Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I'm talking to you, Luna. Did you hear me?"

The anger he had pushed down flared up again.

Zachary slammed his hand onto the bed and unleashed a tirade on me.

"Yesterday was our engagement, and you sat on the floor all night. Hailey and I brought you to the hospital, and she spent the whole day taking care of you."

"Do you have any idea she didn't sleep at all last night? She stayed up just to deal with your nonsense! I've told you so many times, Luna, you need to have a conscience."

Conscience.

I sneered in my heart, the pain in my chest growing sharper.

I knew I was wrong for holding onto the past.

But speaking of conscience, did they really think locking me in a room was the right thing to do?

"I'm sorry, Hailey."

In the end, I didn't voice my frustrations.

I was just so tired.

These years of endless chasing had left me speechless.

If Zachary wanted me to call her that, then I would.

"Let me tell you, Luna..."

Zachary had started to speak.

He knew me well and knew I never surrendered easily, but he froze when he heard my apology.

"What did you say?"

Zachary looked at me in disbelief.

Under his stare, I opened my mouth again.

"I'm sorry, Hailey. Can you forgive me?"

Saying her name like that hurt so much I could barely breathe.

But after I said it, I realized it didn't really matter anymore.

She was destined to marry into this family anyway.

"It's okay, Luna. Your brother was just overly worried about you, which is why he got so mad. Don't hold it against him."

Hailey was very good at hiding her true emotions.

I gave her a brief look before burying my head again.

"I'm glad you've thought it through. We're all a family from now on. Don't ever let me catch you doing what you did last time."

Seeing how obedient I was, Zachary's expression softened slightly.

But he was still very angry deep down.

In his eyes, everything I did was just a manipulative way to fight for his attention.

He despised those kinds of tactics.

Like the day his engagement was finalized.

To frame Hailey, he believed I purposely ate food containing peanuts, knowing I was deathly allergic.

If the maids hadn't testified later, everyone would have thought Hailey couldn't tolerate me and deliberately fed me my allergen.

Because of that incident, my image in Zachary's heart took a massive dive.

He couldn't understand how the sweet sister he had carefully raised had become so unrecognizable.

"I won't do it again, Zach."

I didn't even have the energy to explain myself.

I was exhausted.

I had just been hospitalized a few days ago for the allergy, and now this severe fever had drained the last of my spirit.

"Let's go home, Zach."

Perhaps sensing that I didn't want to talk, Hailey considerately wrapped her arm around Zachary's waist to leave.

"Luna's fever just broke. I've asked a nurse to look after her. You haven't slept all night, so you should go home and rest."

It was always like this.

You couldn't find a single flaw in Hailey's words, yet hearing them made me incredibly uncomfortable.

I couldn't quite describe the feeling.

That was exactly why I didn't like her.

"You're always so thoughtful. If only Luna had half your consideration."

As they walked to the door, I heard that final remark.

I couldn't even express how sad it made me.

Once upon a time, Zachary loved my temper.

Whenever he stood up for me, he would say, "I spoiled Luna to be this way. If you have a problem with it, come talk to me."

Now, everything was different.

He only said, "Luna just throws childish tantrums."

Is it true that when someone loves you, everything you do is perfect?

Or was my love just that repulsive to him?

After the IV drip was finished, I still couldn't shake my depression.

I felt in a daze.

Over the last two years, Zachary had grown to hate me more and more.

Without realizing it, we were no longer the people we used to be.