Chapter 9

“Zoe!”

At the very last second, the door burst open with a loud crash. Dylan stood there in his pajamas.

Bathed in the light from the hallway, he saw Zoe pinned to the floor. His eyes blazed with fury as he grabbed a nearby chair and smashed it over the man’s back.

The attacker collapsed with a cry of pain, and Dylan rushed to pull Zoe into his arms.

“Zoe, are you okay?”

Her face was pale. She couldn’t say a word, still paralyzed by fear.

She had been so close—just seconds away from…

But before she could finish the thought, the man suddenly lunged back up, yanked a knife from his pocket, and drove it toward Dylan’s back.

“Look out!”

Zoe’s eyes flew wide. On instinct, she shoved Dylan out of the way.

The blade sank deep into her chest. Blood poured instantly from the wound.

“ZOE!”

Dylan’s scream tore through the air. His pupils contracted as he caught her in his arms. The attacker, stunned, dropped the knife and bolted from the room.

Holding Zoe tightly, Dylan pressed down on her wound with trembling hands and fumbled for his phone to call 911.

His voice cracked with panic. “Zoe, are you insane? Why would you do that? Why would you take the hit for me?

“Just hang on, please. You’re going to be okay. You have to be okay.”

Zoe lay in his arms, her strength slipping fast. She brushed his hand aside and gave him a faint, peaceful smile.

“Dylan... I owed you. Now we’re even.”

Dylan froze, as if someone had stabbed his heart. Her words hit him like a knife.

What did she mean, “we’re even”?

The ambulance arrived soon after, but Zoe had already lost consciousness.

The police came next. Dylan quickly gave them a summary of what happened. He meant to go find Jenny and calm her down afterward. But strangely, she was nowhere to be found. He was confused but didn’t dwell on it and left with Zoe in the ambulance.

Zoe didn’t wake up until several days later.

When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Dylan asleep at her bedside.

He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t rested in days. His face was drawn, with dark circles under his eyes.

Zoe watched him quietly for a while. Then she reached for her phone and checked her messages. One from the school had just come in:

“Zoe, we heard what happened. Do you want to delay or cancel your trip to Backwater Ridge?”

She typed her reply without hesitation:

“Thank you for checking in. I’m recovering well. I’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Just as she set the phone down, Dylan woke up. He looked at her, eyes full of mixed emotions, but said nothing for a long time.

Zoe spoke first. “You don’t have to feel guilty about what happened. I’m not going to use it as an excuse to hold on to you.”

Her calm, detached tone made Dylan deeply uneasy. He clenched his fists and said, “I can take responsibility… If you want, we can still get married…”

“I’m tired.”

Zoe cut him off and lay back down.

Dylan froze. There was a beat of silence before he finally said, “Then just rest. I’ll stay with you.

“The police are still searching for that man. Don’t worry—they’ll get him soon.”

Zoe said nothing. She closed her eyes.

That night, Dylan stayed, but neither of them spoke another word.

The next morning, while Dylan was in the bathroom, Zoe quietly booked her flight and a ride to the airport. When he returned, she smiled faintly and asked, “Dylan, could I ask you for a favor?”

He was a little caught off guard but nodded eagerly. “Of course. What is it?”

“I’d like some French onion soup. Could you make it and bring it to me?”

For a moment, Dylan was stunned.

That had always been Zoe’s favorite soup. She never liked it when others made it—only his version. He used to make it for her all the time. But after everything that happened, they hadn’t even had a proper conversation, let alone a home-cooked meal.

Snapping out of his daze, he nodded gently. “Okay. Just wait for me.”

Zoe didn’t respond. She simply watched him.

But she had no intention of waiting.

Dylan caught her gaze, and for some reason, unease crept up his spine.

Something felt wrong. For a moment, it was like she was saying goodbye.

He shook off the feeling and forced a warm smile. “I’ll head out now.”

Zoe watched him disappear around the corner. Then she immediately checked out of the hospital.

She scheduled a delayed email to Dylan containing all the messages and photos Jenny had sent her—proof of everything.

Then she blocked both Dylan and Jenny on every platform, transferred a large sum of money to Mrs. Xander’s account, and snapped her SIM card in two.

When she stepped out of the hospital, snow was falling again.

Zoe caught a single flake in her hand, looked one last time in the direction of the Xander home, then got into the cab.

Whatever debt she had owed Dylan in her past life—she had paid it in full.

From this moment on, they would each walk their own path, with no more debts or connections between them.