Chapter 3

I took a half-day off work the following morning. I wanted to wait for Zachary to return so I could talk things through with him, but he still hadn't shown up even as noon approached.

Meanwhile, Wendy posted a new update on her social media.

"I'm having ravioli for breakfast with my childhood friend! He bought me dinner last night, so I'm treating him to breakfast today! I'm an independent woman, so I never leave a favor unpaid!"

She included a photo in her post, which featured her and Zachary raising their ravioli in a toast. Zachary looked at her with a gentle, doting gaze—a look he had never once shown me.

I laughed bitterly to myself.

Zachary had taken her to an expensive restaurant the night before and spent almost a thousand dollars. Wendy, on the other hand, bought him a breakfast that cost barely a few dollars and claimed she had returned the favor.

I had given Zachary a watch worth 10,000 dollars for his birthday, yet Wendy accused me of clinging to a man.

It was hypocrisy at its finest.

I gave up waiting for Zachary, went back to the office to deal with my work, and took a few days off to return to my hometown.

Helena Guest, my department manager, looked at me with a teasing expression and asked playfully, "Are you returning to your hometown to meet the parents with Zachary? Guess we'll be hearing wedding bells soon, Daisy!"

Helena was not only Zachary's aunt, but she had also been the one who set us up on a blind date.

I shook my head and replied calmly, "I'm going back to take care of a few personal matters. Zachary and I are no longer together, Helena."

Helena stared at me in disbelief. "Why did you two break up? Weren't you two getting along well before this?"

I simply smiled in response and turned to leave the office.

I had barely sat down at my desk when the phone rang. Zachary actually called me.

He snapped, "What the hell did you tell my aunt, Daisy? It was nothing more than a little fight between us! Did you have to go and tell my aunt? She just called and kept grilling me about when we broke up, Daisy!"

I remained silent for a moment, then reminded him calmly. "I already told you about the breakup last night before I left, Zachary."

Zachary suddenly raised his voice, exclaiming, "You only said it in the heat of the moment last night! How could that be taken seriously, Daisy?"

I was just about to tell him that I hadn't been speaking out of anger and that I truly wanted to break up when Zachary suddenly softened his tone and said, "Please don't be mad at me anymore, Daisy.

"I was in the wrong last night—I shouldn't have stayed out all night. I blew off coming home early this morning too, so I get why you're upset. Just come home early tonight, alright? I swear I'll be there. I've also got a surprise prepared for you, Daisy."

He hung up without hesitation after saying that.

I looked at my phone after he hung up, feeling conflicted. I mused that it was better to have this conversation in person. Having spent three years together, we owed ourselves a proper ending, after all.

I would go home tonight, talk things out with Zachary, and finally close this chapter of our relationship.

By the time I returned home, Zachary had whipped up a whole table full of dishes. He eagerly guided me to a chair as soon as he saw me and made me take a seat, asking gently, "You must be exhausted, right? Come and have a seat, Daisy."

Just for a fleeting moment, it felt as though we were back to how things were before Wendy came along.

I hurriedly snapped back to reality and said, "I'm not here for dinner tonight, Zachary. I specifically came over to talk about—"

I wanted to tell him that I came over to discuss our breakup, but Zachary suddenly cut me off. He placed some food on my plate and said, "You should have something to eat first. We can talk about everything else later. I made all these dishes just for you, Daisy."

I swallowed down the rejection I was about to offer when I saw the expectant look on his face. I thought we could talk after dinner. I didn't want our relationship to end on a sour note, after all, especially after three years together.

I picked up my fork and took a bite of the food, finding the taste somewhat strange.

Zachary asked pointedly, "How is it, Daisy?"

I noticed the strange taste lingering in my mouth, but I still forced myself to swallow the food before nodding reluctantly. "It tastes good."

Just then, Wendy burst out laughing from the kitchen, bracing herself against the doorframe.

"I knew you'd like it! I tossed some ground sesame seeds into every single dish! Didn't you say you have a sesame allergy? I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't forget tonight, Daisy!"