Beauty wrapped an arm around Sarah's shoulders, gazing at her troubled expression with earnest sincerity.
"Sarah, stop blaming yourself.
With how much Ryan loves you, even if you hadn't asked him to pretend to be your boyfriend, he would've confessed his feelings when the time was right."
"But then I could've just turned him down outright without all this guilt," Sarah sighed, hugging a cushion to her chest and resting her chin on it.
"Now I can't bear to hurt him.
I know exactly how that feels—it's unbearable."
The pain of being rejected by someone you love deeply—only those who've experienced it could truly understand.
That's why she refused to inflict that agony on anyone else, especially Ryan.
Beauty popped a grape into Sarah's mouth, her delicate brows furrowed in thought.
"If you have even the tiniest bit of feelings for him, maybe give dating a shot.
But if there's absolutely nothing there, you'll have to reject him.
