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Chapter 2

Author: June
That night, the hospital room was silent except for the steady drip of my IV. The smell of disinfectant hung in the air.

The dizziness from the concussion had eased a little. I sat up against the headboard and picked up my phone.

There was a new post on Instagram. Lily had posted it half an hour earlier.

The location tag showed the resort where Zach was supposed to take me.

The post featured nine photos: wagyu beef, red wine, and an infinity pool framed by floor-to-ceiling windows.

In one, Lily stood on the terrace with Zach's black suit jacket draped over her shoulders, raising a glass of wine as she smiled at the camera.

The caption read:

[Had a bit of a scare earlier, but the view here tonight is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for taking such good care of me, Zach! <3]

The comments were already blowing up, all from Zach's buddies at work—the same guys who always treated me like I was already his wife.

Tyler Brooks: [Zach, you're the man! I heard you have to book this place two months in advance! Where's Eva? How come she's not in any of the pics?]

Kevin Miller: [Seriously, Zach. You took Eva for your fifth anniversary and didn't post one picture together?]

Lily replied to them all.

"Eva wasn't feeling well, so she's resting at the hospital. The deposit was nonrefundable, and Zach didn't want the reservation to go to waste, so he brought me instead. Don't get the wrong idea, guys!"

Tyler replied to Lily right away.

[Hahaha, got it, got it. Lucky girl. Zach sure takes good care of you.]

I looked at all the bragging and teasing on the screen without even frowning.

Before, I would've called Zach on the spot and demanded to know why he'd given another woman our anniversary reservation and let her wear his jacket.

But now, I simply liked Lily's post.

Then I turned off my phone, closed my eyes, and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Zach walked into my room carrying a thermos.

When he saw me sitting up in bed and reading my chart, he cleared his throat. He avoided my eyes as he launched into an explanation. "Eva, don't read too much into last night. I'd already put down a deposit on the resort, and it was over $1,000. None of it was refundable. Since you were stuck in the hospital, I didn't see the point in letting the reservation go to waste. Lily had never been there, so I took her to dinner instead." He set the thermos on the bedside table. "Here. Have some soup. Lily made it and asked me to bring it over. She said it'll help you heal."

I set down my chart and gave him an amused look. "Wow, Zach. You're really something when it comes to saving money."

Zach faltered, then quickly looked away. He lowered his head and busied himself with the thermos. "Enough with the sarcasm." He poured the steaming chicken soup into a small bowl and muttered, "It was just dinner. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?"

I looked at the bowl of chicken soup with grease floating on top and smiled. "So the two of you spent the night at the resort?"

"Eva! What the hell are you talking about?" Zach's voice shot up, and he nearly dropped the spoon. "Don't make it sound like that! I drove her home right after dinner and went back to my place alone." His face flushed as he rushed to defend himself. "Lily heard I was coming to see you this morning, so she made the soup and asked me to bring it. She was just trying to do something nice for you. Why do you have to twist it into something dirty?"

I almost laughed at how desperate he was to explain himself. "Is that so?"

"What else could it be?" Zach tugged irritably at his tie and looked at me accusingly. "Eva, you used to be so understanding. What's gotten into you? You're paranoid about everything now. Lily's just a young girl. She asked me to bring you soup out of kindness, yet you still have to twist it into something dirty!" He slammed the bowl down on the bedside table. "Forget it. I've got a pile of investment reviews to deal with today. I'm going back to work!" Before I could respond, Zach turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I looked at the soup splattered across the bedside table, then pulled out a tissue and gently wiped the surface clean.

Paranoid?

No, Zach. I just see you for who you really are now.
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