Chapter 144
Sarah finally gave in and followed Mia out of the school gates with her bag.
When she saw Zachary, she only gave a slight nod.
Though they hadn’t seen each other for just a few days, the awkwardness between them felt like years of distance. This time, she
sat in the back with Mia.
“Sasa, I need to take Mia to the family house. Should I drop you off first?” Zachary’s voice carried a hint of coldness.
“No! Zach, drop me off first, then take Sarah home.” Mia jumped in before Sarah could respond.
Zachary didn’t argue, driving Mia to the family house first.
In the car, neither of them spoke. The uncomfortable silence was unprecedented – just days ago, they couldn’t have imagined this
tension.
Zachary opened his mouth several times but closed it again, swallowing the words he wanted to say.
When they reached Sarah’s apartment building, she got out with a simple, “Thanks.”
Watching her walk away, his heart ached.
He called Steven, who answered quickly.
–
“Hey! What’s the occasion? Let me guess craving something from the restaurant?”
“I need to ask you something,” Zachary said seriously.
Hearing the dejection in his voice, Steven sobered. “Go ahead.”
“I have a friend. She’s divorced but still meets her ex–husband and seems happy with him. Do you think she…”
“You’re talking about Sarah, aren’t you?” Steven caught on immediately.
Zachary fell silent, unsure how to respond.
“Look, you’re Zachary Reynolds! Just ask her directly. It might be a misunderstanding – better to clear things up.‘
“Got it.”
Hanging up, Zachary adjusted his rearview mirror and smiled wryly at himself.
He’d been foolish to forget how much Sarah despised James. How could she possibly be laughing and chatting with him?
Unbuckling his seatbelt, he opened the door to find Sarah looking at him. Their surprised eyes met, and they both smiled.
“You… you’re still here!” Sarah’s eyes darted around nervously.
1/2
+20 Bonus
She wore a flowing dress with her hair in a messy bun, the fabric dancing in the breeze. Standing under the streetlight, she looked especially gentle.
Zachary walked over and draped his jacket over her shoulders. “Why did you come down?”
“I… just wanted some fresh air,” Sarah pressed her lips together.
Zachary didn’t challenge her obvious excuse, just smiled mildly. “Want to talk?”
“Sure.” Sarah walked with her hands clasped behind her back.
Zachary matched her pace and asked softly, “Have you been visiting the Chancers often?”
“No, just twice.”
“Are you and James getting close?” he asked suddenly.
Sarah looked at him in shock, then burst out laughing. “Zach, are you kidding? How could I possibly be close to him?”
Zachary steadied himself and pulled up the photo on his phone. “Someone sent me this anonymously a few days ago.”
Sarah looked at the photo in confusion. It was from her visit to the Chancer house, when Lucy had asked her to open the pastry box and James had helped.
“This is misleading. I wouldn’t get that close to him. But…”
Looking at the angle, Sarah suddenly understood. “Lucy must have taken this! Why would she deliberately send you a photo like this?”
Could this one photo really be why he’d been avoiding her all these days?
