Chapter 12
“Liz, you keep saying that, but don’t end up believing your own lies.”
To Zac, this so-called ‘one-month deal’ was nothing more than her way of saving face. If he actually believed she meant it, he
had to be crazy.
Since he clearly didn’t believe her, Liz didn’t see the point in explaining further.
After all, she knew he was never going to cut ties with Xena. All she had to do was make it through the rest of the month, repay Susan’s life-saving favor, and then she could finally walk away for good.
It didn’t take long for Xena to find out about the one-month deadline between Liz and Zac.
Zac told her himself, holding her in his arms like it was all just a joke.
Xena sat on his lap, pouting flirtatiously. “Mr. Lincoln, do you think Miss Smith was serious about that?”
There was a trace of hope in her voice. If Liz really planned to leave, that meant she could finally take Liz’s place as Zac’s official girlfriend.
She had always told Zac she didn’t care about titles, that being with him was enough. But deep down, what woman wants to be a man’s secret forever?
“No way,” Zac said without hesitation. “I know her. Even after she found out about us, she refused to break up with me for three years. She even used my mom to push me into marrying her. There’s no way she’s actually leaving.
Xena watched his smug face and couldn’t help thinking he really didn’t understand women.
She had interacted with Liz a few times and felt like she had a decent grasp on her personality.
Liz might seem gentle and soft on the outside, but deep down, she had pride. She had stuck around for three years only because she loved Zac too much to let go.
But now, just as they were about to get married, Liz suddenly wanted to end things. That had to mean she was finally done holding on.
Zac hadn’t figured that out, but Xena had. And for her, this was an opportunity.
It was a real chance to drive Liz out of Zac’s life for good and take her place.
She needed to find a way to make sure Liz gave up completely.
Over the next week, Zac still came home every day, but now he made calls to Xena openly, right in front of Liz, without even bothering to hide it.
It was obvious he wanted to send a clear message before the wedding that he had no intention of cutting off contact with Xena.
Liz didn’t react. She acted like she hadn’t heard a thing.
But deep down, it still hurt.
She had made up her mind to leave Zac, but that didn’t mean she could flip a switch and stop loving him right away.
Maybe it would take a long time before her heart stopped reacting to him.
About a week later, a package arrived. It was the custom wedding dress she had ordered.
The courier asked for her signature and left without saying much.
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The dress now hung in the center of the living room, just as beautiful and striking as she remembered it being when she first tried it on in the boutique. But looking at it now, all the joy and excitement she once felt had vanished.
She stood there for a while, staring at it in silence.
She probably wouldn’t get the chance to wear it.
She reached up to take the dress down, intending to fold it and pack it away, but something caught her eye.
There were faint yellowish stains on the back hem. The fabric was white, so it was hard to notice at first glance but they were definitely there.
Liz frowned and was about to call the boutique when a text came through.
“Hi, Miss Smith, it’s Xena. I saw the delivery was marked as signed. You must’ve received the dress by now, right?”
Her eyes narrowed. Her grip on the dress slowly tightened.
“The dress came from Xena?” she said under her breath.
She immediately called the boutique.
A staff member told her the dress had been picked up three days ago.
Three days ago? But she only received it today.
Her heart sank.
Right then, her phone lit up again. It was the same number that had just texted her.
She answered in a flat, emotionless voice.
“Xena, what did you do to my wedding dress?”
Xena let out a slow, smug laugh. “You’re asking the wrong question,” she said. “It’s not what I did to your dress, it’s what I did
with Mr. Lincoln-and where.
“I wore your wedding dress and slept with Mr. Lincoln in your bed. Not once, but over and over. He couldn’t get enough of it.
Neither could I. It was just so… exciting.
“For the past few days, while you were off at work, I was with him in your bedroom. The kitchen, the bathroom, the living room -we’ve left a little something behind in every corner of your perfect little home. But the best part?”
She paused with a wicked smile in her voice. “Definitely that bed.”
Her voice oozed smug satisfaction, each word dripping with cruelty.
Liz had thought she would lose it if she ever heard something like this. She expected to scream, to cry, to break.
But she didn’t.
She just stood there, eerily calm, as if a storm had ripped through her chest and left nothing behind but silence and rubble. And in the middle of it all, she felt nothing at all.
“You really called just to brag about your disgusting little affair?” she asked, her voice cold, like she was talking about something that didn’t even involve her.
“Oh, come on,” Xena said lightly. “I just wanted to remind you-Mr. Lincoln’s over you. A month? Please. Even if you waited ten years, he still wouldn’t look back. So stop embarrassing yourself.”
She laughed again, sharper this time. “Honestly, I kind of pity you. Still chasing after a man who doesn’t love you. Acting like
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hapter
some pathetic stray dog that refuses to leave no matter how many times it gets kicked. It’s pathetic.
“Oh, and by the way,” she added, almost as an afterthought, “Mr. Lincoln told me your family never liked you either. That’s why they named you Liz-because you were always the least. Least wanted. Least important. Not just at home, but here too.”
Liz froze.
Least. That cruel jab had first come from Mandy Smith. And the only person she had ever told about it was Zac.
She remembered how he had held her back then, his arms wrapped tight around her as if he could shield her from the world.
“You’ve got me,” he had said. “No one gets to treat you that way again.”
But now, he was the one doing exactly that-with someone else in his arms.
Not that it mattered anymore.
“Are you finished?” Liz asked quietly.
Xena hadn’t expected that kind of calm. It felt like swinging hard into a wall of air-nothing to hit, nowhere for the anger to
land.
Her face twisted, her voice rising with frustration. “I don’t care what I have to do. I’m not letting you marry him. The only
woman who deserves to be Mrs. Lincoln is me!”
Liz didn’t flinch. “Then I hope you get what you want,” she said flatly, and ended the call.
She blocked Xena’s number without hesitation, then turned to look at the wedding dress hanging in the middle of the living
room.
For a moment, her mind drifted back to that night-Zac’s cheeks flushed, his hands trembling as he nervously held out the ring
to her.
Back then, his love had felt real.
Now, the betrayal felt just as real.
In the three years since she had discovered his affair, she had broken down, cried, despaired, compromised, and screamed. During their worst fights, he had called her crazy.
But the truth was, that was when she had loved him the most.
Now, there was nothing left.
Maybe it was time to stop holding on. Maybe it was time to let him go and finally let herself go too.
Liz stared down at her phone for a moment, then began typing the number she knew by heart.
No answer on the first call.
Or the second.
Or the third.
She didn’t stop.
She didn’t even know how many times she tried before he finally picked up.
Zac’s voice came through the line, clearly annoyed. “Liz, I’m in the middle of a meeting. What is it now?”
She could picture the impatient look on his face.
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But this time, it didn’t shake her.
This time, it would be the last.
“Zac Lincoln,” she said calmly. “I’m done. We’re over.”
