Chapter 10
After witnessing how deeply Zac loved Xena, Liz could no longer lie to herself.
Whatever feelings she had for him had already been worn thin over the years. After everything they had been through, there was barely anything left to hold onto. She no longer had the strength to keep trying.
“He will come around,” Susan said firmly. “Just give him one last chance. If he lets you down again, I will not ask you to stay anymore.”
She paused, then added softly, her eyes full of hope, “Just think of this one chance as me calling in the favor from when I saved your life. Will you do that for me?”
Liz sighed quietly. Deep down, she knew this would not change anything. All she was doing was postponing the inevitable.
How could two people who didn’t love each other possibly make it work?
But when she met Susan’s pleading eyes, she finally gave a small nod. “Alright, Ms. Green. If Zac ends things with Xena within a month, I will forgive him.”
She said it even though she knew Zac would never choose her over Xena.
Relieved, Susan quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a small velvet box.
“This was a keepsake from Zac’s grandmother,” she said. “I do not have anything extravagant to give you, so let this be my wedding gift. I hope you will accept it.”
Inside the box was a delicate vintage bracelet made of white gold and tiny diamonds. Under the warm light, it sparkled with understated elegance. It was clearly expensive.
Liz gently pushed the box back. “Ms. Green, this is far too much. I really cannot accept it.”
“It is nothing, just an old piece of jewelry.”
Liz shook her head and insisted, so Susan gave up with a resigned smile.
After seeing her off in a taxi, Liz finally headed home.
She had no idea what kind of pressure Susan had put on him, but over the next few days, Zac actually started coming home
again.
Even so, his expression stayed cold. He barely spoke to her and never initiated a conversation.
Xena seemed to be calling nonstop, but for once, Zac did not pick up a single call.
Liz did not care why he was suddenly acting different. She went about her days pretending he was not even there.
All she had to do was make it through the next month. Then she would have repaid Susan’s kindness and finally be free.
She had never expected that leaving Zac would one day feel like freedom.
Shaking off the thought, she turned back to her paperwork and forced herself to focus.
That weekend, Susan came over to discuss the wedding plans.
Realizing neither Zac nor Liz seemed the least bit excited, she took over the entire process herself.
Zac and Liz sat on opposite ends of the sofa, stiff and silent, like two people who barely knew each other. They looked more like a couple heading for divorce than one preparing to get married.
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Susan spread out several wedding invitation designs and asked them to choose. Without any hesitation, Zac pointed to the most dated one, his expression totally disinterested.
“That one, top left,” he said flatly.
Liz glanced at it. The design was plain and outdated-just a large red heart in the center with no real decoration or style. It looked like something from a generation ago. Every other option on the table was far more modern and tasteful.
Susan gave Zac a sharp look, then turned to Liz. “What about you, Liz? Which one do you like? Let’s pick the one you prefer.”
Seeing the hopeful smile on her face, Liz nearly said what was truly on her mind-that there was no point pretending anymore. She and Zac could not walk into this marriage as if nothing was broken.
But she said nothing. She had promised to give him one last chance.
In that moment, she finally understood what it meant to force something that was never going to work.
“We can go with the one he chose,” she said softly.
Susan lit up with a smile. “Great. That’s settled.”
They moved on to discuss the gift sets and other details. Once everything had been finalized, Susan left with a satisfied smile.
As soon as the door closed behind her, the entire living room fell into silence.
It was already past ten at night when Liz checked the time.
She had a court case in the morning. Although all the documents were prepared, she had a habit of reviewing everything one more time before bed, just to be sure.
As she stood up to head toward the bedroom, Zac’s cold voice suddenly rang out from the living room.
“Liz, marrying a man who doesn’t love you is no different than living like a widow. Are you really sure this is the life you want?”
She froze for a second, then turned to look at him.
“If you don’t want to go through with it, Zac, then tell your mom yourself.”
His expression turned dark. He stared at her, his eyes sharp with anger.
“Fine. Just don’t come crying when you regret it.”
Liz said nothing more. She turned around and shut the bedroom door behind her, locking it.
Even though Zac had been staying at home the past few days, he and Liz were sleeping in separate rooms. She had the bedroom,
and he took the couch.
After double-checking her case files and confirming everything was in order, Liz slipped the documents into her briefcase. Then she grabbed her pajamas and headed off to shower before bed.
The next morning, after getting dressed and ready to leave, she walked into the living room. The couch was empty. Zac was already gone.
Her court session went smoothly. The evidence and paperwork she submitted were solid, and the trial moved quickly. It would take some time before the final ruling, but unless something unexpected came up, she was confident they would win.
As she stepped out of the courthouse and was about to leave, someone suddenly rushed toward her.
Startled, Liz took a quick step back. Then she saw who it was. Xena.
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Her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked worn out. The way she stared at Liz was filled with fury.
“What did you do?” she snapped. “Why hasn’t Mr. Lincoln been answering my calls? Why is he acting like I don’t exist at
work?”
The accusatory tone immediately rubbed Liz the wrong way. Her response was cool and even.
“You should be asking Zac. Not me.”
“It has to be you,” Xena shot back, her voice trembling. “Mr. Lincoln loves me. No matter what kind of tricks you pulled to get between us, he’ll never love you again.”
Liz’s hand tightened around the handle of her briefcase, but her face remained calm.
“Well then, good luck! Hope you can get him back to your side soon.”
Xena’s expression darkened, clearly taking the comment as sarcasm.
“Don’t get too smug,” she spat before storming off.
Liz watched her walk away without saying a word.
It was obvious Zac had spoiled her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the nerve to show up and throw a tantrum like that.
She turned and headed for the parking lot.
That evening, Zac came home smelling like alcohol.
Liz was seated in the living room, reviewing some documents. The strong stench of liquor made her frown. She closed her laptop and stood up, ready to return to the bedroom.
But Zac stepped in front of her.
“Xena went to see you today, didn’t she?”
The scent of alcohol was overwhelming.
Liz instinctively stepped back to put some space between them.
“She did. What about it?”
Zac stared at her expressionless face, then let out a dry, sarcastic laugh.
“Look at you being all mature and understanding now. If you’d been like this from the start, we wouldn’t have had all those fights.”
If Liz could just stay this cooperative and not get in the way of things with Xena, marrying her might actually work out fine.
He didn’t love her anymore, but she was still beautiful. Having her by his side would at least make him look good.
Liz held his gaze for a moment, then looked away, her voice quiet but firm.
It wasn’t that she had grown tolerant.
She just didn’t care anymore.
“Don’t worry. That won’t be an issue going forward.”
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