Dear Ex, I Am Not Your Backup Anymore

Chapter 23

Ellie's P.O.V.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The next morning, the relentless notifications dragged me out of sleep. Groaning, I reached for my phone on the bedside table. The screen lit up instantly.

“127 notifications. 49 unread messages.

Trending Topic: Mrs. Zackary Walton.”

I stared at the screen for a long second.

“Of course. Social media has never disappointed when it comes to turning someone's misery into entertainment.”

I ignored most of the notifications and opened the only conversation that actually mattered.

Maria had sent endless texts to me.

“Ellie!!! Where are you?”

“Are you alright??”

“I just saw the videos!!”

“Pick up my call.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. Maria joined the party late, so she missed the media trial I had faced. I typed back.

“Don’t panic. I am alive.”

Three dots appeared almost instantly.

“THANK GOD!!”

Maria’s text appeared on the screen.

“I missed everything! Someone sent me the clip where Jared called you his aunt!

I swear I wanted to throw my phone at him.”

Despite everything, I chuckled. Maria was undoubtedly capable of exploding in anger. So, I texted back.

“Please don't do anything stupid.”

Maria sent another message after a minute.

“Fine. How are you now, Ellie?”

My fingers paused above the keyboard.

How was I?

I thought about Jared, his confession, and all the time we had spent together, the memories replaying one after another. However, unlike before, my chest didn't ache anymore.

It just felt empty, like someone had scooped everything out, leaving behind nothing except silence.

Maybe I was finally done crying over my ex.

Taking a deep breath, I typed.

“I'll be okay.”

Maria immediately answered.

“Stay away from social media for a few days. It’s the best option for your mental health.”

Honestly, it was excellent advice, but I ignored it completely.

I checked the posts while soaking in the bathtub, then read the comments during my morning yoga. By breakfast, I was already reading the news articles on the websites.

This time, the internet had surprisingly mixed opinions.

Some praised Jared as a gentleman. He respectfully introduced her as his aunt. While others praised Alice that she was a graceful bride and all.

What a graceful bride.

But the comments about me were different this time.

“Mrs. Zackary Walton handled herself with dignity.

She didn't cause a scene and represented White Mansion well.”

I frowned in confusion.

Were people actually defending me?

The strange warmth inside my chest made me keep scrolling. Maybe I was wrong before. Social media wasn't completely terrible.

Still staring at my phone, I walked back toward my room. Another comment caught my eye.

“Mrs. Zackary Walton’s embroidered dress was beautiful. Who is selling such gowns?”

I couldn't help smiling. See? There were nice people…

Ouch!

The rest of my thoughts died down at once as my foot collided with a hard surface, followed by a loud crash echoing through the hallway.

CRASH!

Something shattered into dozens of pieces across the marble floor.

My phone almost slipped from my hand.

“What the hell?”

Lowering my phone, I stared at the mess surrounding my slippers. Fragments of blue-and-white porcelain glittered everywhere.

A huge decorative vase, or whatever it used to be, now existed in approximately two hundred pieces.

A brand-new wooden pedestal standing by the wall made me frown. I grumbled.

“I swear that wasn't here during breakfast.”

“Well, you're right.” A familiar deep voice answered behind me. “It wasn't.”

Rolling my eyes, I turned around and found Zack strolling down the hallway with all the confidence of a man ruling over a country.

Behind him, two maids carefully carried another enormous porcelain vase wrapped in protective cloth.

Zack stopped beside the broken pieces. His amber eyes swept across the floor.

“You broke that?”

I folded my arms.

“It was an accident. This wasn't here before.”

“Correct.” He nodded thoughtfully. “I had it moved here.”

Then he looked at me.

“How exactly did you miss something this big?”

I pointed at the empty space.

Because it magically appeared while I was gone for breakfast. How was I supposed to know it's here?”

“With your eyes, Ellie.” His tone remained unbearably calm. “And I don't require permission to redecorate my mansion.”

Zack crouched gracefully, picking up one porcelain fragment. A disappointed sigh escaped him.

“What a shame.” He examined the painted dragon on the broken shard. “It was beautiful.”

Then his gaze lifted toward me.

“This unfortunate accident could have been avoided if someone had remembered to walk with their eyes open instead of buried in her phone.”

Excuse me?

Was he seriously giving me a lecture?

Heat rushed into my cheeks.

“Oh, don't start.” I crossed my arms. “I already said it wasn't here before.”

Zack spoke calmly. “You still broke it.”

I shot back at him. “You placed it in my way!”

He pointed at my phone. “You walked into it because of your phone.”

We glared at each other, arguing over that broken vase. Soon enough, I ran out of patience and threw both hands into the air.

“Fine! I'll pay for it.”

His expression became oddly interested.

“You will?”

“Yes.” I held his gaze. “I take responsibility for my mistakes.”

I pointed toward the shattered porcelain.

“Send me the bill later. I will pay for it.”

For several seconds, Zack simply stared at me silently. Then the corners of his lips twitched into a smirk.

“As you wish.” He stepped aside. “I'll have it delivered.”

Utterly satisfied, I marched into my room and slammed the door.

“Hmph.”

Honestly, what was wrong with that man?

I sat on my bed, breathing heavily as the fire in my chest calmed down slowly. My phone beeped once more, diverting my attention from Zack.

I grabbed my phone and clicked on the latest trend.

“Let’s see what’s trending here.”

…

Even after an hour, I was still scrolling my phone when a knock sounded on the door. Lilly entered with her usual gentle smile.

“Good morning, Ma’am.”

In her hands rested a cream-colored envelope. She held it out respectfully.

“Master asked me to deliver this to you.”

I put my phone down.

“The bill already?”

Lilly nodded. “Yes.”

I rolled my eyes.

“He really couldn't wait.”

Taking the envelope, I muttered under my breath.

“What is it? Eighty dollars? A hundred? Zack has to take such an amount from me despite being a billionaire. He is so stingy…”

I unfolded the paper, my eyes skimming the text quickly. But the thought of paying him back quickly quieted as I reached the net bill.

What the…

I read the number once, then twice. But to my dismay, it remained unchanged.

“No.” I looked again. “This can’t be right.”

I started reading from the beginning. After the details of the historical value of the vase, it was mentioned at the end.

“Compensation for damaged antique porcelain vase

Amount Due: $5,000,000”

My mouth slowly fell open.

“Five…” I counted the zeros again. “...million?”

My gaze darted between Lilly and this ridiculously expensive bill. I swallowed hard.

“Five million dollars? Was that vase handcrafted by dragons?”