Chapter 2

Phoebe’s breath caught.

Before she could say anything, Zac had already walked over with one hand hovering protectively near Xena’s shoulder.

There was a tenderness on his face that Phoebe had never seen before.

“Honey, Ms. Tucker just got back from abroad and doesn’t know her way around yet. She hurt her hand too, so I’m going to let her stay here for a few days. She’ll move out once she finds a place.”

Phoebe looked at the man in front of her.

She had once loved the warmth in those eyes.

Now, he only felt like a stranger.

He made it sound perfectly reasonable, but Phoebe knew what it really meant.

He wanted Xena close so he could look after her every day.

A heavy feeling settled in Phoebe’s chest. She took a sip of water before answering calmly.

“Okay.”

Zac clearly hadn’t expected her to agree so easily.

After a brief pause, he broke into a smile and strode over to pull her into his arms.

His voice carried obvious relief.

“Honey, I knew you’d understand.”

The sweet scent of a woman’s perfume that wasn’t hers filled Phoebe’s nose.

Her temples began to throb again.

The headache was back.

Phoebe frowned and pressed a hand against Zac’s chest, pushing him away.

He stumbled half a step back.

When he saw the look on her face, his brows drew together. Only then did he seem to remember that she had gone to the hospital that day.

“Honey, what did the doctor say?”

What had the doctor said?

Phoebe looked up and met his concerned gaze.

She suddenly realized how long it had been since she had looked at him this closely.

Lately, he had been too busy spending all his time with Xena.

The doctor had said that within a month, Phoebe would completely forget the person who had hurt her the most.

Her eyes began to sting.

She lowered her gaze and kept her voice calm.

“It’s nothing serious. I haven’t been sleeping enough. The doctor said I just need more rest.”

The tension left Zac’s shoulders.

He reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head.

“That’s good. You mean too much to me. You have to stay with me forever, so I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Phoebe lowered her gaze to the glass in her hand.

A faint, bitter smile touched her lips.

Forever?

That wasn’t going to happen.

Xena walked in from the entryway just then.

When she saw Phoebe, she hesitated before asking, “Zac, is this... your wife?”

Zac’s expression froze for a split second.

Before he could answer, Xena smiled.

Her smile was warm and polite.

“She’s beautiful.”

Phoebe looked at her calmly, without a trace of emotion in her eyes.

At this point, she didn’t want to blame anyone anymore.

She knew Xena wasn’t the only one responsible for what had happened.

Xena’s lashes fluttered, and a hint of sadness crept into her smile as she turned to Zac.

“I thought you were joking when you told me you were getting married back then. I didn’t realize you really went through with it.”

Zac’s expression darkened.

His brows drew together, and his jaw tightened before he finally gave a small nod.

“It’s been three years.”

Whatever complicated emotions he was feeling seemed to turn into guilt toward Xena.

Phoebe almost wanted to laugh.

But by now, she was too numb to care.

Xena looked at Zac and smiled again.

“What a coincidence. The day you two got married three years ago was the same day I broke up with my boyfriend.”

Phoebe’s hand tightened around her glass.

Her lashes trembled.

Then something suddenly clicked in her mind.

Three years ago, on their wedding day, Zac suddenly disappeared right before the ceremony.

He left Phoebe standing alone in her wedding dress while the roomful of guests whispered around her.

She stood on the stage, lost and helpless, feeling as if the whole world had abandoned her.

Her nails dug into her palms, but she couldn’t even feel the pain.

At the time, she had sworn she would never forgive Zac.

Forget the wedding.

She wasn’t marrying him anymore.

But not long afterward, Zac came back.

He was carrying a bouquet of roses. His face was bruised, and his eyes were red.

He told her he had gone to pick the roses for her.

Phoebe believed him.

Seeing his battered face, she had been completely won over.

In that moment, she truly believed she had chosen the right man.

Now she knew better.

Zac had found out that Xena had broken up with her boyfriend and rushed off without thinking.

As for why he came back to the wedding afterward, Phoebe didn’t know.

And she didn’t care anymore.

Zac walked over to her, clearly eager to change the subject.

“Honey, Ms. Tucker isn’t in the best health, and the primary bedroom gets the most sunlight. How about we let her stay there? I’ll sleep in the guest room with you. A change of scenery might be nice.”

Phoebe looked at him for a long moment.

She had personally chosen every piece of furniture and every detail in that bedroom.

Back then, Zac had told her that no one else was allowed inside.

Now he was handing it over to Xena without a second thought.

A bitter smile touched Phoebe’s lips.

“Whatever.”

She gently pushed past him and went upstairs.

Zac stayed where he was, watching her walk away.

His brows slowly furrowed.

Something about her felt different.

He just couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

Xena came to stand beside him.

Her voice was soft and slightly uneasy.

“Zac, your wife won’t mind, will she?”

He answered without hesitation.

“No. She’s always been understanding.”

And that was true.

Phoebe had always made things easy for him.

From the time they started dating through all three years of their marriage, she had never put him in a difficult position.

She never checked his phone.

She never questioned where he went.

She never got angry when he canceled plans on her.

She was always the one trying to keep him happy.

Because of that, Zac had never stopped to wonder whether she was happy.

He had simply gotten used to thinking her feelings didn’t matter that much.

After all, she would never leave him.

Xena looked at him with a faint sadness in her eyes.

“I never heard you talk about her before. Honestly, I thought you’d stay single forever. But now I get it. She takes really good care of you.”

“That’s not it!”

The denial came out before Zac could stop himself.

Even he seemed startled by his own reaction.

Xena didn’t question him.

She simply smiled.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Upstairs, Phoebe opened her suitcase and started packing.

Her closet was filled with gift boxes, all neatly stacked in rows.

Every one of them had come from Zac.

Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays.

He had never forgotten a single occasion.

Phoebe used to open each gift as if she were opening another promise from him.

Now, all she saw beneath the pretty wrapping was how little thought had actually gone into any of it.

They were just gifts bought out of habit.

She left every one of them behind.

Phoebe only packed her medical credentials, a few changes of clothes, and several medical books.

She zipped up her suitcase without a trace of emotion on her face.

Just as she stood, Zac’s anxious voice suddenly came from downstairs.

“Ms. Tucker! Are you okay?”