Chapter 4The Gardenias Vow

Zack's POV

In an instant, countless thoughts flooded my head.

[Zack's insane! Is he seriously going to kill someone right here?]

[Oh my God. He's going after Sophie's precious Darren. He's dead!]

The noise made my head pound. I was just about to look at Sophie when she kicked me hard in the stomach, sending me to the floor. Pain shot through me, and my stomach clenched.

When I managed to look up again, Sophie was already gripping Darren's safety rope, still visibly shaken.

"Zack, you went too far. You left me no choice."

I went too far?

Another wave of pain twisted through my stomach as I lay there on the floor. I wondered if Sophie thought for even a second about what I'd done for her when she kicked me.

Years ago, when debt collectors came after her, I stepped in front of her and took a blow that could've killed me. She still had no idea that by then, I'd already given her one of my kidneys.

A laugh slipped out despite the pain.

"Sophie, we're done."

She froze.

Before she could answer, a scream came from above us. Darren startled, lost his footing, and fell hard, blood quickly pooling beneath him.

Sophie went white and dropped beside him, wrapping her arms around him. Her thoughts came pouring through.

[Darren, please. Don't close your eyes. I can't lose you.]

I gritted my teeth and tried to shift into a less painful position. But the moment I turned, something in my lower back shifted out of place with a sharp crack.

Agony tore through me, and I screamed.

Sophie never even looked at me. She was too busy holding Darren as she hurried away with him.

After that, I barely remembered how I got home. The only thing that stayed with me was Darren's last thought.

[Zack, why do you always have to make things harder for us? You already get to be Sophie's boyfriend in name. Isn't that enough?]

I was done standing in their way. They could have each other.

...

When I woke up, I overheard the doctor telling Sophie that the damage to my lower back was permanent. There was a good chance I'd never be able to practice law again.

For a moment, I couldn't move.

Sophie stood beside the bed with her head lowered, unable to meet my eyes. "I'm sorry, Zack. I didn't know your back still hadn't healed. This is all my fault. Hate me if you want."

I looked over at her, feeling completely numb.

Six months ago, after the fall injured my back, she had taken care of me every day, making soup and bringing me medicine.

On rainy nights, when the pain got so bad I could barely stand it, she would sit beside me crying even harder than I was.

"Zack, take it out on me if you have to!"

Even when she kicked me at the climbing gym, part of me still wanted to believe in her. I kept telling myself that her feelings for me had once been real.

"I don't want to see you."

Sophie froze. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

Then, just before she left, I heard her thoughts.

[The truth is, six months ago, I let you fall on purpose.]

My head snapped up, and pain shot through my lower back.

[I was pregnant with Darren's baby, and I was terrified you'd find out. He tricked me into having the procedure. I hated you for killing my baby. That day, I only wanted to punish you. I never thought it would get this bad.]

I stared after her as she left, pain spreading through my chest. She had been willing to hurt me over Darren's child.

Had she ever once stopped to think about me?

I blinked back the tears, reached for my phone, and dialed a number.

"Cindy, I need your help."

Over the next few days, I stopped fighting with Sophie about the affair and stopped checking her phone. I kept my head down and stopped giving anyone a reason to call me difficult.

By the time Sophie's birthday came around, even Darren seemed unsettled by how quiet I'd become.

"Zack, come on. Get mad or something. If you're not going, I'm not going either."

Sophie looked annoyed. Then I heard what she was thinking.

[Zack, just say no. I'm proposing to Darren today.]

So she was planning to propose to Darren on her own birthday. How romantic.

I gently pulled my hand from hers. "You two go. I'm tired."

Sophie looked surprised by how easily I agreed, but she quickly masked it with irritation. "Like I'd want to spend my birthday with an idiot anyway."

Darren snorted. "You think I want to?"

I did what I always did and talked them down until they stopped bickering.

Before Sophie left, she leaned down to kiss my forehead. I turned my head away.

Confusion flickered in her eyes.

"Darren's watching," I said.

Sophie sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Still shy after all this time. Wait for me, Zack."

The moment they were gone, I got out of bed, grabbed my discharge papers, and left the hospital. I took a cab to the airport and boarded my flight.

I wouldn't be a burden to Sophie anymore.

…

Third-Person POV

After her birthday celebration, Sophie returned to the hospital carrying a ring she'd accidentally bought in the wrong size.

"Zack, I'm back. I brought you something. You're going to love it."

She knocked once, then again when no one answered.

A sense of unease crept over her. She was about to find a nurse when the door suddenly opened.

Relief flashed across her face as she pulled out the ring. Then she looked up, and all the color drained from her face.