Melissa replied calmly. “This is between us. None of your business."

She rose to leave but Ryan's voice stopped her in her tracks. “If I swapped places with Marcus, would you still love him? You wouldn't, right?"

Melissa hesitated.

Then she answered. "The truth is, I never loved you."

Ryan's face paled, his body seemingly crumbling. He didn't know why he'd done this. Even if he could play dumb, he'd still angered Marcus. He had no clue what repercussions awaited him.

Perhaps he wasn't ready to let go just yet.

He envied Marcus’ seemingly perfect life. Ryan wondered, if he had it all, would Melissa choose him instead?

Melissa slid into her car.

After a moment of silence, her phone buzzed. It was Marcus calling.

"You had coffee with Ryan?"

"Yeah. I see you've still got your guys tailing me. No one likes being watched, Marcus."

There was a pause before Marcus asked, “What did he say?"

Thinking for a beat, Melissa replied, "Let's head to the apartment.

I'm craving your lamb chops."

Marcus, ever perceptive, sensed the underlying tension. "Are you mad?"

"Why would you think that?" Melissa countered.

Silence lingered on the line.

Eventually, Marcus spoke softly. “Let's talk later, alright? Take it easy on the road."

Melissa agreed and ended the call.

She realized her calmness wasn't from lack of anger but rather her growing feelings for Marcus overriding her logic.