Chapter 2
608 Words
Maybe it was seeing Zephyr again. I dreamt of the past; something I hadn't done in ages.
The relationship between Zephyr and me was more of my own wishful thinking.
Being the only daughter, my parents spoiled me from the start, and I admit, I was a bit spoiled.
So when Zephyr accepted our family's financial support, I had already decided he was my boyfriend. He had to be at my beck and call, always at my disposal.
Zephyr was aloof by nature, rarely speaking to me gently, yet he was always accommodating.
The only time he got angry with me was on the anniversary of his mother's death.
That day, like any other, I called Zephyr out of boredom. I ordered him to show up within half an hour.
But Zephyr was rarely late. That day, he was a full two hours late.
I was fuming. But more than being mad about his tardiness,
I was furious because someone had sent me a photo of Zephyr and Sylvie hugging.
He was my boyfriend! How could he be hugging another woman, humiliating me like that!
I was determined to give Zephyr a piece of my mind. But when he appeared before me, soaked to the skin, my resolve melted away.
"Is there something you want?" Raindrops fell from Zephyr's bangs. He looked down at me, his gaze icy. Even his tone was distant.
Images of him and Sylvie together flashed in my mind. The way he looked at Sylvie in the photo was tender, nothing like the coldness he showed me.
Nothing stings more than comparison.
"I should be asking you that! Zephyr, you're my boyfriend! Don't you know you're supposed to be at my beck and call?! Spill it! What kept you so long?!" I stood up from the couch, hands on my hips, trying to muster some courage.
But Zephyr just looked at me, his pale lips devoid of any color. "So, you didn't actually need anything, did you?"
I wanted to argue, but Zephyr didn't give me the chance. He just let out a cold laugh, and when he spoke again, his voice was cold as ice, "Zoey, people like you never see beyond themselves.
"We were never meant to be in the same world," Zephyr declared, spinning around and walking away.
Back then, I was so spoiled that I couldn't bear my beloved saying anything negative about me. I yelled after him, words tumbling out in a frantic rush. "Zephyr! Did I say you could leave?! Take one more step, and I swear, I'll cut off my dad's support!"
Hearing my threat, Zephyr paused. I felt a smug satisfaction at having stopped him. But when he turned back, his cold and indifferent gaze turned my smug smile into a grimace.
"Suit yourself," he said coldly.
It wasn't until the next day that I learned from my parents that it had been the anniversary of his mother's passing.
Later, to apologize, I gave Zephyr a custom-made suit. He never wore it.
Looking back, that was likely the moment I became just a spoiled, willful rich kid in his eyes.
And honestly, I was.
I jolted awake, haunted by the intensity of Zephyr's gaze in my dreams, sitting up abruptly.
The first light of dawn was creeping into the sky. But for me, the workday had already begun.
On my nightstand was a family photo. I gently traced my father's face in the photo, whispering, "Good morning, Dad."
I thought Zephyr would never come to my cake shop again.
To my shock, I saw him again that very noon, catching me at my most vulnerable moment...
- Writer
