Chapter 2

Silence settled over the car.

Xavier noticed the change in Zoey's mood. Knowing he couldn't hide what had happened at the wedding yesterday, he offered an explanation.

"Before Summer's grandfather passed away, I promised him I'd take good care of her. You know what kind of reputation Quinn York has. If Summer actually married him, her life would be ruined. That's why I went to stop the wedding."

But Zoey knew those were just excuses.

Xavier had stopped the wedding because he was still in love with Summer. He couldn't stand the thought of watching her marry another man.

And the reason he'd been so desperate to find that pendant, even though their engagement had ended long ago, was because deep down, he still believed he was the one who should be marrying her.

The realization sent a fresh wave of pain through Zoey's chest.

She turned toward the window, letting her tears slide silently down her cheeks until the breeze dried them.

"Well, Quinn's already found someone else to marry. He won't bother Summer anymore, so you don't have to worry."

Xavier frowned slightly at how certain she sounded.

"Quinn's found someone else? Who told you that?"

Zoey was about to tell him that she was the woman Quinn planned to marry when his phone suddenly rang.

The moment he answered, Summer's tearful voice came through.

"Xavier, my parents found out I ran away from the wedding, and they're furious! They're making me kneel in the family chapel, and they're going to have me whipped. They're going to beat me to death! What am I supposed to do?"

"I'll be right there!"

He hung up immediately and turned to Zoey.

"Zoey, something's come up. Can you go look for my pendant first?"

Zoey parted her lips, but no words came out.

In the end, she simply nodded, opened the car door, and got out alone.

She watched his car disappear into the darkness before hailing a cab to the landfill.

By the time she arrived, the garbage truck had already unloaded everything.

Mountains of trash stretched out before her.

Under the dim lights, Zoey rolled up her sleeves and began searching.

The stench was unbearable, but she forced herself to keep going.

Five hours passed before she finally found the things she'd thrown away.

She searched every box, turning them upside down.

But there was no sign of the pendant.

Instead, she received a call from the housekeeper.

"Miss James, we found the pendant. It was under Mr. Shaw's pillow. He must've accidentally pushed it underneath while he was sleeping."

Zoey let out a bitter laugh.

How much did Xavier have to love Summer to keep that pendant close even while he slept, looking at it as though it could ease how much he missed her?

And all this time, Zoey had been sleeping right beside him.

Yet she'd never noticed.

It was already late, and there were no taxis to be found that far outside the city.

She had no choice but to walk home.

By the time the first light of dawn appeared, her feet were bleeding and her legs were swollen.

She finally made it home.

In her rush to leave, she'd forgotten her keys.

She was so exhausted she didn't even have the strength to knock.

She leaned against the front door and fell into a deep sleep.

She had no idea how much time had passed before someone woke her.

Still half-asleep, Zoey opened her eyes to find Xavier's assistant standing in front of her, looking frantic.

"Miss James, something's happened to Mr. Shaw! Please, you need to come to the hospital!"

Her mind was still foggy.

Before she could figure out what was going on, the assistant helped her into the car.

The cold autumn breeze finally cleared her head, and she remembered to ask what had happened.

The assistant looked uncomfortable. He hesitated, then took out his phone and played a video for her.

"Mr. Shaw went to the Hayes family home yesterday. He insisted on taking Miss Hayes's punishment in her place. They whipped him a hundred times. He lost consciousness afterward and was rushed to the hospital."