You Once Meant the World

"Mom, I'm free this weekend. I can go meet that guy you mentioned."I finally made the call to my mother, Lara Sullivan.Because of Zac Jesselton, I had delayed getting married for three years, making my parents wait.Mom sounded overjoyed. "Really? Nancy, that's great! I'll set it up right away. I'll make sure he's tall and handsome. Once I confirm the address, I'll send you the location."I'm just so happy you've finally come around. You know your dad and I aren't getting any younger, and our health's not great. Our only wish now is to see you married and maybe help you raise our grandchild while we still can."Her words brought tears to my eyes.I had wasted three years chasing after Zac, letting down my parents' hopes for me. In the end, my stubbornness had amounted to nothing.Ever since I confessed to Zac three years ago, he'd been avoiding me like the plague. Seeing him these days was harder than reaching the moon.I hadn't seen him in thirteen days. The last time was on

I didn't expect to run into Zac again, especially not at a restaurant.What was supposed to be a quiet dinner with just Megan and me turned into a full-blown group gathering from our old circle.I sat calmly on the couch, no longer clinging to Zac like I used to.There was a girl sitting next to him. The moment the two of them arrived, they tucked themselves away in a corner of the private room the group had booked. They were deep in conversation and laughing like no one else existed.Everyone else kept steering the conversation toward Zac and me. After all, everyone knew I'd chased after Zac for over twenty years.Truth be told, the whole reason for this gathering was so our friends could convince Zac to give me another chance.No one had expected him to show up with another woman.I coughed a couple of times without thinking. There was a faint smell of smoke in the air.Everyone knew I had asthma. Usually, when I was around, they'd avoid smoking altogether. Everyone except Za

I had been so absorbed in my thoughts I didn't realise he hadn't left."Zac, why are you still here?"That one question seemed to hit him hard. He reflexively stepped back and bumped into the wall behind him.I didn't mean to sound cold. But for the past three years, Zac had rarely shown up around me of his own accord, much less stayed in the same room for more than a minute.Whenever he got the chance, he'd leave without hesitation. He'd put as much distance between us as possible."Nancy, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you don't even want to see me now?" he demanded.I looked up at him, feeling confused, and met his gaze.Wasn't this exactly what he wanted? Why did he look so angry?Still, I stayed calm and explained, "I'm in the middle of a date. Zac, please don't interrupt. I don't want to leave a bad impression."He stared at me in disbelief. He seemed visibly shaken. "You're talking to me like this? You're actually going on dates behind my back?"I forced

In the days that followed, Zac kept reaching out to me from time to time.Eventually, I lost my patience and blocked him. It felt a lot like the way he used to treat me.One day, Steven and I had plans to visit one of our old lecturers at the college. Just as I got into Steven's car, my phone rang.It was my father."Nancy, do you have a minute? There's an issue with the contract you signed with the Jesselton family's company. I need you to come in and deal with it."I frowned, not wanting to get involved."Dad, if it's work-related, just handle it yourself.""It's Zac. He insisted on you doing it. He said you were the one who signed the deal, so it has to be you."I sighed and hung up. I then turned to Steven with an apologetic look."Sorry, Steven. Something's come up at work. I need to head to the office. Looks like we'll have to postpone visiting our lecturer.""It's fine," Steven said with a smile. "We can go see him any time. I'm free now anyway, I'll go with you."-

I was completely out of it when Steven took me home. I had never imagined there had been someone in love with me for so many years."I never intended to tell you any of this," he said. "But I didn't expect you to find out."Forget the past. All I want is for you to fall in love with the version of me standing in front of you now, not out of guilt, and not because you feel like you owe me."I didn't even know how to describe how I felt at that moment. It was something Zac had never made me feel.Growing up in an environment full of power plays and transactions, every favor was returned with a contract. There was never any love like Steven's—unconditional and expecting nothing in return.I tossed and turned all night, not falling asleep until three in the morning.The next day, I slept straight through to the evening, only to be jolted awake by a string of phone calls. It was Megan inviting me to a party.It wasn't until I arrived that I realized it was more of a setup to patch th