We Almost Loved Novel by Sidney Lane _ Novel




We Almost Loved Chapter 01

“Sandra, I’m done chasing after Ryan,” Victoria Pratt said to her aunt over the phone. “Give me a month to wrap everything up, and then I’ll leave the industry and go to Provence.”
“That’s excellent news!” Sandra Hensley said, almost giddy with relief. “Ryan isn’t right for you. Forget the age gap—he never had feelings for you. Remember? When you poured your heart out to him at eighteen, he immediately declared he’d never get married.”
Yet for seven years, Victoria had refused to give up.
She believed she had a real chance with Ryan Copeland. They weren’t related by blood, so there was no reason for him to keep turning her away. Sooner or later, he was bound to fall for her.
But now, she couldn’t hold on any longer.
Yesterday, Ryan officially announced his relationship. His girlfriend was Britney Romero, a pure drama school student.
The news was still trending.
Victoria had stayed up all night, calling Ryan eighty-eight times, but he never picked up.
She’d pursued him for seven years, yet he’d picked another person.
She’d reached her limit—she was done loving Ryan.
Feeling numb all over, Victoria dragged herself upstairs. Since she’d decided to leave, it was time to pack.
She was never a Copeland by blood, and now she’d lost her last chance to become one in name. Ryan’s residence, Briarwood Manor, was no longer a place for her.
Yet as she stood in her 80-square-meter bedroom, gazing at the confession notes strewn everywhere, her mind started to blur.
When Victoria was fifteen, her parents died in a car crash, and Ryan took her back to Briarwood Manor.
Traumatized, she was plagued by nightmares every night, but Ryan remained by her bedside.
Her depression left her unable to eat, but he took on the task of nurturing her back to health. Though a powerful businessman entirely unfamiliar with the kitchen, he cooked meals for her and patiently coaxed her into eating.
He took her on vacations, and if she so much as glanced at an item twice, he bought it for her without question.
Whenever someone at school called her a burden, Ryan ended all business dealings with that person’s family and had them expelled from Richmond.
He gave her everything she wanted, just to make her happy.
But the moment she confessed her feelings to Ryan at age eighteen, immediately following the SAT, their dynamic shifted irrevocably.
Shocked and even disgusted, he scolded her for mixing up family bond with romantic feelings and demanded she rectify her “mistake” right away.
He never even smiled at her again.
Between his duties as CEO of the Copeland Group and his creative work—writing, directing, and investing in blockbuster films—his life pressed forward. Yet he never returned to Briarwood Manor, deliberately keeping his distance from her.
Snapping out of it, Victoria slowly tore down the confession notes. After seven years, some had yellowed.
Every time she missed Ryan, she’d jotted down her feelings.
These mementos couldn’t stay—they’d only disturb Ryan’s new life with his sweetheart.
When she finished packing, the room felt utterly empty. The walls bore faded glue marks that resembled old scars, with the oldest ones being the most conspicuous.
Victoria carried the carton downstairs, only to be stopped by a call from her agent, Dorothy Burnett.
“Vicky, we’ve followed up on ‘The Fresco’ five times. The crew has made it clear—although you’re perfect for the role, he can’t cast you because it’s Ryan’s project.
“You’re five years into this career, and for five years, I’ve had a front-row seat as your best friend, watching you publicly declare your love for Ryan. Every time, he rejected you, leaving you humiliated. Now that he’s in a relationship, please, stop loving him, okay?”
Victoria was about to reply when she crashed into someone at the corner. The carton slipped from her hands, sending confession notes sprawling all over the floor.
A familiar cologne wafted over. Shocked, Victoria looked up and met a pair of deep, emotionless eyes.
Backlit, Ryan stood tall, a bracelet wrapped around his wrist. He was as handsome as ever, radiating a noble, detached aura.
Victoria said, “It’s been a while, Ryan.”

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