Those were the exact words Ryan had been expecting. Still, something about the steady calm in Kailey's eyes made emotion rise sharply in his chest, catching him off guard.
Ryan turned his head away. "Go rest. And stop causing trouble all the time."
Kailey stared after him, a mix of disbelief and amusement twisting inside her.
She had only attended a friend's celebration without telling him, and she had laughed when Olivia was complaining, yet somehow that alone was enough for him to label her causing trouble.
In the past, no matter how bold and reckless she appeared to others, she was always compliant and agreeable before him. If he told her to do something, she did it. If he wanted her to avoid someone, she obeyed without question. She never argued.
But that version of her was gone. From now on, she would live as herself.
After that tense ending, Kailey did not see Ryan again for several days. She stayed busy instead. Graduation had everyone preparing for their new jobs, and she spent time having farewell dinners with classmates before finally starting to pack her belongings.
After living in this house for so long, she had accumulated too much. Moving everything would be impossible. She decided she would keep only what she truly needed and donate the rest.
Soon enough, Olivia would probably move in, and the couple would not want any traces of her left in the house.
Kailey gathered boxes first, then spread her clothes across the bed before folding them carefully into her suitcase.
Soft music played in the background, and to her surprise, she felt lighter than she had in weeks.
She was almost finished when a familiar voice broke through the doorway. "Why are you packing?"
Kailey's hands paused, her good mood faltering slightly. After a moment, she answered, "I'm about to start work, so I wanted to visit Dad, Mom and Grandma while I still can."
Even though Kailey grew up beside Ryan, his brother and sister-in-law—Sawyer Owen and Aleena Owen—were the ones who had legally adopted her. They had treated her with warmth and care like true family.
This trip to Aslesall might not be temporary. She did not even know if she would come back. If she was leaving, then she owed them a proper goodbye.
Ryan had panicked for a brief moment earlier, but once he heard her reason, the tension in him eased. "So when are you leaving? I can drive you there."
The Owen family's roots were not actually in Jucridge. Their beginnings traced back to the nearby city of Douxledo.
Kailey gave a small shake of her head. "That's not necessary. I can manage on my own."
Ryan did not respond right away.
She lifted her eyes and caught the faint confusion in his gaze.
Of course, she understood it well. He was never used to her refusing him, because she almost never did.
After a brief pause, she added, "You should keep Olivia company. I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle a trip by myself."
The moment Olivia's name came up, Ryan's expression shifted sharply. His voice turned cold. "Olivia just came back. Naturally, I need to be there while she gets settled. Fine, go alone then, but do not say anything unnecessary to your parents. Kailey, you know me. Do not try any pointless tricks."
Kailey watched him walk away, his indifference carved into every step. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she lowered her gaze. Did he truly think she was going back just to complain? Thankfully, she had moved on. If it were in the past, those words would have cut deeply.
Kailey inhaled, steadied herself, and finished packing what was left.
When she finally sat down, Kyson sent a message asking how things were going.
Kailey responded, "Still sorting out a few things. I'm planning to visit my parents and grandma."
Kyson replied soon after, "Alright. Tell me if you need help with anything."
Not long later, another message came through. He suggested she stop by Nora's place and have her waist checked again.
Before she could refuse, Kyson sent a voice message, his tone serious. "Nora told me about your injury. If you ignore it, it could cause problems for a long time. Are you really willing to risk that?"
Just imagining it made Kailey shiver. She had no desire to carry pain like that into the future.
After ending the call with Kyson, she grabbed her things and went outside to hail a taxi.
About thirty minutes later, she arrived at her destination.
The receptionist clearly knew who Kailey was and greeted her with a polite smile. "Nora's tied up at the moment. Would you mind waiting for a bit?"
Kailey gave a small nod and let herself be guided toward the waiting area.
After some time passed, the door to a nearby room opened, and Olivia stepped out.
She was dressed in something sleek and expensive, her long hair braided neatly over one shoulder, looking every bit like someone carefully put together.
Olivia noticed Kailey immediately. She hesitated for a second, then walked over with a practiced smile. "Kailey, I didn't expect to see you here."
Kailey had no interest in chatting, so she only nodded and took another slow sip of water.
A slight change crossed Olivia's face, and her lips tightened. "Kailey, I honestly don't think I've done anything to you, so why the hostility?"
"You are imagining things," Kailey replied simply. She felt nothing at all for Olivia.
That indifference irritated Olivia more than anger ever would, as though Kailey found her unworthy of attention.
Olivia forced another smile. "If there's no issue between us, then as Ryan's girlfriend, shouldn't I be someone you try to get along with? Maybe we should spend time together."
Kailey looked genuinely confused. "You are dating Ryan, not me. Why would I need to spend time with you?"
Olivia froze, then her voice turned wounded. "How can you say something like that?"
"Then what would you prefer I say?" Kailey set her glass down, her gaze steady and straightforward. "Olivia, whatever you and Ryan are doing is your choice. Just don't involve me in it."
Kailey was not foolish. Olivia's endless little questions were not about kindness. They were only meant to confirm one thing—that she and Ryan truly had nothing between them.
Kailey only found it laughable. Ryan had already made his rejection obvious, so what else was Olivia still trying to dig for?
At last, Olivia's smile slipped. "Can you really claim you do not feel anything for Ryan?"
"I once did," Kailey answered plainly, her eyes steady. "But not anymore. Not now, and not ever again. You do not like me, and I have no interest in you either. Let's stop pretending we need to be friendly. We should remain strangers."
Olivia had clearly come prepared to scold her, but Kailey's bluntness left her with nothing to throw back at first.
After a pause, Olivia sneered, "You sound so righteous, but you have no shame at all. You're a grown woman, yet you're still living under the same roof as a man who isn't even related to you by blood. Doesn't that embarrass you?"
When Kailey first left for college, she had wanted to move out. But Ryan had refused, insisting she could not manage alone. Now Olivia was using it like a weapon.
Kailey's hands curled into tight fists. "I am leaving soon."
Olivia did not let up. "Soon? When exactly?"
Kailey opened her mouth, but before she could answer, a calm voice cut in, "Does your boyfriend know you are cornering his niece like this?"
