تسجيل الدخولZara was confused.When had she ever asked Joseph to meet her in that remote place?Zara checked the message again, then compared the timestamp.At that time, she had been eating breakfast. She had stepped away from the table a few times.The only person who could have touched her phone and knew her password…Her gaze slowly shifted toward Charles.But Charles had been injured, too.Was it really just an accident?Then her eyes caught a line of text, and her pupils shrank.She opened the chat.Inside were the provocative videos Charles had sent Joseph.And the final message.[I can make Zara abandon you. Wanna bet?]But at that exact time, Charles had supposedly been in emergency treatment. How could he have sent that message?Suddenly, Zara remembered something.At the hospital, they had run a full set of tests on Charles. Nothing had been wrong with him, but he had kept shouting that he was in unbearable pain.At the time, she assumed he had internal injuries.But th
When Zara finished opening every last slip of paper, she collapsed onto the floor.Her hand clutched her chest as the pain inside refused to ease.Joseph's wishes, year after year, had all been the same. He wanted to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her.And yet, she had ruined the wedding he had waited so long for, all because of Charles's jealous stunt. She had even forced him to stand there as the best man.The thought of how desperate Joseph must have felt made Zara's heart twist painfully.Only now did she realize how deeply she had hurt him. And most of the time, she hadn't even noticed.But once, they really had been happy together.She curled up on the floor, overwhelmed by the weight of it all. No matter who tried to comfort her, nothing helped.Eventually, the family doctor gave her medication, as usual.Zara drifted into a hazy sleep. In her dream, she seemed to return to the past."Thank you for saving my grandma," Joseph was saying. "How can I repay
Zara waited for a long time.Finally, a call came in."We found something…"Zara shot up from the couch the moment she heard the words. "Where's Joseph? Take me to him right now!"The person on the other end let out a quiet sigh."Ms. Moody, please stay calm. We found records showing Mr. Houle left the country. We also recovered the phone he abandoned. As for where he went afterward, we have no leads. There's a strong chance he changed his identity."Joseph had thrown away his phone. He had abandoned everything he had in the country, even his identity.It was obvious.He had made up his mind to disappear completely.Zara clenched her jaw."Check his phone," she said. "See if there's anything unusual."The voice on the other end replied, "We're working on unlocking it. Once we crack the password, we'll know more."Zara shook her head. "That won't be necessary. Bring the phone here. If he didn't change the password, it'll still be my birthday."While they waited, Charles loo
Zara kept dialing Joseph's number again and again, but all she got in return was the endless ringing.The housemaids watching nearby couldn't hold back their tears."Ms. Moody, please don't panic," one of them said gently. "Mr. Houle might just need some time alone. Maybe if you give him space, he'll come back on his own."Zara suddenly remembered the look in Joseph's eyes yesterday, the emptiness in them, and the words he had said."This is the last time."Only now did she finally understand what he meant.Her knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor, crying."I'm sorry, Joseph. If I had taken you to the hospital first, would your hand still be okay? I shouldn't have stayed with Charles. I should've arranged for someone to pick you up. I could've done that…"Sending a car would've been nothing for her.But at the time, Charles's condition looked critical. Her mind had gone completely blank. She couldn't think of anything else.Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed behin
When Zara saw the message on the paper, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.She bent down, picked the paper up, and read it again and again.Only then did it finally sink in.It was a breakup letter Joseph had left for her.She snatched the phone out of the housemaid's hands and opened the announcement. Joseph's retirement statement was right there.Fury surged through her as she immediately called the club."Joseph's retirement is a huge deal! Why did nobody tell me?"On the other end, the manager sounded confused, even a little frightened by the anger in her voice."Ms. Moody, I did call you about it," he said cautiously. "But you said Mr. Charles's condition was critical and that no one should disturb you, no matter what happened."Zara froze.Then, she remembered. There had been a call like that.But the manager had been speaking hesitantly, and she had already been in a bad mood. So, she had cut him off and told him not to bother her with anything.If she
Only then did Zara notice Charles coughing up blood.Panic flashed across her face."Joseph's already won so many championships," she said hurriedly. "He's accomplished everything he could in this life. Even if his hand is ruined, it doesn't matter. Your life is what matters most."After saying that, she looked at me apologetically."Charles once saved my life. I can't just leave him."Charles's little tricks were obvious. If Zara had taken a closer look, she would've seen right through them.But she chose to believe every lie he told.I understood that these were just excuses for her favoritism.So I didn't bother listening anymore."Zara," I said quietly, "this is the last time."She froze when she saw the empty look in my eyes.For a moment, a strange panic gripped her, as if she were about to lose something important.She opened her mouth to ask something.But suddenly, Charles coughed up another mouthful of blood and collapsed to his knees, crying out in pain.Zara b







