Chapter 8

During the two days she spent in the hospital, Zachary treated her with the same care and attention he had shown in the early days of their relationship. However, this behavior quickly faded once she was discharged. He claimed he had business matters to deal with and instructed the driver to take her home. Shortly after, she received a bold message from Jasmine. It wrote, "Sorry, but Zachary and I are getting married. "He's joining me for dinner at the Anderson residence today. Unfortunately, he won't be able to pick you up from the hospital." Yvette ignored the message. She quietly returned to the villa and began packing her bags. On the morning of her departure, she woke up at the crack of dawn. She had seven hours left before her flight. She was heading out with her suitcases when she bumped into Zachary, who had just arrived. Noticing a stack of suitcases at the villa's entrance, he felt a wave of panic and unease. "What's going on here?" "I mentioned I was going to Hunton for a trip, remember? You even got me the plane ticket. Did you forget?" she replied, appearing as if she were truly just preparing for a vacation. However, he wasn't convinced by her explanation. "Weren't you only supposed to be gone for a day or two? Why do you need so much luggage?" Yvette pursed her lips. "I'm a girl, so I need to pack a few extra outfits. I want to take lots of pictures." Yet, she had never been particularly interested in photography before, nor had she ever packed so much when they traveled together. This unease crept from his heart and spread to his entire body, making him tempted to open her suitcases right then and there to see if she was telling the truth. He was just about to act when the sound of his phone rigging interrupted him. It was Jasmine calling. After taking the call, the details of the conversation remained unknown. Zachary paused briefly, but ultimately he said he had to go. Before departing, he reminded Yvette once more. "Yve, make sure you don't stay away too long. Send me your return flight details when you're ready, and I'll come to pick you up." She didn't reply, because she knew she would never return. This marked their last goodbye. … Five hours before the flight, she altered the front door's password. She switched it from her own birthday to Jasmine's, and left a sticky note on the door. "As this will be Ms. Anderson's residence from now on, it's more appropriate to use Ms. Anderson's birthday as the password." … Three hours prior to takeoff, she gathered all the photos of herself with Zachary from the villa and tossed them into the brazier one by one. There were photos of him embracing her. There were pictures of them kissing under a sky lit by fireworks, where he declared that she belonged to him. There were photos of him down on one knee beneath a setting sun and a river sparkling with stars, promising to love her forever. He had fractured three ribs when protecting her in the car crash. He could recall each of her menstrual cycles. His social media used to be overflowing with posts about her. They had strolled through spring, wandered through summer, embraced autumn, and awaited winter together. Now, as the memories gradually faded, their relationship had reached its end. … Two hours before departure, her phone buzzed. Upon checking it, she found a video message from Jasmine. The clip seemed to capture a gathering, featuring Zachary's friends, Jasmine's friends, and their families. A group surrounded Zachary and Jasmine, the focus of everyone's attention. The video was full of playful shouts and laughter. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" "Come on, Zach, the wedding is just days away. Why hesitate? You shouldn't wait for Ms. Anderson to make the first move!" Amid the teasing, Jasmine's cheeks reddened as she shut her eyes and leaned closer to him. The crowd's cheers intensified, urging Zachary to kiss her. Zachary gazed at the woman before him. At last, he closed his eyes. He placed a hand behind her head, and kissed her deeply. The video replayed repeatedly. On the seventh loop, a message from Jasmine appeared. "Yvette, did you notice that? I'm the one the Lawson family recognizes as their daughter-in-law. "Your family is so poor. How could the Lawsons ever consider you? With your background, you'd be fortunate to marry. "Does it matter if Zachary loves you? His defenses are slowly breaking down. He met my parents and my friends. "We've started living together, and he just kissed me. How long do you think it'll take before we end up in bed?" Yvette ignored the messages. Instead, she printed out every provocative text Jasmine had sent her recently, organized them into a neat pile, and left them in the vacant living room. … An hour before departure, she placed one last note on the stack of printed documents. "Zachary, congratulations on your wedding. We're done." Afterward, she dragged her suitcases out of the villa. She flagged down a taxi and headed swiftly to the airport. She mused to herself, "Zachary, from this moment on, I'll return to being the young lady of the Sutton family. I want nothing more to do with you!"