“I broke up with him.”
“Broke up? Am I still half-asleep, or did you actually just say that?”
Jane’s voice was filled with disbelief. She clearly didn’t believe it.
After all, Zac had been cheating for the past three years, and Liz had always chosen to keep up appearances. She stubbornly believed that one day, he woulde back to her.
Now they were finally about to get married. There was no way Liz would suddenly walk away.
“It’s true,” Liz said quietly.
She gazed out at the waves rolling in, crashing gently onto the shore. For the first time in years, her heart felt still. Peaceful.
“Jane, I kept holding on because I wanted something real with Zac. I wanted closure. But now I realize that sometimes, no answer is the answer.
“It took me a long time to ept that he doesn’t love me anymore. And even longer to convince myself to let go. But now, I really have.”
Her tone was calm and steady, like she was talking about someone else’s life instead of her own.
Jane stayed quiet for a few seconds, then said gently, “I’m just d you finally see it clearly. You deserve better. You’ll find someone who actually loves you back.”
“Thanks. I’ll call youter. I’m beyond exhausted after flying for over eight hours.”
After hanging up, Liz stepped into her room, took a shower, and crawled straight into bed.
Across the ocean, Zac was flipping through a stack of documents when a text lit up his phone. It was from his friend, Jeff Zimmer, along with a screenshot of a social media post.
“Dude, didn’t you just take Xena to the Maldives? What’s going on? Did Liz somehow make you bring her too?”
Zac’s closest friends all knew Liz had always dreamed of going to the Maldives. Back when his startup was struggling, he used to tell them that taking her there would be the first thing he would do once he made it.
But when sess finally came, so did the excuses. He got too busy. The trip never happened.
Then Xena entered the picture, and the Maldives dream faded into silence.
The truth was, spending time with Xena in bed had be far more appealing than honoring a promise made years ago.
Zac stared at the screenshot and frowned. He opened Liz’s profile to see the post for himself, only to find out she had blocked
him.
The moment the realization sank in, Zac let out a coldugh.
“Seriously? She blocked me? In this day and age?” he muttered. “How childish. How pathetic. Did she really think I’d care?”
Without a hint of emotion, he closed the app and tossed his phone onto the table. Just as he reached for the file again, there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Xena stepped inside, carefully carrying a cup of coffee. When she saw the cold look on his face, she bit her lip and set the cup down on his desk.
“Mr. Lincoln, are you still upset about the call I made to Miss Smith?”
She had been so sure that provoking Liz would lead to a breakup. But instead of getting what she wanted, Zac had gonepletely cold on her. He hadn’t spoken a single word to her the entire day before.
Her stomach twisted with anxiety. Deep down, she was scared he might be done with her for good.
Zac noticed the worry in her expression, and his gaze softened slightly. He reached out and pulled her into his arms.
“No, I’ve just been busy thest couple of days. Don’t overthink it.”
He gently ran his fingers through her hair, his tone casual and distant.
Xena wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. “Really?”
“Of course. When have I ever lied to you?”
“I just… I care about you so much. That’s why I got emotional and did something stupid. I’m sorry, Mr. Lincoln. I promise it won’t happen again.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears, and she looked at him with a mix of guilt and hope.
Zac gave a quietugh and brushed a kiss against her lips. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Actually, didn’t you say you wanted to start posting more about us online?”
Xena nced up at him, cautious and unsure. “Mr. Lincoln… didn’t you say I shouldn’t post too much?”