Love Rivals: The Day I Saw Your Tears

108. It's All The Same

(Ryan's Pov)

After hours of performing a surgery that felt like an eternity, exhaustion hit me like a wave. My mind was foggy, and all I craved was a cup of coffee to clear my head. Wandering outside, I found myself at my usual spot, scanning for a place to relax, when my eyes unexpectedly landed on Sarah's café.

There she was, sitting with Vicky, engrossed in conversation. A strange, unsettling feeling rose in my heart, tightening with each second I watched them together. It was an unfamiliar sensation -- one I couldn't explain, but it bothered me. I didn't like it.

Before I could rationalize my emotions or even question my reaction, my feet had already moved on their own. I stormed into the café, fueled by a surge of possessiveness I hadn't felt before. Without giving either of them a moment to process my sudden appearance, I grabbed Sarah by the wrist and pulled her out of the café, not caring how it looked or who was watching.

I led her into a nearby mall, still feeling restless. She tried to protest, "I really don't need to buy anything right now."

I shrugged, not slowing down. "Then just watch me shop."

She followed me as I headed straight for the men's section, scanning through shirts and sweatshirts. I pulled out two shirts and held them up for her opinion. "Which one do you think looks better on me?"

Sarah barely glanced at them before giving me a playful smirk. "Both. As long as you have the face for it."

She wandered off to a different section, stopping by the hoodies. I walked over to her, curious. "Hey, I don't need more hoodies, remember? I've got enough of those."

Without even looking at me, she said casually, "It's not for you."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh really? Then who's it for? Vicky?"

She shot me a sharp look, clearly annoyed by the assumption. "Why would I buy something for Vicky? Seriously, Ryan."

I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "Well, you were just hanging out with him, so I figured..."

She cut me off, rolling her eyes. "We share a room, but have I ever bought you anything?"

I sighed, playing along. "Exactly! I'm your husband and I've got nothing from you. So, who's this for then?"

Sarah stayed focused on browsing through the hoodies, finally answering, "It's for me."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You're buying clothes from the men's section? For yourself?"

She looked at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah. The quality here is better, and honestly, there's hardly any difference between men's and women's clothes anymore. It's all about the size."

She picked up a hoodie, examining it with a frown. "But I'm not sure if this will fit me."

I scanned the rack and pulled out a smaller grey hoodie, handing it to her. "Here, this will fit you better. You can't try it on here. Just take it."

She took it from me, raising an eyebrow. "Very small? Am I really that small?"

I looked around, lowering my voice a bit. "It's the very small men's size, okay? There's a difference. And by the way, men and women aren't the same, especially when it comes to things like this."

Sarah glanced at me, unimpressed. "Yeah, yeah. I know."

She then pulled out a green hoodie and held it up. "But I kind of like this one."

I gave it a quick look and nodded. "That color will look good on you. Want me to get both for you?"

She smiled faintly, shaking her head. "One is enough, thanks."

I stood in front of the mirror, still trying to decide on a tie. The event organized by the hospital's board of directors was coming up, and I was going to wear an ocean-blue shirt, but somehow, picking the right tie felt more complicated than it should.

Sarah walked in, curiosity in her voice as she asked, "What's taking you so long?"

I turned to her with a sigh. "The hospital is organizing a rural outreach program-a free medical check-up for underprivileged communities. For the board meeting about it, I've already chosen my ocean-blue shirt, but I'm struggling to find the right tie."

She reached over to the rack and pulled out an ink-black tie, holding it up with a smirk. "This one works. It'll even go with your caramel-colored shirt."