Chapter 8

Zane behaved like a totally different person from the man who bawdily replied to my text earlier. I cleared my throat before trying to appease him. With a giggle, I said, "It's nothing. I just wanted to ask if you were coming back tonight, so I can decide whether to prepare dinner for you." Despite saying that, deep down, I eagerly prayed he wouldn't return tonight. I awaited his response when a woman's voice rang out on the other end. "Zay…" the woman murmured. I stiffened. Was that his old flame? Was he currently with her? "You don't need to prepare dinner. I've already eaten. And you won't need to wait for me tonight, so you can head to bed first." "O-Oh… Okay…" I replied in a daze, only to hear the harsh beep that indicated he had hung up on me. Zane was with his old flame. At that rate, he was unlikely to return home tonight. I should have been happy. Yet, there was an inexplicably miserable feeling weighing down on my chest. Regardless, I shrugged off those frustrating thoughts, changed into a sexy maxi dress, and headed out. Zane had his beloved old flame. I was only his casual lover now. He would undoubtedly kick me away if he found me not as appealing or suddenly grew tired of getting revenge on me like this. Because of that, I couldn't afford to feel or think in ways I shouldn't. My emotions soothed much more after I reminded myself of my place. … It was only around 7:00 pm, so the pub wasn't at its busiest yet. I had just entered and saw Darcy merrily waving at me. She looked the same as she did three years ago, with her shoulder-length hair, defined features, and honest grin. Darcy often claimed she had a tomboyish appearance and didn't attract men. On the other hand, she said I possessed an ideal, goddess-like face and a good figure that most men liked. She always believed I would marry the best man to exist in this world. That was until the day Zane and I married. Darcy was full of rage that day, blaming Zane for destroying a beautiful flower like myself. Ironically, Zane turned the tide and became unreachable in the business industry. Meanwhile, I fell far from my perch and resorted to crawling in the dirt for survival. Gosh, how could I not sigh at the thought of that? "Ari, I heard about your family's situation once I returned." Darcy pulled me toward her and said, "Are you doing okay? Please let me know if I can help in any way." I flashed her a smile. "Don't worry. Everything's sorted out." Yet, Darcy still shoved a bank card with two million dollars in my hands. She insisted that I used the money to get by temporarily. I refused to take it. Although Darcy was also from a wealthy family, she had an evil stepmother and a difficult life at home. So, I couldn't accept her money. Darcy didn't insist after seeing how determined I was. She merely huffed and asked, "Why are people telling me that Zane divorced you?" I froze. It seemed that Zane had already spread the word about our divorce. "It's true." I nodded and smiled indifferently. Contrary to my reaction, Darcy was livid beyond comparison. "How can he do that? How could he be so cruel to divorce you right after becoming rich?" "What else could he have done?" I patted Darcy's back, soothing her while chuckling in amusement. "I was horrible to him back then. It's good enough that he's only divorcing me and not trying to get even with me." I didn't bother telling Darcy about Zane making me his casual lover. Otherwise, she would be pissed off again. A sigh left Darcy's lips. "Oh, forget it. I've never liked him anyway. You're way better off without him." Her gaze shifted as she spoke. Then, her lips curved upward with mischief. "Do you still have feelings for Isaac?" Before I could answer, she excitedly revealed, "I bumped into Isaac when I got off the plane earlier. He's also returned to the country. I invited him along, so he should be here soon." That made every muscle in my body tense. How could she have invited Isaac, too?