How I Became His Unforgettable Ex

Chapter 4 No Feelings for Her (Allyn's Perspective)

A full day of tedious work.

At one point, Martha had called, sounding nervous. "Mrs. Hall left the house! Do you think she's going after Ms. Karoline?"

"Leave her be."

She already knew she didn't have the power to divorce me.

As for Karoline, if she chose to chase fame this way, she could handle the consequences. That was fair enough.

"Yes, Mr. Hall... By the way, will you be home for dinner tonight?"

"No, I have somewhere I need to go."

I turned down the driver's services and drove myself to the garden cottage, a place from long ago.

Ever since Zara left, I hadn't set foot here, though I'd had people maintaining the garden, keeping it filled with her favorite Juliet roses. From the moment she left, I'd been waiting for her return.

'Thank God,' I thought. 'Finally, my patience paid off.'

Under the evening sky, the garden gate was open, and the front door was slightly ajar, with a warm light spilling from inside.

Zara was there, just a few steps away, and just a few years between us.

Suddenly, a wave of nerves hit me, and I looked around, trying to steady myself. The bushes were neatly trimmed, the roses were blooming beautifully—she'd like that.

With each step closer, I could almost smell her, hear her heartbeat... 'Oh hell, what do I even say? Hi, good evening? No, that's stiff as hell.'

Maybe I should just open my arms and hug her? Kiss her cheek? 'Would she push me away?'

"Allyn?"

I froze, one foot in midair, locking eyes with Luzie inside the house. Judging from her expression, she was just as surprised as I was.

I recovered first, forcing a neutral tone as I walked in. "Oh, it's you in here."

After Zara's mother passed, Aulton adopted her, and she'd grown up here with Luzie. Technically, this house was Luzie's.

But Zara—if she was back in the country, wasn't she staying here? Where else would she go?

Before I could process it, Luzie was laughing and crying all at once, throwing her arms around me. "Allyn, did you come here for me? How did you know I'd be here? I knew it—you care about me... I'm sorry, Allyn..."

Her excitement took me off guard. Her hug was the last thing I wanted.

But with her, dramatics were no surprise, so I pushed her back with a frown. "Calm down, Luzie."

She stopped crying right away, letting go and stepping back, looking up at me intently. "Allyn, I'm sorry. Maybe I did something wrong today."

Looked like she'd finally realized she'd nearly ended up broke.

I let out a cold snort. "Good. So—"

"Oh, Allyn!" Her eyes lit up as she pulled me over to the fireplace. "Do you remember this? We were at a party seven years ago, and I fell in love with a golden bull statue. Too bad it wasn't for sale. They wouldn't sell it no matter what I offered. But later, you had this one custom-made! Look at how perfect it is—all gold and sparkly, just like I love..."

A replica of a Sumerian artifact, commissioned by me—but not for Luzie.

The three of us had been at dinner that night when Luzie started raving about the golden bull, and Zara had listened in awe, her blue eyes filled with wonder. "Luzie, I'm so jealous of you—I'd love to see it in person. I bet it's stunning."

A month later, that golden bull appeared in this very house.

I'd thought Zara would take it with her to Gallienne.

Holding the bull, I felt a mix of emotions as I noticed that, despite the years it had been here, it was spotless—no dust at all.

Glancing around the living room, I noticed a white shirt draped over the sofa arm. Zara had been wearing a white shirt when I saw her earlier that afternoon.

She was staying here—she must've just gone out briefly.

My nerves shot up again. Luzie had no idea Zara was back. If they ran into each other...

"Oh, and the Juliet roses in the garden," Luzie went on, oblivious, "we planted those together to surprise my dad for his birthday. Remember? Then the power went out that night, and that old man ended up on some all-night bender and didn't come back till the third day. You even waited here all night for him... I'd almost forgotten about all that, Allyn..."

'Doesn't matter if you forget.'

The only reason I'd planted those roses, the only reason I'd spent that night here, was because of Zara.

Zara had asked me where she could buy Juliet roses, so I arranged for a full truckload, personally brought them over, and planted them myself.

It was also Zara's voice, trembling in the dark, that had kept me on that sofa, waiting for morning just to be close to her.

'I doubt Luzie doesn't know this,' I thought, as she continued on, grinning to herself. "I can't believe those roses are still alive. Nobody's tended them in ages, but they're still thriving. Allyn, don't you think this means that our love will never wither?"

Her light green eyes shone brightly, almost unnervingly so, as she stared at me, practically begging me to say the words she wanted.

For a split second, I had to admit—there was something enticing about her.

It startled me, and I snapped, "I don't have any feelings for you. Now get out of my sight."

It was a reminder—for her and for myself.

But mostly, I just needed her to leave. It was getting dark, and Zara could come back at any time.

Luzie's smile froze, an odd flash of anger crossing her face. She looked at me, those intense green eyes still fixed on me. "If you don't care about me, why stop me from divorcing you? Why didn't you let that interview go public?"

I probably should tell her the real reason I'd stopped her.

Because I didn't want her reduced to a beggar. Because I wasn't going to let her announce our divorce like that. Because Zara had once told me that Luzie was the person she cared about most. And because I'd promised Zara I wouldn't abandon Luzie.

I looked into those defiant eyes, ready to lay it all out, to make her finally understand.

"Because—"

"Apologies, Mr. Hall, but you won't be able to stop Luzie from divorcing you. That, I can guarantee."

A stranger in a black shirt stood in the doorway, smirking as he interrupted me.