Chapter 2
Max wasn't kidding around. He'd just texted me, warning that if I got home late, there'd be no food left.
Sure enough, when I got home, the table looked like a battlefield. not a single crumb left.
Kiana stood nearby, putting on her best innocent little act, and looked at me with puppy eyes.
"Sorry, Zara, I was just starving and couldn't help myself. I ate first," she said.
Even if I was slow, I could still see she was provoking me.
Right then, I felt my blood rush. My fists clenched so tightly that my sharp nails dug deep into my palms.
Kiana and Max had been childhood friends, growing up side by side. So in Max's eyes, she always came first.
At first, things between Max and me were smooth sailing. We got to know each other, fell in love, and everything just clicked. We hardly ever fought.
And even when we did, Max was always the first to back down and try to make things right.
No matter whose fault it was, he'd always take the blame himself.
Even Olivia couldn't help but envy me for landing a guy like Max, who spoiled me rotten. But all that envy disappeared about six months ago.
Ever since Kiana came into the picture, the way Max spoiled me completely changed.
"Zara, why are you just getting home now? Didn't I remind you way earlier?" Max called out as he walked out of the kitchen, frowning the moment he saw me.
In his mind, whenever he texted me, I'd drop everything and rush home.
"Something came up on the way, so I got home late," I replied.
"What could possibly be so important that you'd miss dinner?" Max shot back, his voice flat but definitely holding a hint of blame.
I wasn't planning to bring up anything about us getting married.
Since I'd already made up my mind to leave, from now on, Max was just another stranger to me. I was only here to grab my stuff.
"It's nothing. The company sent me on a business trip, so I just came back to pack my things," I said.
I didn't bother to wait for Max's reaction and walked straight to the bedroom.
But the moment I opened the bedroom door, what I saw totally shocked me.
The bed I'd just made before leaving was a mess, and the closet looked like someone had gone through everything, leaving it completely trashed.
I could let all that slide.
But what really hit me was the hand-built skyscraper my grandpa had given me, sitting on the nightstand. It was broken clean in two. Glittering shards were scattered all over the floor.
I couldn't take it anymore. I blurted out, "Max, who came into my bedroom? Who messed with my things?"
Max walked in, his brows furrowing for a moment before he relaxed soon.
He spoke with a totally indifferent tone. "It's just a handcrafted model. I'll have someone fix it for you."
I just stood there, stunned. That careless tone made it like he was saying I meant nothing to him.
With the way he said that, it was obvious. Kiana had to be the one who broke it. Only she could get Max to cover for her like this, no matter what.
"It was Kiana who broke it, wasn't it?" I demanded.
My calm words were like tossing a lit match into Max's temper. He blew up right away.
His brows furrowed hard, and he shot me a glare, his voice loaded with accusation. "Do you have any proof it was Kiana who broke it? Maybe it just wasn't put together right and fell over by itself."
"Zara, don't just start blaming people suddenly. If you're going to say it was Kiana, at least show me some proof, or I'll call you out for making stuff up," he shouted.
I bit down so hard on the soft flesh inside my mouth that it was nearly raw. The strong taste of blood flooded my mouth.
He really did defend her no matter what. Just for saying one thing, I was already being accused of slander. But honestly, Max wasn't like this at all just six months ago.
The day I really fell for Max was that rainy night.
I'd just been in a car accident, and Max didn't even bother with an umbrella. He just sprinted straight through the downpour to get to me.
That night, the man who was always so polite and controlled totally lost it for my sake. He was shouting at the roadside, even throwing punches at the driver who hit me. Why was Max so different now?