Chapter 3
Zelda felt a tight lump rise in her throat. She turned her head quickly and wiped at her eyes with her fingers.
"Grandpa Mick, I'm fine," she said, her voice low and unsteady.
Mick closed his hand around hers. His grip was warm and steady. "Back then, you were so thin. You stood right in front of me and told me you could take care of Osmond.
"I knew right away you weren't like the others. Zelda, I may be old, but I'm not blind. I know exactly what kind of man Osmond is."
He lifted his hand and gently wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye. "Zelda, I don't have much time left. Life passes in the blink of an eye. If you're not happy, then leave."
That was all it took. Zelda broke down. She leaned into his arms and cried, the sound coming out of her before she could stop it.
"It's alright," Mick said softly, patting her back with a slow, steady rhythm. "Everything will pass. Osmond doesn't deserve you."
Zelda stayed with him a while longer. When she finally left the hospital, she stood outside for a long time.
The air was cool, and she let it steady her. She stayed there until she could breathe normally again, until the tears stopped coming.
Just then, her phone rang. It was a lawyer.
"Hello, Mrs. Vega. Mr. Vega asked us to handle a property transfer," the man said. "However, this house is already under your name. It was transferred to you earlier by Mr. Mick Vega. How would you like to proceed?"
Zelda paused. "Who is he trying to give it to?"
"A woman named Sophie Cobb," the lawyer replied.
Zelda searched the name on her phone. The face that appeared on the screen was the young actress from the video.
For a brief second, something strange tightened in her chest. Osmond had been with many women before, but he had never given any of them a house. That meant Sophie was different.
But that thought passed just as quickly. It no longer mattered. Zelda hung up and sent Osmond a message with the current market value of the house.
He did not reply. Instead, a large transfer hit her bank account almost immediately.
Over the next few days, Osmond never came home. He showed up everywhere else instead, always where cameras could find him.
One day, he and Sophie were seen at a luxury store, and people started guessing he was about to propose.
The next day, he appeared at her product launch, making it look like they were already living together.
The news spread everywhere. Even the small group chat she was in started buzzing again.
[Is Osmond serious this time?]
[He hasn't even divorced Zelda yet, and he's already acting like this in public. Isn't he worried she'll lose it and cause a scene?]
[I think he's really done with her. Let me tell you something you don't know. Back in school, there was a girl he liked but could never have. Sophie's side profile looks just like hers.]
Zelda froze when she read that. She had never heard about this before.
She tried to think back, running through the faces of everyone they used to know, but nothing came to her.
Someone asked: [Osmond can be that devoted, huh? With his background, why didn't he just go after that girl?]
Zelda found herself wondering the same thing.
Another reply came quickly. [Bad timing, I guess. He only saw her once, and it was just her side profile. He even took a photo, but before he could find her again, he got into that accident.
[You all know what happened after that. I thought he had forgotten her. If it weren't for Sophie, I wouldn't have remembered either.]
Zelda stared at the screen, then let out a quiet, humorless laugh. Maybe this was karma in its own way. He had ignored the love that was right in front of him, and now he could not have the one he truly wanted.
*****
After years of not seeing each other, Leon, their old class president, insisted on organizing a reunion.
Zelda had lost touch with almost everyone after graduation, so this time, she felt she should go.
The reunion was held at a high-end club. Zelda did not understand why something like this needed such a fancy place, but she still showed up. She told herself she would greet a few people and leave early.
Inside the private room, her old classmates lit up when they saw her. They pulled her into conversation, asking about her life, talking about the past.
After a while, one of them leaned in close and whispered. She glanced toward Leon, who kept looking at the door. "Do you really think Leon paid for all this himself? I heard the Vega family's heir is coming tonight. He's probably just trying to impress him."
Zelda set her glass down quietly.
The friend continued, "I don't even know if it's true, but he keeps saying Osmond is definitely coming. Who does he think he is? Osmond doesn't even know him."
Zelda did not want to hear another word. If she had known Osmond would be here, she would not have come. She would rather cut ties with everyone than stand in the same room with him like this.
Her feelings for him had already made her feel small once. She did not want him to know they had gone to the same school. She did not want him to think her past feelings were just another way to get close to him.
She stood up, ready to leave. But before she could go, Leon rushed over. "Zelda! It's been so many years. You can't leave already. Stay a little longer."
Zelda gave a polite excuse and tried to step away, but Leon kept insisting. When she turned him down again, he actually reached out and grabbed her hand.
Right then, someone cleared their throat. Osmond stood at the doorway, hands in his pockets. No one knew how long he had been there. Sophie stood right beside him.
"Are you putting on a show for me?" Osmond asked. He was smiling, but there was something cold in his eyes.
Leon let go of Zelda immediately. He hurried over to Osmond and bent slightly, whispering something to him.
Osmond raised an eyebrow. Then he looked at Zelda, his gaze sharp and mocking. "He says your side profile looks a little like the girl I love. He told me I should take you home tonight. Is this your new trick, honey?"