Chapter 4

Zac looked at her with a faint smile, clear admiration in his eyes.

“You look beautiful. It suits you.”

Their eyes met across the room, and for a moment, the love between them was impossible to miss.

But the irony was unbearable.

This was supposed to be her wedding dress fitting with Zac. And yet, with Xena clinging to his side, Liz suddenly felt like the outsider. Like she was the one intruding.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of her gown. Something inside her gave way—like a thread pulled too tight finally snapping.

She lifted her dress and walked slowly toward Xena.

Xena saw her coming and smiled even more brightly, tilting her head with practiced sweetness.

“Miss Smith, your is absolutely gorgeous. When I saw it, I couldn’t help but want to try one on too. You don’t mind, do you?”

Smack!

Without hesitation, Liz slapped her hard across the face.

Her voice was calm and measured. Each word dropped with weight. “What do you think now? Do I mind?”

Zac’s expression changed instantly.

“Liz, have you lost your mind?”

He rushed over and shoved her aside, lifting Xena’s chin to check the mark on her face.

The gown Liz wore had a wide skirt, and with nearly four-inch heels on, the sudden shove threw her off balance. Her ankle twisted sharply, and she collapsed to the floor.

Pain shot through her leg, but it was nothing compared to the aching hollow in her chest.

There was a time when Zac couldn’t even bear to see a single tear fall from her eyes. Now he could push her to the ground without a second thought—just to protect another woman.

He didn’t even glance her way.

Instead, he frowned at the redness on Xena’s cheek and said gently, “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Xena shook her head and forced a smile through the sting on her cheek.

“I’m alright, Mr. Lincoln. I’ll ice it later,” Xena said, gently shaking her head. “We still have that meeting with the partners at eleven. We can’t afford to be late.”

At that moment, Zac saw how she was holding back her pain, doing her best to stay composed. The stubborn determination in her eyes made something twist in his chest. A surge of anger rose—but it wasn’t directed at her. It was aimed straight at Liz.

He turned to Liz, still sitting on the floor, and looked down at her with cool authority.

“Apologize.”

Liz met his gaze, her expression calm.

“Why should I?”

“You slapped her out of nowhere. Doesn’t that deserve an apology?” His voice grew louder, sharp with frustration. “When did you turn into this kind of person? Loud, impulsive, embarrassing?”

He looked at her like she was a stranger.

Liz gritted her teeth and slowly pushed herself up, ignoring the pain shooting through her ankle.

“You think I’ve changed? What about you, Zac? Haven’t you?”

He froze, caught off guard. Before he could respond, Xena gently tugged his sleeve, her voice soft and hesitant.

“Mr. Lincoln, please don’t fight with Miss Smith because of me. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have tried on a gown. I’m really sorry.”

Zac reached up and gently wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye.

“This isn’t your fault. You don’t owe anyone an apology. Someone else does.”

Liz felt a bitter laugh rise in her throat, but her eyes stung too much to let it out.

Eight years together. Their wedding only a month away. And now, to him, she was just “someone else.”

She looked at the man she had once loved so deeply and wondered—had he ever truly loved her at all?

Because if he had, how could he treat her like this?

And if he hadn’t, then what had the last eight years meant? Just a lie she was foolish enough to believe?

After making sure Xena was steady on her feet, Zac turned back to Liz. His eyes were cold and unyielding.

“If you won’t apologize, then don’t bother trying on the dress. We’ll postpone the wedding.”

Liz went pale. She looked into Zac’s eyes, now cold and distant, and felt a wave of hopelessness wash over her. A flicker of a bitter smile played on her lips.

He had gone to such lengths to defend Xena. One slap was all it took for him to threaten to postpone their wedding unless Liz apologized.

So this was what heartbreak felt like. A pain so sharp it hollowed her from the inside out.

She could already see it. If she gave in today, she would be swallowing this kind of humiliation for the rest of her life.

But she was done with that.

“Fine,” she said softly, just loud enough for them to hear. “If you want to postpone it, then go ahead.”

She turned without waiting for a response, lifted the hem of her dress, and walked stiffly toward the fitting room.

Her back was straight, but her limp made each step look heavier than the last.

Zac frowned as he watched her go, his face clouded and unreadable.

Xena’s cautious voice came from beside him. “Mr. Lincoln… did I mess things up?”

Zac didn’t respond. Maybe he hadn’t heard her, or maybe he just chose not to answer.

While Liz was changing out of her wedding gown, the boutique associate noticed her swollen ankle and let out a soft gasp. “Miss Smith, your ankle looks really swollen. I’ll bring you some ice in a bit.”

Liz lowered her eyes, and a sudden sting rose in them.

She hadn’t expected it, but even a boutique associate she barely knew seemed to care more than her own fiancé did.

Was it really worth it—losing herself like this over a man?

She pressed her lips together and managed a faint smile. “Alright. Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s part of my job.”

The associate was about to rehang the gown and go get the ice when something on the floor caught her eye. She bent down and picked it up.

“Miss Smith, your bracelet fell.”

Liz turned at the sound of her voice. The moment she saw it, her eyes briefly flickered.

“It’s broken. I can’t wear it anymore. Would you mind throwing it away for me?”

It had been a birthday gift from Zac during their third year together. The star bracelet had their initials engraved on it, followed by the word “forever.”

She used to take such good care of it. She never imagined it would break so suddenly today.

In the past, she might have been devastated. She might have seen it as a terrible sign.

But now, she didn’t care.

The associate hesitated. The bracelet looked expensive and probably could be repaired, but when she noticed how pale Liz looked, she decided not to bring it up. After rehanging the gown, she quietly walked off with the bracelet in hand.

Just as she reached the trash can and was about to toss it in, a cold voice stopped her.

“What are you holding?”

Startled, she turned around and saw Zac standing there, his expression icy.

“It’s Miss Smith’s bracelet,” she replied quickly. “It broke while she was trying on the dress. She said she couldn’t wear it anymore and asked me to throw it away.”

A flicker of coldness flashed through Zac’s eyes. He recognized the bracelet instantly. It was the one he had given Liz for her birthday.

He had just given Xena a nearly identical bracelet. So now Liz was throwing this one away on purpose, trying to make him feel guilty?

His gaze darkened, and the air around him seemed to tighten.

“Give—”

Before he could finish, Xena’s voice rang out behind him, sweet and perfectly timed.

“Mr. Lincoln, I’m done changing.”

His outstretched hand froze in midair. A moment later, he pulled it back and turned to face her, his expression softening.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

“Shouldn’t we at least say goodbye to Miss Smith? Also, what were you talking about with the associate just now?”

“It’s nothing. We don’t need to wait.”

Xena gave the associate a curious glance but didn’t press further. She knew Zac well. If he didn’t want to talk about something, pushing him would only irritate him.

Over the years, she had used that very tendency to quietly drive a wedge between Zac and Liz more than once.

By the time Liz stepped out of the fitting room, Zac and Xena were already getting ready to leave.

Out of the corner of her eye, Liz caught sight of them walking away side by side. Her fingers curled slowly into a fist, but her face stayed calm.

She once read a quote that said, “When disappointment builds up long enough, letting go becomes easy.”

Maybe her time with Zac was finally coming to an end.