The two of them instinctively looked at me at the mention of Brooke. I smiled indifferently, and they continued talking."Actually, when Zeke was with Heidi, he had already shown interest in Brooke multiple times. She knew Heidi liked him, yet she still pushed him toward her on purpose—like she was testing him. And guess what? He actually took the bait."None of us knew Zeke had feelings for Brooke. But everyone knew I had feelings for Zeke.Back when he confessed to me, I thought it was because he finally saw and was touched by my dedication. Looking back now, it was nothing more than part of his game with Brooke.Nonetheless, it was all in the past."Zeke Pedersen is trash—he deserves everything coming to him. But honestly, Brooke played her cards even dirtier."She always acted soft and innocent, but in reality, she was ambitious. She never thought Zeke was good enough for her, so she became a mistress for a rich man instead."But the guy's wife wasn't someone to mess with—sh
"I looked into it—Spencer never actually proposed to you. You don't even have a ring."Zeke stared at me and added, "You two aren't in that kind of relationship. Heidi, I know I was wrong before. I should've kept my distance from Brooke."He stood up and moved to sit beside me, but I got up first."I promise, from now on, my world will only have you—no other women, okay?"Zeke had changed. No matter how badly he had treated me in the past, he had never lowered himself like this, apologizing and begging for forgiveness.However, it was too late now. With every word he spoke, the more ridiculous I felt for ever loving him."So, you knew all along, didn't you?"You knew I was affected by your closeness with Brooke, but because you knew I loved you, you took advantage of it and did whatever you wanted."You constantly put me down because you believed I couldn't live without you. And now, you're only panicking because you've realized I can have someone else by my side."I looked at
Zeke's gaze lingered on me and Spencer, studying us with an unreadable expression. A silent battle unfolded between them, and the deciding power lay with me.I was fully aware of this, but instead of feeling triumphant, I found it ironic."Heidi, come here." The words were directed at me, but Zeke's eyes were locked onto Spencer.I felt Spencer tense beside me. Then, I leaned against him with a smile. "Mr. Pedersen, whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of my fiancé."I then wrapped my arm around Spencer's waist before adding, "There's nothing between us that needs to be kept secret.""'Fiancé'?" Zeke repeated the word through gritted teeth, his glare seething with anger. It was as if he would tear me apart if I didn't explain myself.I blinked innocently and smiled. "That's right. What's the problem? Spencer already proposed to me, which makes him my fiancé.""You have a fiancée, too, Mr. Pedersen. So, congratulations in advance on your wedding. If there's nothing e
"Where are you? Where did you run off to?"Come back now, and I'll let the matters that happened at today's birthday banquet slide."Heidi Yates, I won't allow you to marry someone else!"There were more than 99 unread messages and dozens of missed calls. I didn't reply. Instead, I deleted everything and blocked him without hesitation.There had been plenty of beautiful moments in our chat history. That was why, no matter how cruel he had been, I had never once considered deleting his contact.But after what he did at his birthday banquet, I realized it was no longer necessary. He had moved forward without looking back, so I wasn't going to keep myself trapped in the past.…Spencer stayed by my side as I searched for an apartment, built my résumé, and looked for jobs. He even helped me clean the new place.We didn't talk much as we were each quietly focusing on our own tasks. Then, the doorbell rang.I assumed Spencer had ordered something again, so I opened the door—only to
Zeke's smug expression froze. "What did you just say?"I slid my fingers down Spencer's arm until our hands intertwined. Then, I smiled at him. "Let's go, Spencer. We still have a wedding to plan."Spencer, who had been tense, finally relaxed. "Alright."Just as we were about to leave, a strong force yanked my arm so hard that it felt like it might break. I turned my head and met Zeke's bloodshot eyes.He let out a low and bitter laugh before saying, "You're even resorting to a fake marriage now just to get back at me?"Fine! You win."Then, as if granting me some grand favor, he finally offered me what I had once longed for. "I'll marry you. Happy now?"How ridiculous. Just moments ago, he had been on one knee, proposing to Brooke. And now, he was saying he would marry me?His arrogance was nauseating. What made him think I would still want him?"Sorry, but I'm not someone who goes back on my word. I already accepted Spencer's proposal, and I intend to keep my promise."I th
When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed. My throat was burning as if I had swallowed shards of glass.The room was empty except for a nurse. The moment she saw me awake, she hurried off to find the doctor for an examination.For the next week, I didn't see Zeke at all. However, my plans to leave had to be put on hold because of my condition.The day I felt slightly better, Zeke finally called. "Still alive? Told you a little rain wouldn't kill you. Tomorrow's my birthday. Make sure you show up. It's not me who wants you there—it's Brooke."The moment he mentioned Brooke, his voice lifted with unrestrained fondness."See? That's what makes Brooke so kind. After everything you did to her, she's still willing to forgive you."Hearing Zeke praise her like that, I almost laughed. I stared at my phone in a daze after he hung up. I knew I had to go. After all, some of my stuff was still at Zeke's place.…On the night of Zeke's birthday party, Zeke and Brooke stood at the entr