Chapter 10
Without a word, Jonathan swung a fist at Hayden’s face. The punch made Hayden stagger back as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Zara was stunned for a moment, and her heart raced. She immediately rushed over to hold Hayden. Then, she turned to the furious Jonathan and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing, Jonathan?”
But Jonathan was lost in his own world and couldn’t snap out of it. The more Zara spoke, the more agitated he became.
Harper, who was standing at the doorway, watched the whole assault in shock. She didn’t think that Jonathan would hit Hayden. She stood there, unsure of what she could do. Upon seeing that Jonathan wasn’t listening to her, Zara glanced at Harper, who was still standing in the doorway. She shouted, “Harper! Go get security to pull him away!” Harper hesitated for a long moment, shaking like a leaf. Finally, she glanced at the injured Hayden before dashing out.
Jonathan felt his blood boiling. The thought that Hayden and Harper had ruined his eight–year relationship with Zara fueled his desire for revenge. His hands clenched into fists, causing his knuckles to crack menacingly.
As Jonathan closed in on them, Zara tried to shield Hayden. Hayden held Zara and took blow after blow on his back. The sound of bones breaking seemed almost audible.
From under Hayden, Zara could feel the force behind Jonathan’s punches. Even though Hayden could barely bear the pain, he still protected her without letting go. Zara kept pleading with Jonathan to stop.
“If you keep hitting him, I’ll never forgive you!” she cried out.
These words seemed to calm Jonathan down a bit, giving them a brief moment to communicate. Seizing this chance, Zara moved Hayden off of her and faced Jonathan.
Her words echoed in Jonathan’s mind, “If you keep hitting him, I’ll never forgive you!”
“I’ll never forgive you!”
His face contorted in anger, and he spat out, “Zar, are you serious about refusing to forgive me because of this man?”
If Zara hadn’t been afraid her words would provoke Jonathan further, she would have spoken her mind. She wanted Jonathan to see what he had become. How could he still think he had the right to judge others?
She thought that if Jonathan kept this up, his life would be ruined.
Zara said, “Jonathan, whatever issues we’re having–it’s all between us. They have nothing to do with Harper or Hayden. Think about it. When you were with Harper, doing things for her while abandoning me, did you ever think about how hurt I would be?
“Did you ever think about how I’d feel? I’ve been with you for eight whole years, and yet I’m no match for a young woman who’s only been in your life for a few months.”
Jonathan seemed moved by her words. His eyes no longer looked as crazed and bloodthirsty.
He started explaining himself, “Zar, Harper just happened to remind me of how you were eight years ago. I felt like I was seeing the Zara I fell for again. I must have lost my mind! Really, I thought I was with you. I thought that it was you I was spending time with.”
Zara realized now that Jonathan had lost his rationality. Harper was Harper, and Zara was Zara. No matter how much they might seem alike at times, that was just an excuse on Jonathan’s part. Nevertheless, she had to keep him calm until Harper returned with security.
“Jonathan, I have a question for you,” she said.
Jonathan nodded frantically and looked at Zara with anticipation. “What is it, Zar? As long as you forgive me, I’ll tell you anything.”
Zara lowered her gaze and sneaked a glance at Hayden, who was leaning against the wall in pain but still conscious. “Why didn’t you agree to marry me? I proposed to you three times. Why didn’t you accept even once?”
Jonathan was silent for a long time. Then, he slowly lowered his hands. “I don’t know. I just felt confused at that time. I didn’t know how we would get along after marriage, nor did I know how to take care of you. And having kids… I wasn’t ready for that.”
Zara stared at Jonathan. “Then, why did you lie to me and say that you were a misogamist? Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t ready? I would have understood that. But when you said you were against marriage–it sounded like you were stringing me along all this time.”
Jonathan started to panic. He grabbed Zara’s hand and said earnestly, “Zar, let’s start over. I can’t lose you. We can get married right away. We can have kids. As long as you come back to me, I’ll do anything.”
Hayden, who was still leaning against the wall, ran his tongue around his lips and spat out, “You? You’re not worthy!”
Zara had intended to keep Jonathan talking until security arrived, but Hayden’s sudden outburst sent a chill down her spine. She instinctively rushed to stand in front of Hayden to shield him.
Jonathan did nothing at first, but seeing how worried Zara was for Hayden reignited his anger. “Is Hayden really that important to you, Zar? Are you really so concerned about him?”
Zara knew her actions had angered him again. But then, she thought the worst thing that could happen to her was that she would take a hit–it was no big deal.
Jonathan charged forward, his hand clenched into a fist However, Zara was shielding Hayden as best as she could, so Jonathan couldn’t find anywhere to land a punch. The longer Zara shielded him, the more upset Jonathan felt.
When? When had Hayden become more important to Zara than he was? He was so important to her to the point where she would shield him so relentlessly. Did she assume he wouldn’t hurt her?
Jonathan smashed his fist into the wall again, anger seeping from every fiber of his being. He breathed heavily, his fierce expression caused Zara to feel afraid of looking at him. Finally, Zara heard a commotion outside and guessed that Harper had brought security. She felt a sense of relief.
The security guards restrained Jonathan swiftly upon seeing his aggressive demeanor. Despite being the other woman, Harper still had a conscience. She tried to comfort the injured Hayden, saying, “Hang in there, Hayden. I’ve dialed 911. The medics will be here soon.”
Hayden gave Harper a cold glance and then turned to reassure Zara, “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Harper shot a frosty glare at Zara, wondering how she managed to have two men wrapped around her finger simultaneously.
Only after seeing Jonathan restrained did Hayden allow himself to lose consciousness. Zara took Hayden to the hospital and decided not to report Jonathan to the police.
Chapter 10
2/2
Reporting him might lead to a prison sentence. Given that this whole situation had started because of her, Zara couldn’t bring herself to send someone she had loved for eight years to jail.
But as she saw Hayden lying in bed, wrapped in bandages, she realized it was time to put an end to everything.
Zara put Hayden in Harper’s care. Although Hayden and Harper didn’t have a good relationship, Hayden was her only source of financial support. So, her interest was tied to his.
After that, Zara returned home. She went straight to her bedroom and walked over to a storage cabinet to pull out a box from inside.
She looked down at the box with a heavy heart. Initially, she had thought of keeping these things as remembrance. But now, it seemed unnecessary. Bad memories would only become a burden. She had to look forward and live life.
The box contained the gifts Jonathan had given her over the past eight years and the letters he had written to pursue her..The man who had once loved her to the point of madness was now gone–he was gone from Zara’s heart.
She still remembered the contents of each love letter clearly. When she first received these letters, she had been indifferent toward them and didn’t even bother to open the envelopes. But once she fell for him, Zara read the letters repeatedly, her heart nourished by every word.
In the past, Zara had asked Jonathan why he had changed his playboy ways after meeting her. She vividly remembered his response, which was a standard answer from a seasoned flirt
Zara took a taxi to see Jonathan, who was bringing the box with her.
When Jonathan saw Zara standing before him, his first thought was that he must be dreaming. Otherwise, why would Zara be here at this moment?
It wasn’t until she spoke that he realized it wasn’t a dream. “Jonathan, I think we should have a proper breakup.”
Jonathan forced a bitter smile. This wasn’t a dream, but it wasn’t good news either. It would have been better if she had come for any other reason and not to make a clean break. After eight long years, was this how their relationship was going to end?
Jonathan had thought he was tired of Zara, but the moment he received her breakup message, he realized he couldn’t live without her.
There had been no surprises or excitement over the years, but that was just how it should be. A relationship was meant to start with passion and end in quiet contentment. The next step was that they would have kids and raise them together. That was how life was supposed to be.
“But I don’t want you to leave, Zar,” Jonathan said quietly.
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