Chapter 3The Gardenias Vow

Zack's POV

I clamped a hand over my mouth, refusing to let a single sound escape.

Clothes hit the floor one after another. Every so often, another used condom was tossed into the trash.

I lay there listening until my whole body went numb, but the pain inside me only got worse.

Sophie used to tear Darren apart whenever she talked about him. "With a temper like his, I feel sorry for whoever ends up marrying him."

But now I heard what she was really thinking.

[He's so cute.]

Darren had always been just as vicious whenever he talked about Sophie.

He used to say, "She's such a bitch."

But his thoughts told a very different story.

[I'm sorry, Zack. I love her so much.]

Suddenly, I was just tired of all of it.

After they finished and left, I crawled out from under the bed and took in the mess they'd left behind. Instead of crying, I pulled out my phone and snapped a few pictures.

Then I opened the chat pinned at the top of my messages and sent Sophie one line.

"It's over."

After I hit send, I thought back to when I'd found out she was cheating and told her I wanted to break up. Her reaction had seemed strange even then.

Normally, she would've cried, made a scene, and called me a scumbag. But that day, she smiled like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

That was when it finally hit me. She'd been sick of me for a long time.

I splashed cold water on my face until my head cleared, then took one last look around the house that was supposed to be ours.

It was time to put that part of my life behind me.

I pulled up the number for Mr. Finn, the real estate agent handling the house, and called him.

"I've decided to back out of the purchase."

He sounded surprised. "The house you put 800,000 dollars down on?"

"Yes."

"But your wife already paid the balance in full. The deed's already been finalized."

My ears rang, and I froze.

Then a thought hit me. I fumbled for my phone and opened my banking app. There was only 1,000 dollars left.

My fingers started shaking.

When had Sophie transferred the money?

That was our wedding fund.

I'd spent seven years away from home saving every cent I could, cutting back wherever possible and staying up all night working on cases.

Some of that money was Mom and Dad's hard-earned savings from decades of teaching.

How could she just take all of it?

The blood drained from my face.

"Mr. Finn, whose name is on the deed?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He sounded completely baffled. "Wait. Aren't you Darren Norton?"

It was exactly what I'd feared, but hearing him say it still sent a surge of anger through me.

I looked down at my phone and saw that the message I'd sent Sophie still hadn't gone through. My thumb slipped and opened my social media feed instead, where Darren had just made a new post.

"Indoor rock climbing challenge!"

I recognized the place immediately. It was a climbing gym Sophie had opened with several of our friends.

Then I noticed a woman's hand at the edge of the photo.

Any restraint I had left disappeared.

I took a cab straight to the climbing gym.

The moment I walked in, I saw Sophie below the wall, belaying Darren as he climbed. She looked completely steady, while a few of our friends stood nearby cheering them on.

"Never thought I'd see the day Sophie would bend over backward for Darren!"

"Guess even mortal enemies can end up married!"

"Sophie and Darren forever!"

The more I heard, the heavier my chest felt.

I was terrified of heights. The last time I'd come climbing with Sophie, I'd reminded her again and again to be ready if I fell.

She'd promised, "Relax. I won't let anything happen to you."

So I trusted her.

Halfway up the wall, my foot slipped just as something went wrong with the rope. Even then, I didn't panic, because Sophie was right below me. I knew she would catch me.

Only she didn't.

By the time I hit the ground, pain ripped through my entire body.

Sophie later told me she'd panicked and lost focus, and I believed her. I spent the next six months recovering in the hospital.

But now, watching her handle Darren's climb without the slightest trouble, I finally realized she could catch someone just fine.

As Darren climbed higher, I strode over.

The moment Sophie saw me, panic flashed across her face. "Zack? How did you know we were here?"

I forced myself to stay calm. "Sophie, what happened to the man you said you'd sent away? Was that another lie?"

Sophie rubbed the spot between her brows, but the unease in her eyes gave her away. "Zack, calm down. You've got it all wrong."

Our friends immediately jumped in to defend her.

"Zack, Sophie only has eyes for you. She'd never cheat on you!"

Then I heard what they were really thinking.

[God, how pathetic. Sophie and Darren are obviously meant for each other. Zack knows he's the one coming between them, but he still keeps clinging on like he belongs there!]

I let out a bitter laugh, anger twisting tighter in my chest.

"Sophie, what's going on with the house?"

Her expression tightened. "Zack, what do you know?"

I could've exposed both of them right there in front of everyone, but I didn't want to hear it from anyone else. I wanted Sophie to admit it herself.

"I spoke to Mr. Finn. He told me you paid for the house in full and put someone else's name on the deed. If he hadn't told me, were you planning to lie to me forever?"

Sophie let out a breath, clearly relieved. Then I heard what she was thinking.

[Thank God Zack doesn't know everything. If he found out, he'd lose it again, and Darren would feel terrible.]

Even now, she was still worried about Darren.

I closed my eyes for a second. Then I grabbed a knife and headed straight for Darren's safety rope.

"Zack Hayworth! What are you doing?"

Sophie's eyes reddened with panic, a vein throbbing at her temple.

I stared at her. "You ruined my hand because of him. You took my parents' savings and spent them on him! And you still don't think he should have to pay for any of it?"

I raised the knife, inching the blade closer to the rope.