Page 150 of My Ruthless Neighbor

Jason puts his hand on Chris’s shoulder. “We have to motivate her. You reminding her of last night is not helping, dude.”

“But it’s true. She should’ve taken a day off. It’s too soon to face the man who insulted you in front of everyone.”

“I am standing right here, guys,” I grumble.

Hannah walks to me, ignoring the four people who are whispering encouraging words to me.

Clasping my upper arm gently, she asks, “How are you?”

I cover her hand with mine. “I amfine.”

“I know you might hate Archer after what happened last night. And rightfully so. But believe me, Summer. He is not like that. He is not a bad person.”

I give her a soft smile. “I know. I believe you.”

“I understand but—” she frowns. “Wait, you do?”

“Yes.”

I always knew deep down that he is not a bad person. He is guarded but a bad person he never was.

“You have a kind soul, Summer.” She smiles at me softly. She cares for Archer deeply. Just like I do for Raleigh. They share a bond similar to ours.

And I like that even after seeing him at his worst, Hannah hasn’t given up on him. She still believes there’s good in him which is sometimes overshadowed by the dark side.

“You’re giving me too much credit.” I look around. “You all are. I was devasted last night. And I might’ve taken a day off to wallow if it weren’t for Archer.”

Everyone looks stunned. “We are neighbors as you all know. Well, last night he came over to my place to apologize.”

“He did what?” Brielle shrieks.

“He apologized. Earnestly. As soon as he realized his mistake, he spent no time and came to me immediately and asked for my forgiveness. And in my eyes that counts.”

“I am so glad that he did.” Mia counters.

“Me too,” Nina says.

I nod. “Apologizing takes courage. It takes guts to admit that you are wrong. He could’ve let his pride be bigger than everything else. But he chose to do the right thing. He was having a hard day. We all know that. And though we are unaware of his reasons, I am happy that he kept it aside to solve our conflict. That move makeshimstrong.”

“But forgiving someone makes you the stronger one.” We all turn to Raleigh who was perched on a table at the corner all this time. Ah, my best friend is still pissed.

He is very protective of me. And it shows by the way his body is tensed. How am I going to convince him?

Archer and I are more than okay now. But how am I going to makehimbelieve that fact?

Jumping down, he strides toward me. “I called you twenty times last night, Summer.”

I snort. “Okay, now you’re exaggerating. You only called seventeen times.”

“It’s not funny.” He snaps.

Hannah comes to his side and rubs his arm. “Deep breaths.” She encourages him. Hannah is the best thing that ever happened to him.

She not only understands him but also accepts my bond with her fiancé. I am sure many wouldn’t tolerate this. But she knows he loves me more than he would his real sister.

“I’ll have to agree with Raleigh on this, Summer.” Hannah looks at me. “Even I tried to reach you and you never returned the calls. We were worried.”

“I know. I’m sorry I just didn’t feel like talking to anyone.” I bow my head. It’s a half lie. I was emotionally drained. But that changed when Archer came over.

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