Just a little more… what a shame…

Mia's situation, while complicated, wasn't entirely impossible to figure out—after all, she still had people around her who genuinely cared about her.

The problem was, with her stubborn personality, there was no way she'd come clean about her condition on her own. That made things tricky.

Ryan didn't have a clear idea of how bad things had gotten, so he had no clue how much time he had left to make things right.

If there were still six months, maybe he could slowly chip away at it and eventually get through to her. But what if there was only a week? That would be a lost cause.

"Ryan, what are you thinking about? Let's eat first."

Mia's small hand waved gently, almost like a fan, wafting the aroma of the food toward Ryan, trying to stir up his appetite.

It was a clever move. Ryan had skipped breakfast because he'd woken up late, and now, with Mia's little gesture, he realized just how empty his stomach was.