Ryleigh retracted her hand subconsciously. “Joe, but I’ve always only regarded you as my best friend.
I’ve never thought about-”
Joe grabbed her by the shoulders, and his action made Ryleigh feel even more unfamiliar. “Joe, you-”
“Ryleigh, you once said that you wouldn’t marry Louis, and it’s just an arranged marriage…” Joe stroked
her slightly cold cheek with his palm. “But the way you treated him when you were in the hospital made
me realize that I might lose you very soon.”
Ryleigh moved Joe’s hand away, and her expression became slightly more serious.“ Joe, you’re the one
who sent those photos to me, aren’t you?”
He did not deny it, nor did he admit it.” What would you do if it’s indeed me?”
Ryleigh’s shoulders trembled, and her lips moved slightly. “Why would you do this? I believed in you,
Joe. I didn’t believe it even when Zee told me that it was you, and I thought that she was mistaken.”
Joe tightened his grasp on her shoulder and bent over to get closer to her. “Because I want you to leave
him.”
Ryleigh’s body froze slightly as she stared at Joe’s possessive gaze in shock while he held her cheek. “I
thought about giving you my blessings, but I realized that I couldn’t do so. I’m sorry, Ryleigh, please
forgive me for being selfish.”
He wanted to kiss her, but Ryleigh pushed him away abruptly. “Joe, but I can’t do that!”
Joe was astonished. Still, he stepped forward and clutched her shoulder even harder. “Have you fallen in
love with him?”
“I… I…” Ryleigh was astonished by this question.
‘Have I fallen in love with Louis?’
Thinking of the various arguments that she had had with Louis in the past, although they were all
infuriating, she really did not hate it.
Just when she was a little distracted, a lip pressed down against hers forcefully, stealing her breath at
once.
Ryleigh’s expression changed in shock, and she resisted even more intensely. She started pushing
harder and harder, but he came at her even more fiercely too.
A sharp slap slashed through the air and pierced into the sky.
A mark appeared on Joe’s cheek, while Ryleigh’s face looked pale as she shuddered from head to toe.
She did not even take a glance at Joe and ran away. Joe turned around. “Ryleigh!”
Ryleigh ignored him, raised her hand to wipe her tears, and continued to run forward. Her car was
parked across the road, so she just stepped out off the sidewalk without noticing the red light.
Joe’s expression changed in an instant when he saw something, and he yelled,” Ryleigh Hill!”
Ryleigh turned her head, and what caught her eye was a truck that was charging toward her. The horn
and brakes sounded at the same time, overwhelming the whole section of the road.
Ryleigh was pushed away abruptly before she knew what was going on, and she fell to the ground
immediately. The truck was forced to stop in the middle of the road, and the nearby vehicles honked as
they had to slow down.
A few passersby ran over and asked her if she was alright, but her ears were buzzing, and she could not
hear a thing that they were saying.
However, when she slowly turned her head around and looked over, Joe had already been swept under
the truck.
She was shocked, and her pupils dilated gradually as beads of tears rolled down her cheeks.
In the evening, at the Blue Bay villa…
Nolan was watching a drama with Maisie on the couch when her cell phone rang all of a sudden, and the
smile on her face stiffened instantly after picking up the call.
Maisie sat up abruptly, and Nolan put down the remote control. “What’s wrong?”
She rushed upstairs. “I need to get changed and go to the hospital.”
Nolan chose to accompany her to the hospital in the end. The two arrived at the hospital and saw
Ryleigh sitting in the corridor with a wound or two. She seemed to be at a loss and looked bewildered.
“Ryleigh!” Maisie dashed toward her, and Louis, Helios, and Barbara just happened to come out of the
elevator at this time.
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