Chapter 5

Zayn ended the call and looked at Josephine with an apologetic expression. "Honey, I…" Josephine raised her brows. It seemed like he couldn't come up with an excuse to leave. She said with a composed smile, "Just go. Don't keep them waiting." "Thank you for understanding. I promise to make it up to you." Josephine nodded, her smile unwavering. Upon getting her approval, Zayn turned around and left. It seemed like he had been so preoccupied with finding the present earlier that he hadn't even noticed the bedroom being much emptier. But perhaps it was for the best. Otherwise, it would be far more complicated when she left. Josephine headed upstairs to the bedroom. She gathered the last remnants of what had once been her most cherished memories with Zayn, including their wedding photo and couple portraits, tore it all to shreds, and stuffed them into a plastic bag. She then took out their wedding rings, used a plier to break them in half, and then tossed it into the bag with everything else. With a bitter smile, she looked around at the house she had stayed in for three years. Every corner seemed to echo with traces of Zayn's love for her, yet it also bore the weight of his countless betrayals. Regardless, it no longer had anything to do with her. She took out her phone and dialed Mason's number. "You can come pick me up now." Mason was thrilled upon hearing this and his voice trembled with joy, "That's great, Ms. Dunn. The plane is ready to take off. See you at the airport in four hours." "See you." She hung up the call and headed to the garden with her luggage. Turning her head, she saw the acacia tree that she and Zayn had planted together on Arbor Day three years ago. In three years, the sapling had grown tremendously, now with a thick trunk and lush leaves. Contrastingly, Zayn and her love had withered. "Mrs. Forbes, are you going out of town?" One of the housekeepers noticed Josephine's luggage and asked in curiosity. "No. This suitcase is broken, so I'm just throwing it away." The housekeeper didn't question her and simply left with a smile. "Wait." Josephine stopped her. "What's wrong, Mrs. Forbes?" She pointed at the acacia tree and said, "Chop it down." "Chop it?" the housekeeper asked in confusion, "But Mrs. Forbes, isn't this tree a symbol of yours and Mr. Forbes' love? Look at how well it's growing." "Just chop it down! Mr. Forbes is planning to plant another." The housekeeper immediately complied and went to grab the tools. It wasn't until Josephine witnessed the tree being chopped down that she finally left in peace. From now on, there was nothing left for her here. She walked to the entrance of the villa and tossed the bag that was filled with Zayn and her memories into the bin. As she was calling for a cab, she received another photo from Nadine. Josephine hesitated before eventually clicking it open. It was a photo of the charity foundation contract. But the difference was that Zayn had only shown her the front page, while Nadine was showing her the last. On the last page, the name of the investor was written. It read Nadine Sommers. Nadine then sent her another photo. It was a photo of her in Zayn's arms, enjoying a rafting trip together. Nadine followed to send a message. "You didn't expect this, huh? Zayn named the foundation after you, yet he put me down as the investor. I'm going to keep using your name to make money." As Josephine read this, she couldn't help but chuckle coldly. She pulled out her phone and made a call. "Take down the Josephine Charity Foundation. I want it gone by tomorrow." "Yes, Ms. Dunn." Josephine's eyes were no longer filled with her usual indecisiveness. Instead, they were filled with determination and strength. Nadine thought that Zayn had been the one who was backing her up these past months. But what she didn't know was that, without her, she'd still be stuck as an extra. Just then, the cab she called arrived. She had just gotten into the car when she saw Zayn's car pull up at the entrance. The two cars passed. "Liam, was that Josephine in the car just now?" Zayn thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and asked his driver, Liam Spears. "How could it possibly be Mrs. Forbes? She's most probably waiting at home for your gift right now." Hearing this, Zayn let out a sigh of relief. Liam was right. They had such a strong relationship, and Josephine would always inform him whenever she went anywhere. Zayn held the custom diamond ring he had ordered for Josephine last week and headed to the garden. As he stepped inside, he immediately saw the fallen acacia tree. He rushed over and began shouting at the few housekeepers in the garden. "Who chopped this tree down?" One of the housekeepers replied, "Mr. Forbes, Mrs. Forbes said you're planning to plant another acacia tree and had us chop this one down." "Mrs. Forbes? Why would she do that? She personally watered and took care of it. Zayn couldn't help but grow anxious. Just as he was about to head upstairs to check, a housekeeper in charge of garbage collection approached him and handed him a plastic bag. "Mr. Forbes, look. It looks like your wedding photo with Mrs. Forbes."