Chapter 61 Never Wanted To
(*) Lucky Draw
“Sit down,” Ryan said, placing a stack of files on the desk. Then, from a drawer, he pulled out an envelope and handed it to Ginny.
She took it, glanced at him, then opened it.
Inside was a photo.
Her fingers tensed around it the moment her eyes landed on the image. It was Chandler and Melody. They were… kissing.
Ginny barely looked at it before flipping it face–down on the desk. She looked up, calm but guarded. “What are you trying to
do?”
She knew Ryan wouldn’t call her all the way to his office over a single photo. He must have something else up his sleeve.
Sure enough, he spoke after a brief pause. “I know you’re not someone who cares about money. But Ginny, we’re just ordinary people. And ordinary people need certain things to survive.
“You lost your job because of Chandler. That makes it even more important for you to have some of these so–called ‘worldly possessions‘ to hold on to.”
He was blunt, practical–never one to sugarcoat. “So, I want you to use this photo to negotiate your divorce settlement.”
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(+) Lucky Draw
Ginny blinked, taken aback–not just by the fact that he already knew she had resigned, but by the cold suggestion that followed.
He wanted her to use the photo as leverage? To squeeze money or assets out of Chandler?,
But she didn’t even want Chandler anymore. What would be the point of everything else?
She opened her mouth to persuade him otherwise, to tell him not to stoop to this level–but then Ryan suddenly said, “No. You can’t get divorced just yet. If you divorce him now, you’re handing the Wheeler family exactly what they want.
“And once the papers are signed, they’ll rush to marry off Chandler and Melody. If that happens… you’re just clearing the way for them. You’ll be giving them your place—just like that.
“She’s done so many awful things to you. And what? Now you’re just supposed to hand it all over, tie a bow on it? I don’t care what anyone says. That doesn’t sit right with me.”
Watching his anger, hearing the sharp edges in his voice, Ginny felt something shift quietly inside her. Something warm.
She didn’t have any real family. No one to step in and protect her. But she had Ryan.
And somehow… that was enough.
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Lucky Lucky Draw
They weren’t siblings by blood. But to her, he was family–more. real than most.
He would protect her. And she would protect him.
“Ginny,” Ryan snapped. “I’m talking to you. Are you listening?”
She had spaced out. His frustration flared, and he reached over to lightly knock her on the head.
“Pay attention. Don’t space out like that. Five years, Ginny. If Chandler really cared about you, would he have betrayed you?
“I get it. You don’t care about money or whatever the Pierce family wants to give you. But this–this is about pride. We can’t let them get away with this.”
Again and again, Ryan warned her not to rush into the divorce, not to hand everything over so easily.
Ginny nodded along. On the surface, she agreed. But deep down, she knew—if Chandler said the word, she’d go straight to the courthouse with him and sign the divorce papers without
hesitation.
She had her skills, her medical training. Even if the public hospitals shut their doors on her, she had every confidence that private ones would take her. And they paid.better anyway.
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Other people’s things were just that–other people’s.
What was hers would always be hers.
Lucky Draw
She hadn’t depended on anyone before. She wasn’t about to start
now.
Ryan watched her closely, picking up on something. “You don’t look right. Something on your mind?”
“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Probably just didn’t sleep well last night. You should get back to work. I’ll head out now.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond. She just turned and left.
By the time he remembered to ask her to stay at his place, she was already gone.
So he called her.
But before he could say much, she was already brushing it off. “Didn’t you used to say it was your dream to have your own space? You finally have it. Don’t let someone come in and mess it up.”
“You’re not just someone,” he said, dead serious. “Ginny, I mean it. You’ll never be ‘someone else‘ to me.”
She softened. “And you’ll always be the person closest to me. We’re not real siblings, but it feels like we are. Maybe even
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closer.”
At first, her words made him happy. But as she kept talking–as she called him the brother she never had–his face fell.
After they hung up, Ryan stood by the skylight, staring at the rush of cars below. The secret that lived inside him surged up with such force it almost choked him.
Ginny, I never wanted to be your brother.
I never did.
What I wanted to be…
“Mr. Winchester, your guest is here,” the secretary called from the door.
*****
Meanwhile, Ginny left the building and headed back to her hotel by cab.
She had already packed earlier. All that was left was to change the sheets and rest.
But it was still too early to sleep.
She opened the window, and the view caught her off guard–the sunset was beautiful. Quiet, orange light spilling over the
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skyline. She dragged a stool over and sat by the window.
Lucky Draw
As she stared at the sky, Kevin’s voice kept echoing in her mind.
Melody had three older brothers. No matter what she did, someone would always be there to shield her.
But she–she was an orphan. Even if she did nothing wrong, no one would step up for her.
No one would believe her.
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