Chapter 7
Zach, eat your food,” Victor said, dropping a shrimp onto Gwyneth’s plate.
Even with Victor trying to control the meal, dinner still turned into an awkward silence. When they left, Zachary dropped Gwyneth off at the bus stop without a word and peeled away in his car,
Gwyneth was unfazed. She quietly returned to the hotel and didn’t reach out to Zachary again. She threw herself into wrapping up her affairs. erasing every trace of her life in Calvocity.
Occasionally, she’d pull up the messages from Bella. The messages laid out every detail of Bella and Zachary’s recent activities with crystal–clear clarity.
When heartbreak turned to numbness, even the gravest offenses seemed just amused. Bella’s incessant texts had devolved into a pathetic farce. Gwyneth never replied, only saving screenshots as silent ammunition for the future.
Monday dawned at last.
Gwyneth’s flight was scheduled for 11:30 AM, and she rose early to finish packing. Just as she headed downstairs for breakfast, Zachary swiped into her room with a spare keycard. His suit was immaculate, but his expression promised a storm,
She instinctively hid her suitcase behind her, a jolt of panic shooting through her–she had barely ever been apart from Zachary
Once, after a blazing argument, he’d got drunk and grabbed her hand, saying if she ever tried to leave, he’d drag her back and lock her up at home
-never let her set foot outside for the rest of her life.
Back then, even his darkest threats had tasted like honey. Now, they left only a bitter aftertaste of revulsion.
Zachary’s glare was scorching. Two days of Owyheth’s radio silence had set his nerves on edge. The sight of her standing there–still, almost compliant eased the vice around his chest.
“Leave the luggage. Abel will collect it. Let’s go get our marriage license,” he said, his voice gentle.
That was the dream Gwyneth had chased for years. But now, it just left her feeling empty inside. She adjusted her backpack and eyed the hand reaching toward her, saying, “Wait. There’s somewhere I need to take you first.”
Zachary lifted his wrist to check the time, his voice carrying an unusual hint of patience. “Alright, but don’t take too long, I’ve
“So he’s squeezing in a marriage license between his million–dollar meetings! How touching, Gwyneth thought sarcastically.
got a
a meeting at ten.
The car rolled to a stop in the old part of town, where crumbling cobblestones lined ramshackle cottages. Ever since this area became a tourist trap, Gwyneth and Zachary hadn’t set foot here
“Why here?” Zachary killed the engine and furrowed his strong brows. That hollow, panicky feeling was bubbling up again. He instinctively grabbed Gwyneth’s hand and held it tight in his palm–only then did he feel steady.
Gwyneth
didn’t pull away. Instead, she lifted her other hand and pointed toward a distant park, which used to be a basketball court.
She began, “Back in sophomore year, some guy from the neighboring school was hitting on me. You got so mad you challenged him to a three–on- three basketball game. You won, but ended up breaking your leg. You cried like a baby and told me to take responsibility.
“Freshman year, the night we started dating, you dragged me here at midnight. You set off fireworks and proposed to me. I started school early, so I was only seventeen then. You were so impatient, saying we had to lock it in first.”
⠀⠀ “Gwennie, did something bad happen?”“” Zachary asked, his voice laced with worry.
at this half–demolished
Jolted our of her nostalgia, Gwyneth turned to face him. “Our first big fight over Bella happened right here. You left me at court. I’m directionally challenged–it took two hours to walk home, blisters all over my feet?”
Since then, she’d never set foot there agai
Zachary felt a vise grip his heart. He pulled her into a hug. “Gwennie, i that’s ancient history. The only reason I helped Hella was
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