Chapter 16
Zachary’s phone clattered to the floor. He mechanically bent down to pick it up, his fingers trembling uncontrollably as he hung up on Anthony and redialed
Yasmine’s number.
“Hello. The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”
The cold, automated message hit his chest like a sledgehammer. Only then did he fully realize that Yasmine had blocked his phone number, too.
“Impossible…” he whispered to himself, pressing his forehead against the cold wall. “How could this happen?”
Everything should have been salvageable. He’d finally figured it all out, decided to cut ties with Queenie completely, and be with Yasmine properly. So, why had Yasmine left him so decisively?
Yasmine had decided to leave even before he went off with Queenie. And why would she ask for Xavier’s contact information?
His mind flashed back to the way Yasmine had looked at him that last time–that calm, almost indifferent gaze, as if he were just some irrelevant stranger. Zachary straightened up abruptly, grabbed his car keys, and rushed outside. He had to find Anthony and demand which city in Uplon Yasmine had gone to.
As the elevator descended, his thoughts spiraled into chaos. “I… I admit I was maybe a little dismissive of Yasmine when Queenie came back…”
Zachary looked up at his reflection in the elevator’s glass panel and muttered, “But I didn’t do anything that terrible. I–I just…”
He just showed a little bit of favoritism. How could that have led to this situation?
The man in the mirror looked ghastly pale with bloodshot eyes, looking completely haggard. As the elevator descended, he suddenly remembered what Yasmine had said in the hospital room a few days ago.
“Maybe hitting me wasn’t intentional, but what about having me searched and humiliated at the banquet? What about hiring those beggars to assault me?” How had he responded then?
“How could Queenie possibly do something like that?”
But now, recalling Queenie’s hysterical behavior at the restaurant yesterday, Zachary suddenly felt uncertain. When had that pure, beautiful young lady from his memories turned into… that?
The elevator dinged as it reached the parking garage. Zachary snapped back to reality and hurried toward the parking area, but bumped into someone as he rounded a comer.
“Zach?” The familiar voice made his whole body tense. Looking up, he saw Queenie standing before him, perfectly made up in a white dress that made her look innocent and sweet.
“Have you gotten discharged already? I was just coming up to pack some clean clothes for you,” she said.
Zachary instinctively took a step back. In that moment, he suddenly realized that Queenie’s smile was actually quite fake, and the curve of her lips held none of that pure feeling he’d once attributed to her. The perfect image he’d treasured in his heart for years was crumbling piece by piece.
“That’s not necessary.” His voice came out hoarse, his expression darkening. “Who gave you permission to come to my place whenever you wanted? Have you been coming here before?”
The smile on Queenie’s face froze. “Zach, what do you mean? You gave me your address and passcode yourself. You’re the one who said I could come over anytime. “I’m just trying to help you pack your clothes here. Why are you being so harsh?”
Zachary’s body went rigid. All the favoritism he’d once shown Queenie came flooding back into his mind.
“Did you know that Yasmine was my girlfriend?” Zachary stared intently into her eyes. “You knew all along, didn’t you?”
Queenie’s pupils contracted almost imperceptibly before she put on a confused expression. “Yasmine? Anthony’s sister? What are you talking about? How could she possibly be your girlfriend?”
Her reaction was too deliberate. Zachary’s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach.
“What did you do to her?” Zachary’s patience had run out, his expression turning cold.
“Zachary!” Queenie suddenly raised her voice. “Are you interrogating me over some random woman? We just got back together yesterday!”
Memories flooded back like a tide. Every word Queenie had said, every expression she’d made–it all seemed so fake and contrived now.
Zachary suddenly felt exhausted. “We’re over, Queenie. I already told you that yesterday.”
Queenie’s expression instantly twisted with rage. “You wouldn’t dare! Zachary, even if you don’t get back together with me, do you think Yasmine would still want you? She’s disgusted by you! She can’t wait for you to disappear from her world!”
The words pierced through Zachary’s heart like a sharp blade, He suddenly raised his hand and slapped Queenie hard across the face.
“Shut up, Queenie! I’m going to investigate what’s been happening lately. You better not have pulled any tricks, or else…”
