The Coldest Man in the Room Melted Only for Me novel Chapter 594

First Hospital.

Riley stood by the elevators, waiting.

"Dr. Vance?" Seeing the elevator arrive while Riley was still staring blankly into space, Holly Xavier gently patted her shoulder. "The elevator is here."

Riley snapped back to reality and quickly stepped inside.

In the elevator, Holly looked at her with concern. "Are you dealing with something, Dr. Vance?"

Over the past two days, Riley had been constantly zoning out. They would be eating, and she'd just freeze with her fork mid-air. She'd stare at a patient's chart for ages without flipping the page. Even while washing her hands, she would stand at the sink, the water running endlessly, completely forgetting to turn it off.

Riley forced a tight smile. "I'm just tired."

Holly looked at her sympathetically. "Juggling work and a baby is really exhausting."

A bitter taste spread through Riley's mouth. Her exhaustion had nothing to do with work or Alora. It was the relentless, suffocating torment in her heart.

Tonight was the strategic partnership signing gala for the St. John and Sinclair families. Since yesterday, just thinking about that invitation sent her spiraling. Today, as the gala drew closer, the panic in her chest only intensified.

Should she go?

And if she did, then what?

She'd just be standing there, helplessly watching him become someone else's fiancé. She didn't want to face that. She was terrified she wouldn't be able to hold back her tears, and crying in a setting like that would be humiliating.

But if she didn't go...

Macy had deliberately given her the invitation so she could witness the engagement, crush her hope, and declare her territory. From now on, Sebastian was Macy's man.

If Riley didn't show up, Macy would absolutely assume she still had feelings for Sebastian and was too cowardly to face reality.

While that was entirely true, she couldn't let Macy see that weakness. She refused to expose her broken heart to her rival.

Riley drove home. After parking in front of her apartment building, she didn't immediately get out. Instead, she pulled the invitation from her bag and stared at it blankly.