Chapter 3
I called the renovation crew, asking them to remove all traces that belonged to Zane.
My phone suddenly buzzed with a notification, which was an update on that post.
Wendy: [He said something was wrong with that idiot and had to coax her. Isn't that funny?]
Wendy: [He even gave her a crystal bracelet I got from a charity event.]
Wendy: [He said he made it by hand. Bet that'll make that idiot get all teary-eyed again!]
The post was accompanied by a photo of two fingers with over-the-top manicured nails pinching a glass bead.
Wendy: [But I'm a little unhappy today. I just found out I'm pregnant.]
Wendy: [I have to force him to go back and get his fiancée pregnant, too. Only then can we have the opportunity to swap the baby in the future.]
Wendy: [She'll end up footing the bill and doing all the heavy lifting to raise my baby. I might have to thank her for it.]
Wendy: [She's really stupid!]
The words on the screen were gradually blurry.
I thought I wouldn't be in pain anymore.
It turned out that hating someone hurt even more than loving them ever did.
I put down my phone and watched the workers drag the boxes down the hallway one by one.
It felt like they were carting away the chapter of my life that had finally run its course.
When the last box was hauled away, my phone rang. It was from Zane.
He said, "Honey, I asked for leave from Dr. Felix Curtis. Are you at the apartment? I'll come over to accompany you now."
Before I could even say something, there was a knock at the door.
Zane stood at the door holding a bunch of wilted red roses.
He said, "Happy Valentine's Day, honey! I snatched this bunch of flowers from a senior girl in my lab. Hope you don't mind.
"Buying flowers is a rip-off today. In the future, I'll buy you a villa with a garden, packed with all your favorite roses."
The hallway's motion sensor light came on, and only then did Zane see boxes everywhere and furniture half taken apart.
He asked in confusion, "You're moving out?"
Before I could even respond, his eyes suddenly grew misty with emotion.
"Yvonne, you're so good to me! Is your Valentine's Day gift for me a new house?" he choked out, barely able to contain his excitement.
I was so shocked by his crazy assumption that I was speechless.
But Zane was already moved, he got down on one knee and took out a velvet box from his pocket.
Inside was a bracelet made of glass beads strung on a flimsy elastic cord, with the charity event's logo still vaguely visible.
He continued, "I made it myself. I spent two nights in the lab working on each bead. I know it's not expensive, but it really means a lot to me..."
I cut him off, "Zane."
Then he looked up at me.
I snapped, "Do you seriously think I'm so dumb?
"I could give you a house as a gift for Valentine's Day, and you try to trick me with this crappy thing?
"You eat my food, sleep in my house, and use my money for grad school.
"Zane, don't you think you're selling yourself a bit too cheap?"
The beads bounced off his face and rolled to the corner.
I always worried about hurting his pride before.
I never mentioned how poor he was or how he was living off me.
But now all my forbearance had become a joke.
The shame and frustration on his face vanished instantly, hidden behind a practiced mask.
But my heart ached even more.
At this moment, his patience just confirmed what the post mentioned.
Zane gave me a pleading smile and said, "Yvonne, can we stop arguing? It's Valentine's Day. I really don't want to make you sad.
"I know it's been hard on you, coming all this way and helping me pack up."
He placed his hand on my waist.
Even through the thin cashmere sweater, his touch felt so unbearably hot it made me nauseous.
He added softly, "Tonight, let's go out and stay in a hotel. I... I want to make it up to you, okay?"
I closed my eyes, and my body was rigid with tension.
But he thought my silence meant agreement, calling my name in a hoarse voice.
It was then that I suddenly realized something.
It turned out that he didn't just go bad overnight.
He'd been polishing his act from the start, waiting for the perfect moment to cash out.
The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the room.
I yelled, "Get out!
"Get out of my house!"
The flattery in Zane's eyes faded, replaced by irritation.
He snapped, "Yvonne, what are you even trying to pull?
"The bracelet is indeed cheap, but you didn't care about money before like this!
"Next year, I'll finish my PhD, and my advisor thinks my project might actually win something.
"Yvonne, don't you want to accompany me when I succeed?"
He was getting more and more agitated, like I really was the gold digger he kept accusing me of being.
I just stared at him, and suddenly that once-familiar face felt like it belonged to a total stranger.
"Six years. Have I ever denied you anything? I even promised to marry you!" he said.