Chapter 97: The Outsider

…..

Feeling somewhat of a familiarity with the woman in front of her, Soo Min raises her eyebrows.

If she's not mistaken, its the same woman who was trapped in the totaled car at the quake zone. The one she rescued.

Soo Min's gaze shifts sideways, watching Ryan's expression with a quizzical glance.

"Do you know her?" She asks.

"No." Ryan doesn't look at her, his voice casual.

He seems different - no - not just different but shocked.

She walks toward us, almost limping. She touches Ryan's arm as she speaks, "I can't believe it. All these years…" Unspoken words gleam in her glassy eyes.

Soo Min stares between Ryan and the blond woman.

"Don't you dare touch me." Ryan's cold, harsh words stab her deeply as he shoved her to the side.

The woman winces as she clutches her arm in pain, from the impact of the fall. Her body slumps back at the wall.

Soo Min widened her eyes as she quickly rushes to the woman's side.

"Miss, are you alright?" She quickly scans her body for any reopened stitches or signs of blood.

When she comes to the conclusion that there aren't any, Soo Min releases a breath of relief. The condition this woman was in at the scene was already life threatening and her being here, being able to walk in this moment right now was a miracle on its own. Any more harm and she could practically be comatose.

Not to mention, Soo Min didnt sacrifice her shoulder for nothing. A surge of anger brews inside of her at her fiancé's inexplicable actions.

It takes all her self restraint to not go and punch him in the face in that one moment. While she was more than ready to, she knew that the situation was much more complicated.

That the woman he just brushed off as a mere stranger was, no stranger. Because if anything, Ryan never wears his emotions on his face, especially not for some passerby. And certainly does not act in a fit of rage.

His nonchalance and calmness are the only two things he projects to the outside world. Except for Soo Min, because she was never an outsider to him. She was always his home, his family, his world. His.

But in this moment why does she feel like she was the outsider. The third person coming between whatever these two had.

Soo Min lends a hand to the blond woman who looks up at her with unshed tears brewing in her eyes. She brings her trembling fingers towards the palm placed in front of her.

Before she could reach for her hand, a strong arm grabs Soo Min's hand and pulls her away.

Soo Min startles when Ryan grabs her by the waist, and glues her to his side.

His eyes flash with menace more terrifying than she's ever witnessed before. His jaw clenched when he speaks in a low tone, "Keep your filthy hands away from my fiancé."

Her spine snaps upright at the change in his demeanor. This is the first time the calm façade has cracked and she has actually seen him this angry, this callous, and without any semblance of light in his blue eyes.

Even though his rage is not being directed at her, the chills that it sends her way can't be ignored.

"Y—Your fiancé?" The blond repeats the words as if she's having a hard time believing him.

Seeing her reaction, Soo Min's lips form a thin line. Something about this woman keeps bugging her, not knowing why. Something about this whole charade keeps bugging her.

Just who is she? More importantly, who is she to him?

The question must be written all over her face because just as Ryan wraps an arm around her shoulder as if shielding her from something, the woman lets out a humorless laugh.

"So your the woman who's taken my place." She speaks with bitterness evident in her tone.

Soo Min frowns at her words. What does she mean I took her place? There was no placeholder from the beginning, right?

Doubts crawl into the depths of her heart. Now that she thought about it, Soo Min realizes that she doesn't know much about Ryan's past at all. His life before his brother and father's deaths. None of it.

So if she's not wrong, then the only possibility is…

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ryan's first love, Anastasia Sokolov."