The Gardenias Vow

Zack's POV

Darren Norton and Sophie Selby stood there glaring at each other, both of them obviously putting on an act.

My throat tightened, and I clenched my fists until my fingers went numb.

Just last night, Sophie had been ranting to me about Darren.

"Zack, your idiot best friend wants to change the wedding setup again. How can one guy be this much of a pain?"

Darren happened to be on a video call with me at the time and heard every word. He got so angry that he drove straight over that night to confront her.

"Zack, Sophie doesn't have an ounce of patience. She doesn't deserve you. Dump her!"

I'd been afraid they might actually start fighting, so I stepped between them to break it up. Instead, I got shoved to the floor, and my lower back slammed into the sharp corner of a table.

They'd both panicked, and there was no faking the worry on their faces. But so was the love I could hear in their thoughts now.

My best friend and my girlfriend had really betrayed me.

When I stayed silent, Sophie and Darren turned to me, suspicion creeping into their expressions.

"Zack, what's wrong?"

Normally, I would've stepped in to calm them down by now. But this time, I could hear what they were thinking.

[Why isn't he stepping in? Is he mad?]

I smiled, even as my eyes burned.

Mad?

My gaze moved between their guilty faces. Then I kept my face blank as I deliberately knocked over the kettle. Scalding water poured over my left hand.

"Zack!"

Sophie went white.

I stared at the raw, reddened flesh of my left hand, but somehow, I didn't feel a thing.

"I'm taking you to the hospital!"

Darren looked physically ill with panic. He apologized the entire way there.

"Zack, I'm sorry. If Sophie and I hadn't been fighting, your hand never would've gotten burned. You're getting married tomorrow. What are you going to do now?"

I opened my mouth, struggling to demand an explanation from both of them. Before I could say anything, Sophie's thoughts came through.

[Looks like we'll have to postpone the wedding. At least I'll have more time with Darren.]

I froze as a chill crept through my chest. I'd burned myself on purpose, never imagining I was giving her exactly what she wanted.

They really knew how to put on a show. All this time, I hadn't suspected a thing.

I forced down the anger boiling inside me and said, "Let's postpone the wedding."

Sophie stiffened, but I still caught the excitement she was trying hard to hide.

"Okay, Zack. Just focus on getting better. Don't worry about work either."

Then I heard what she was really thinking.

[Perfect. Now I can finally plan that trip I promised Darren to make it up to him.]

Darren still looked guilty and worried. "Zack, why don't I come take care of you? You can barely use that hand right now."

Then I heard what he was really thinking.

[If only we had a little more time.]

I looked at the two of them, a chill settling deep in my chest until my stomach turned.

Three months ago, I'd found a pair of men's underwear in Sophie's car. They weren't mine. I was sure of that.

Desperate to find out who she was cheating on me with, I went through almost her entire camera roll. But she'd covered her tracks well. I found just one photo of him.

After that, I completely lost it and demanded we break up.

Darren was the one who pulled every string he could and nearly drove Sophie's company into bankruptcy.

The very next day, he brought her to me.

With red-rimmed eyes, Sophie begged, "Zack, it was just a mistake. Please believe me."

Then she proposed to me on the spot.

I chose to believe her. I thought she loved me more than anything.

But hearing what they were really thinking now jolted me back to reality.