Chapter 6

On the day Zoey was discharged from the hospital, Xavier seemed to notice how down she'd been lately and offered to make up for her missed birthday.

He bought her flowers, ordered a cake, and reserved a table for a candlelit dinner at an upscale hillside restaurant.

After lighting the candles, he placed a birthday hat on her head and spoke gently.

"Happy birthday, Zoey. What are you wishing for this year?"

Zoey closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, silently making a heartfelt wish.

I hope the wedding goes smoothly. I hope Xavier gets his wish and marries Summer. And I hope that from then on, he and I have nothing to do with each other.

When she opened her eyes, she found Xavier watching her.

"What did you wish for? Tell me."

"If I tell you, it won't come true."

Xavier chuckled and affectionately ruffled her hair.

"How am I supposed to make it happen if you won't tell me?"

Zoey blew out the candles, then looked at him calmly.

"You can make any wish of mine come true?"

"Any wish."

His confidence made her smile.

"I won't need your help. My wish is simple enough. I'm sure it'll come true."

With that, she got up and headed to the restroom.

As luck would have it, she ran straight into Summer.

Summer glanced her up and down, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Xavier brought you here? Wow. I can't believe he still remembers my favorite restaurant after all these years abroad. Tell me, do you think he brought you here for a romantic date, or because this place reminds him of me?"

Zoey turned off the faucet, ignoring the smug look on Summer's face.

She had no intention of engaging with her.

But Summer wasn't about to let it go.

"That birthday cake looked awfully familiar. Let me guess. Xavier buys you the same one every year, doesn't he? That's the only cake he ever ordered for my birthday."

"And the food on your table? The garlic butter shrimp, creamy crab pasta, and steamed sea bass? Those are all my favorites. Do you happen to love them too?"

Summer gave her another knowing look.

"Oh, and I was going through our old high school yearbook a couple of days ago. Didn't you have short hair back then? Look at you now. Long, slightly wavy hair with bangs grazing your eyebrows. Exactly how I wore mine in high school. You're so skinny, too. From certain angles, you almost look like me."

"And another thing. Every time I've seen you lately, you've been wearing clothes and jewelry from brands I loved six or seven years ago. I'm not really into those brands anymore, though."

"So tell me, Zoey. When someone slowly turns into a copy of another woman without even realizing it, is that really a coincidence?"

"Did Xavier make you look like this because he happens to have a type? Or because he's never gotten over me?"

With every word Summer spoke, more color drained from Zoey's face.

She lowered her head and looked at her clothes, her shoes, and her handbag.

Every single item had been a gift from Xavier.

Even her soft, feminine hairstyle, the one reflected in the mirror, had been his idea. He'd personally taken her to a stylist and asked for that exact cut.

And Summer was right about the cake and the food.

Those dishes appeared on their dinner table at home all the time.

Summer kept listing examples, but Zoey barely heard her anymore.

Her mind had drifted back through the past seven years.

The gifts Xavier had given her.

The places he'd taken her on dates.

Even the way he liked to kiss her earlobe.

Every single detail was connected to Summer.

Zoey's heart trembled.

All along, Xavier had been treating her as Summer's replacement.

Even the tenderness and affection he'd shown her had never truly belonged to her.

What she'd mistaken for love had been poison disguised as something sweet.