time. Instead, she thought to end it once and for all … with grace.

So, instead of hurrying to leave, she elegantly stayed back to show him the reality. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

Ryan felt his throat tighten. He wanted to argue, to call it a lie. But the ease on her face, the logic behind her words — he couldn't refute any of it.

He exhaled sharply. "You clearly loved me back in the past," he said, grasping at the straws. "And once you love someone, you can't move on that easily."

Arwen frowned, tilting her head slightly as if he had said something absurd.

She … loved Ryan?

Well, she wasn't sure of what she felt for him. How could he be so certain that it was love?

Not knowing what made him so confident, she didn't want to dwell upon that stupid idea itself.

"You don't have to ask me that, Ryan," she said, dismissing it, her voice carrying the air of finality. "You got your answer right there in your words."