Chapter 8
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Chapter 8
At some point, Zara stood behind Hayden with her arms crossed, her gaze inquisitive. In front of her, his cold eyes that had always kept others at a distance seemed to melt away entirely. He didn’t mind that Zara had been eavesdropping from behind him.
He said, “You’ve been walking for so long. Why don’t you lie down on the sofa and rest for a bit more?”
Zara was still caught up in how Hayden had scolded Harper so harshly that she couldn’t utter a word in response. The anger inside her dissipated substantially. She now knew that Hayden cared about her the most, and not his sister who liked to seduce other people’s boyfriends.
Just for that, Hayden was already better than Jonathan. Zara felt very happy.
She went up and gave Hayden a simple hug. Hayden’s hands hovered in the air, for he was unsure whether to place them on Zara’s waist. He hesitated because he was worried that she might feel repulsed if he held her.
Driven by his love for Zara, he decided to gently embrace her anyway. However, Zara pulled away just then. And then, she flashed him a faint smile.
She said, “This is a reward for what you said earlier. I enjoyed hearing it.”
If Hayden were Jonathan, he would have probably asked for a kiss from her. Nevertheless, Hayden was nowhere as flirtatious as Jonathan was.
He merely said, “Thank you.”
Zara couldn’t help but wonder what if Harper was strongly opposed to Hayden marrying her. And what if Jonathan and Harper ended up together, and she became Harper’s sister- in–law? In that case, she would be Jonathan’s sister–in–law too.
Just imagining this scenario made Zara feel pleased. As she imagined Jonathan’s expression and Harper’s reluctant face, she no longer felt that vexed.
Hayden noticed that Zara was lost in thought with a slight smile playing on her lips as if she wanted to laugh out loud but held back. He sensed Zara’s genuine happiness.
“What are you thinking about that’s making you so happy?” he asked.
Zara realized that she had just fantasized about being Hayden’s wife. If Hayden found out, would he think she was ready to accept him?
She shook her head and replied, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking about some random things.”
Since Zara didn’t want to say more, Hayden didn’t press her. He asked the housekeeper to prepare some food and gave her clear instructions about Zara’s likes and dislikes.
Hayden surprised her once more–there seemed to be a lot more to him that she had yet to discover. How did he know her dietary preferences in such detail?
Sometimes, even Jonathan, who had lived with her for eight years, would forget her preferences. In contrast, Hayden, whom she had only met a few times, remembered them all. He loved Zara so dearly that he silently remembered what she liked and disliked as he endured seeing her and Jonathan as an affectionate couple.
If Zara had been in his shoes, she didn’t think she could have waited so long for someone with such persistence. Jonathan was way inferior compared to Hayden. Why had she met that jerk of a man first?
Today, Zara wore a white evening dress. Hayden lost the ability to think for a moment when he saw her. Zara was naturally beautiful. But after she put on some light makeup and a pretty dress, she looked even more stunning than the actresses on TV.
Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, after all.
Upon noticing that Hayden was standing still in a daze, Zara gently nudged him with a shy expression on her face. The housekeeper and maid laughed, saying that Hayden was too mesmerized by his wife’s beauty.
When Hayden came back to his senses, he wanted to play it cool and find something to justify his staring but found nothing suitable nearby. He ended up smiling awkwardly and adjusting his tie while saying to Zara, “You look stunning in this dress, Zar.”
Zara had heard similar compliments from Jonathan before. Thinking back now, that felt like a long time ago. It had been a while since Jonathan had taken her to an event like this. Just then, Hayden reached out his hand to her. “Shall we go, my girlfriend?”
Hayden led Zara to the car. On the way to the party, he warned her that they would likely run into Jonathan and Harper.
Jonathan held on to the belief that Zara was with Hayden just to make him jealous and that she would eventually go back to him. Upon hearing this, Zara felt that Jonathan was not only self–centered but also quite a scumbag.
How could he still keep Harper by his side in this situation? He had claimed that he didn’t like Harper, but how true was that? Also, why was he being pretentious and trying to win
Zara back now?
“Got it,” Zara replied.
As they entered, Hayden had Zara hold his arm as they walked down the red carpet. This scene left many in the media confused. Why was Jonathan’s girlfriend entering with Hayden, and why was Hayden’s sister, Harper, with Jonathan?
They didn’t stop to ponder what could have happened between these high–profile individuals. All they knew was that this would be sensational news in the business world. So, they hastily snapped photos that would be used in their latest articles and news reports that would no doubt make the headlines.
Jonathan arrived when Hayden and Zara were in the middle of the red carpet. Upon seeing them on the big LED screen, he quickened his pace to catch up with Zara.
The fact that Harper was holding his arm seemed to have slipped his mind. She was wearing high heels that were difficult to walk in. Despite her repeated reminders for Jonathan to slow down, he didn’t listen to her.
When Harper twisted her ankle and fell to the ground, Jonathan didn’t even glance back. A few concerned staff members felt sorry for Harper. They helped her up and escorted her into the banquet hall.
Meanwhile, Jonathan pushed forward and grabbed Zara’s hand. Zara paused in her steps and looked to her right. As she had expected, it was Jonathan. She was not the least bit surprised that he was tugging her arm in public.
The moment Hayden saw that it was Jonathan, he grabbed Zara’s other hand and bellowed, “Let go!”
His voice drew the attention of many guests. Hayden’s sharp features displayed a very hostile expression at that moment. He didn’t seem to care about his past friendship with Jonathan
jonathan held on to the delusion that Zara was therely upset with him. He said to Hayden, “Zar is just using you to make me jealous, Hayden. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that
Chapter 8
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Zar has fallen for you. She has loved me for eight years. Do you think she would fall for you in just one night?”
He then turned to Zara and urged her to express her thoughts and tell Hayden that he was right.
Zara pulled her hands away from both of them. Then, she looked at Jonathan and said solemnly, “Jonathan, don’t you think you’re being too presumptuous?”
The hope and anticipation in Jonathan’s eyes vanished instantly. He began to panic as confusion, pain, and humiliation overwhelmed him. He felt as if his heart would jump out of his throat with every word he spoke or every step he took.
Too many emotions surged into his heart, causing unbearable anguish.
Jonathan chose not to believe what was happening. He was in denial as he kept trying to expose what he believed were Zara’s lies.
“Zar, you’ve been by my side for so many years. Just recently, you were still proposing to me. How can you not love me anymore? Are you upset and using Hayden to put on a show? You’ve loved me for eight years, Zar. Is it marriage you want? Then let’s get married, right now.”
Zara sneered, “Do you think I still care for that, Jonathan?”
Then, Zara began her counterattack. “So, you know I’ve stayed with you for eight years, huh? But look at you, what have you ever done for me? Oh, that’s right! You found yourself a mistress to put between our relationship.”
Zara took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and tried to suppress her anger. “You went to compete, and you ended up in the hospital for her. You abandoned me without hesitation, even though you knew I was afraid of rain and couldn’t drive. And now, you want to marry me? Why don’t you go and marry your mistress instead?”
Jonathan’s face turned pale, sweat dripping from his forehead. His hands were clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, yet he felt no pain. “I…”
Zara watched Jonathan’s distressed expression as he struggled to come up with something to say..
She chuckled coldly and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Didn’t you say you were tired of me after eight years? That was why I broke up with you. I don’t get how you thought that Hayden and I were putting on an act.”
Zara had believed that when two people transitioned from being friends to lovers, they had survived the test of the first year. If they hadn’t broken up by then, it proved that they didn’t get together on a whim.
Many people experienced only shallow relationships, like Jonathan. Before he got into a serious relationship with Zara, he had been a total playboy.
In their second year, Zara and Jonathan had experienced the joy love brought them. But then came the third year, which was commonly believed to be a difficult phase. The biggest challenge was the transition from being a couple in love to husband and wife.
Not many couples could reach the third year unscathed. After the excitement of the first year faded and the passion of the next two years waned, this was the best time for those who still loved each other by then to get married.
Unfortunately, Jonathan hadn’t planned on getting married. Zara, on the other hand, kept hoping that he would propose one day.
However, one year passed after another. It seemed like Zara’s waiting would never come to an end. By the fifth year, she had already noticed the changes that started in the fourth
year.
Life had become increasingly dull for Zara. Jonathan no longer shared interesting things with her. Neither did he make an effort to prepare little surprises for her from time to
time.
All passionate love would eventually transform into a deep familial bond between two previously completely unrelated people. This was the most crucial and fragile period in a relationship. It was time’s ultimate test of their bond.
This was a tough hurdle to cross–those who made it progressed into married life, but those who didn’t simply drifted apart.
