Chapter 5
When Zelda woke up again, she was lying in a hospital bed. Osmond sat beside her, leaning forward, holding her hand tightly.
"You're awake?" The moment she moved, he opened his eyes. They were red, like he had not slept. "Do you feel better?"
"Why didn't you call the family doctor when you had a fever?" he continued. "I already transferred your brother to the best hospital and hired the best doctors. Sophie also paid a lot. She's naturally timid. Let's just forget about this."
Zelda felt drained. He sounded concerned, but every word he said was meant to protect Sophie.
She had been disappointed too many times. This time, she did not argue. She simply closed her eyes and stayed silent.
Osmond took her silence as agreement. He let out a breath, clearly relieved.
"Alright. Don't be upset anymore," he said. "I'll buy you something. Didn't you say you liked a piece of jewelry before? I'll have it sent to you later."
She still said nothing. The room felt heavy and awkward. Osmond stayed for a short while, then made an excuse and left.
Over the next few days, he did not come back. But news about him followed Zelda everywhere.
In that small group chat, photos and clips of Osmond and Sophie at different events kept appearing. Online, they had already built a massive following.
Every headline praised them as the perfect couple. Fans could not stop talking about them.
[This feels like a movie. A playboy CEO and a rising star. They're perfect together.]
[I heard Mr. Vega once had someone he liked back in school, but they never met again. Guess what? Sophie's side profile looks exactly like that girl. And she actually went to the same school at that time.]
[Really? Then this is fate. Long-lost lovers meeting again. No wonder he only cares about her now. Do you think he's realized it's her yet?]
[Of course, he has. If he didn't realize it, would he be spoiling her like this?]
[Don't jump to conclusions. I heard Mr. Vega is married. This might just be a cheating husband and a mistress showing off.]
[You sound jealous. Sophie has someone protecting her. Be careful what you say, or the Vega family's lawyers will come after you.]
[Jealous? He's a cheater, and she's shameless. What's there to envy? Let them sue me. People who betray real love always get what they deserve. Just wait.]
That comment disappeared quickly, buried under waves of fan posts.
Cynthia, who sat by the bed, slammed her phone down in frustration. She looked at Zelda lying there so quietly, and it only made her more upset.
After college, Zelda had cut off contact with everyone. But after seeing her again at the reunion, Cynthia insisted on reconnecting.
Now, she could barely hold back her anger. "I couldn't figure out why you suddenly disappeared back then. It was all because of him, wasn't it? Why did you cut us off? You must have gone through so much all these years."
Zelda's thoughts drifted. No one had ever known about her feelings for Osmond. After graduation, she had already secured a good job. She never expected their lives to cross again.
But then the accident happened. Destiny gave her a chance.
The moment she heard the news, she quit her job without hesitation. She spent three months learning physical therapy, pushing herself every day.
The first time she saw him again, she had stood there with a bruised forehead, tears running down her face.
Osmond thought she was crying because he had hit her with the fruit bowl. Only she knew the truth. Those tears came from somewhere much deeper. It was because her feelings finally had somewhere to go.
Osmond would never know how deeply she had loved him.
"I didn't suffer," Zelda said quietly. "Cynthia, thank you for coming. Back then, I just felt too embarrassed to face you all. If you had heard I quit my job to take care of a man, you would have thought I'd lost my mind."
"You did lose your mind," Cynthia said, pulling her into a hug. "You say you loved him, but you never told him. What was the point?
"Look at you now. He's cheating on you, and now there's some true love from his past. I want to see who this girl is. Someone from our school? Our school—"
Her voice trailed off. Zelda leaned over, curious, and looked at the phone.
The photo had been shared so many times that it was blurry. Still, anyone who knew the person could recognize her.
The girl in the picture wore a pink dress with a very distinctive knot tied at the waist. Cynthia had tied that knot herself one day, just for fun. She would never forget it.
Her voice was almost a whisper. "Zelda, isn't the girl in this photo you?"