“Ryan, how can you say that about Sophia? She’s just a young woman,” Emily said softly, breaking the tense silence.
Ryan clicked his tongue.
“Sophia, a young woman? Please. She’s tougher than all of us men here. Don’t worry, Emily, I’ve known her for years. I know her better than anyone.”
“Right, Sophia?”
He pinched my thigh in a hidden corner, signaling me to play along.
Disgust churned in me. I shoved his hand away.
“Ryan, are you joking? Seven years ago you were dumped like a dog. Now she’s back and you’re already groveling again?”
“So quick to forget how desperate you once were. If anyone has strong mental endurance, it’s you.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
Ryan’s face darkened like charcoal, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fist. Then he suddenly smashed a bottle on the floor.
“Sophia!”
I glared back without flinching.
Friends quickly tried to defuse the situation, suggesting a game of truth or dare.
But it felt more like Ryan’s way of retaliating against me.
If he drew a romantic dare, he’d always choose Emily.
If it was truth, the subject was always me.