Chapter 2

The next morning, Lane put on his dress shirt and stood staring at the mirror for ages.

It wasn't until I was about to leave that he called out to me. "My tie."

I glanced back. "What about it?"

He frowned, "Can't you see I'm waiting for you?"

For five years straight, I'd tied his necktie every single morning.

He always complained that the maid never made the knot neat enough. He only liked the way I tied it.

I put on my shoes. "You should learn to do it yourself from now on."

Lane stared at me, baffled. "What's wrong with you today?"

"Nothing. I simply don't feel like doing it anymore."

His face darkened. "Zoe, we're about to get married. Can't you be more mature? I don't like emotionally unstable women."

I looked at him.

Lane once said on a show that women's emotions shouldn't be written off as overreacting.

But when it came to me, all he said was, "Be more mature. Stop being dramatic. Stop making a fuss."

Yvonne's hurt feelings deserved hours of patient comfort. But my pain was merely unstable mood swings.

"Okay." I didn't argue, just turned and walked away.

*****

I went to the office to handle my transfer paperwork.

Lucas handed me the plane ticket and the details for the apartment in Raionia.

"Your flight's at nine AM the day after tomorrow," he said. "Did your fiancé agree to this?"

I smiled, "I don't need his permission."

After finishing up the paperwork, I headed to the hospital for a women's health charity forum.

Lane was the keynote speaker.

Yvonne, wearing a dress that matched his suit, stood next to him, organizing his papers.

When I arrived, the host was interviewing them.

"Dr. Grant, Dr. Reed has been your assistant for a while, and you two seem to have great chemistry. Tons of people online even think you're a couple," the host teased.

The crowd laughed warmly.

Yvonne's cheeks turned pink as she stole a glance at Lane.

Lane didn't clear up the rumor at all. He said flatly, "Yvonne is very important to me."

The camera caught the look of surprise and delight on Yvonne's face.

The staff around the stage started teasing them.

"Dr. Grant is usually serious. He's only soft with Dr. Reed."

"Why haven't they made it official yet?"

I sat in the audience, holding Lane's speech in my hand. I'd spent three nights revising it for him.

Everyone assumed Lane and Yvonne were a couple. As his real fiancée, I did not even have an official place by his side.

The host asked, "Dr. Grant, what do you think is the most important thing in a relationship?"

Lane answered without missing a beat, "Respect. In a healthy relationship, neither partner should have to sacrifice their body, career, or dignity to satisfy the other."

The room burst into applause, and I clapped along too.

Every single word he spoke sounded like a judgment against his own actions.

After the forum ended, Yvonne ran to me with a bouquet. "Zoe, you're here too?"

I nodded.

When she saw the speech in my hand, her smile grew sweeter. "So you're the one who wrote Lane's speech. No wonder his speeches always move people very much."

Lane walked over, took the papers from my hand, and said flatly, "Thanks."

Suddenly, Yvonne grabbed her stomach, her face draining of all color.

Lane immediately looked worried. "What's wrong?"

"Guess it's because I didn't eat anything this morning," Yvonne replied.

Lane quickly steadied her and handed her his thermos. "Didn't I tell you not to skip breakfast? You've got a sensitive stomach. Why do you never take it seriously?"

Yvonne took a sip of water, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "But I don't have to worry, right? You'll always take care of me."

"You're not a kid anymore," Lane sighed, but there wasn't a hint of blame in his voice.

Suddenly, I remembered that when I came back from the hospital last month, Lane had said the exact same thing to me. "You're not a kid anymore. If you're feeling sick, can't you deal with it yourself?"

He treated Yvonne with endless indulgence, yet felt nothing but irritation toward me.

Yvonne seemed to remember something and pulled a restaurant reservation slip out of her bag. "Lane, Maria asked us to have dinner tonight."

She turned to me. "Zoe, you're coming too, right?"

Before I could speak, Lane answered, "Of course she is. Mom needs to go over wedding plans with her."

I nodded calmly. "I'll be there."

Some endings were long overdue.