Chapter 4

The next day, I woke up early, deliberately avoiding the time Zachary would usually come by to pick me up for school.

By the time he entered the classroom, I had already begun previewing today's lessons.

Vivian followed him in, munching on my favorite cinnamon roll.

As Zachary and I locked eyes, he looked a bit awkward and explained, "I heard from your driver that you came early. I was planning to bring it over for you, but Viv was hungry."

I calmly lowered my head again and flipped through my book. "It's fine."

He walked over quietly. "Don't be upset over this. Do you want me to go and get you another one?"

He still thought that I was the hot-tempered girl from before, but I had already lived an entire lifetime.

I simply shook my head. "I'm not angry."

It was just a cinnamon roll. I could buy plenty for myself. With that thought, I took out the cinnamon roll I had kept untouched in my drawer and ate it right in front of him.

Vivian, who had been standing behind him with a hint of smugness, froze for a moment.

Seeing me do that, Zachary let out a small sigh of relief. "Looks like I won't need to bring you cinnamon rolls anymore."

As he spoke, he pulled out a notebook from his backpack. "You've been struggling in math lately. I stayed up late organizing the key points for you. Here, take a look."

Zachary's notes were far more detailed than before, organized so clearly that even a fool could follow them. He had probably done it out of guilt.

I handed the notebook to Vivian and smiled gently. "I think you could use this more than I do."

Vivian's eyes were red-rimmed. "Natalie, are you trying to provoke me? I know that I'm not as good at math as you are, and I also know that Zach has always made math notes for you. Are you handing me these notes in front of him because you're upset that we have feelings for each other?"

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke. I hadn't expected her to break down so quickly.

Zachary stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Vivian, trying to comfort her.

"I know that you're mad, but please don't make things difficult for Viv. She's physically weak and can't handle this," he said.

I almost laughed. How had I never noticed how blind Zachary could be before?

Vivian tugged at him and shook her head repeatedly. "Don't argue with Natalie because of me. This is indeed my fault. Maybe my own insecurities made me misunderstand her."

Zachary frowned. Before he could speak, I decisively spoke up. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I didn't realize that it would hurt you."

Zachary was stunned. Even Vivian opened her mouth, only to swallow the rest of her words. She clearly hadn't expected me to say that.

I looked at Zachary and pressed the notebook into his hand. "From now on, don't come looking for me all the time. I don't want Vivian to feel uncomfortable."

After saying that, I returned to my seat and immersed myself in my studies again.

Zachary remained standing there, unable to recover from the shock for a long while.