Chapter 3

2.

The pain of the breakup lingered, but the world didn't stop turning.

The next afternoon, while I was still at my desk, Sienna called me.

"Why aren't you at the airport? I told you I was landing at five!"

"If you don't pick me up, how am I supposed to get home?"

I replied coldly, "We broke up last night."

Sienna screamed into the phone, "I never agreed to that! You don't just get to decide we're over!"

"Get down to the airport and pick me up. Right. Now."

I hung up before she could finish.

I didn't want to hear that shrill, entitled voice for another second.

Why should I keep making myself miserable for her?

When I got home, it was pouring rain outside.

Suddenly, the front door was slammed open.

Sienna stood at the kitchen entrance, looking like a drowned rat.

"Xander Finch, are you insane? Are you happy now that I'm soaked?"

She glared at me as if I had committed some unforgivable crime.

She was clutching her backpack tightly, water dripping from her clothes onto my floor.

I didn't stop chopping vegetables as I asked her one question.

"Were the Alps beautiful?"

She froze, looking stunned. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

I glanced at her bag. The zipper wasn't closed all the way, and I could see what was inside.

It was stuffed with dried wildflowers from the mountains.

"What's in the bag, Sienna?" I asked again.

She looked guilty for a split second, but then she doubled down.

"Nothing. Just some clothes."

All her other luggage was soaked, but she had kept that one bag perfectly dry.

It was obvious how much she cherished whatever was inside.

She cared more about those flowers than she did about our five-year relationship.

"What's with the interrogation? You're the one being unreasonable and you haven't even apologized!"

She was shouting and pointing a finger at me.

Right then, the doorbell rang.

"Sienna? Are you home?" a man's voice called out.

Sienna practically ran to the door to open it.

"Sienna, you left something in my car," Zion said with a charming smile.

He immediately had all her attention.

"Zion, it's late. Why don't you stay for dinner before you head out?"

She invited him in with a warmth she never showed me, then turned to the kitchen.

"Fine, I won't stay mad at you. Go make some hot soup to warm us up, and fry a few dishes."

"Make it light. Zion has a sensitive stomach. He can't handle the greasy, salty junk you usually eat."

I grew up in a modest home where my mom cooked hearty, flavorful meals.

My parents worked hard, and they needed real food to keep their energy up.

My taste was perfectly normal, not the "greasy junk" she claimed it was.

I didn't even look at them.

"I'm talking to you, Xander! Are you deaf?"

Zion tugged on her sleeve, pretending to play the peacemaker.

"Don't be too hard on him, Sienna. It's a bit immature for a grown man to throw a tantrum at a girl, though."

"I'm a man, I can handle a little rain. But you shouldn't have let Sienna get wet. What if she gets sick?"

His words were dripping with fake concern and arrogance.

Sienna nodded, looking smug. "Exactly. Look at how thoughtful Zion is. You should try learning a thing or two from him."

I looked up and stared him straight in the eyes.

"Who the hell do you think you are, trying to lecture me in my own house?"

Zion choked on his words, his face turning a shade of red.

"I... I'm her best friend. Her male bestie. Don't be such a Neanderthal."

Sienna saw him struggling and jumped in to defend him.

"Don't waste your breath on a low-class jerk like him. He wouldn't understand a platonic bond."

She turned back to me, her voice full of venom.

"Because you didn't pick me up, I had so much luggage I couldn't move. If Zion hadn't helped me, I wouldn't even be home."

"Instead of thanking him, you're acting like a total brat. You're such a classless piece of trash with no respect."

I felt a surge of rage. I walked right up to her and grabbed her by the collar.

"Don't you ever talk about my upbringing again."

Sienna looked at me defiantly. "Why not? Did I say something wrong?"

"Your mom has been rotting in that hospital for ages, and you're blowing all your money on her."

"Other parents buy their kids houses. Yours? They don't give you a dime."

She glared at me, her eyes full of hate.

"Your mom is going to kick the bucket soon anyway. Her only wish was to see you married. I want to see who else would be stupid enough to marry into a family like yours if you leave me."

Every beautiful memory I had of her shattered in that instant.

She actually saw our upcoming marriage as a favor she was doing for me.

Because my mother wanted to see me settled before she passed, Sienna saw my proposal as something she could use against me.

"Sienna, you're the one who cheated and lied."

I looked at her, then at Zion. "And you, get out. You're not welcome here."

I turned back to Sienna, my voice cold as ice.

"We are done. For good. Pack your crap and get out of my house."