Chapter 13

When I returned to the hotel in the evening, I ran into Henry, who was sporting a bruised face.

Seeing me look at him, Henry awkwardly pulled his hat brim lower. “Don’t look at me, John is worse off than I am.”

Upon hearing this, I merely shrugged indifferently.

I seemed to be the femme fatale causing a rift between brothers, but no one ever asked me if I wanted to be such a troublemaker.

“John had the sense to leave, why are you still hanging around?”

“He didn’t leave; he was taken to the hospital.”

Caught off guard, I choked on my own saliva.

Henry, somewhat smug, said, “I told you, he’s worse off than I am.”

I pondered that John hadn’t called the police to have Henry arrested, probably out of consideration for their years of brotherhood.

But it didn’t matter; I believed that before long, they’d be back to being buddies, possibly even gossiping about me behind my back.

Having had my fun, I booked a ticket for my return journey.

After escaping society for two months, it was time to settle down and return to normal life.

I got a new SIM card, interviewed for a new job, and since the salary had reached a certain threshold, I planned to sell my old house and mortgage a slightly bigger one.

Friends complained about my sudden disappearance, but considering the entanglement between John and me over the years, they felt there wasn’t much to say.

I treated them to a few lavish meals, bought a few handbags, and ordered a few male models at the bar, and our friendship was restored.

Women’s friendships are just that simple and unpretentious.

John still occasionally appeared, following me at a distance.

Having endured the most painful period, his condition gradually improved, and his hollow cheeks slowly filled out.

I believed that after some time, once his friends introduced him to enough fresh and pretty newcomers, he would eventually move on from the shadow of our breakup.

What I didn’t expect was that after changing jobs, I would cross paths with Ella.

She was the model chosen by the advertisers, and I was merely there to check the progress of the shoot when I unexpectedly met Ella’s gaze.

I had no particular thoughts about her, as we didn’t even count as acquaintances; the only connection was that we had both slept with the same man.

But Ella took the initiative to speak up, calling out to me in front of everyone, “Zoe.”

I frowned slightly, disliking people who couldn’t separate personal and professional matters.

But to avoid affecting work, I handed her a business card.

She couldn’t wait; as soon as work ended, she called me to invite me for coffee.

From the way she looked at me, it was clear she saw me as her rival and blamed me for her breakup with John.

Like a proud peacock, she flaunted her splendid feathers, claiming she was younger, prettier, and more adventurous in bed than I was.

If it weren’t for my relentless pursuit of John, she would have already achieved a happy ending with him.

“Didn’t John tell you? He and I have already broken up.”

Ella’s boasting abruptly stopped.

“And, I’ve known about you and John for a long time, but I never asked him to break up with you.

“Ella, instead of flaunting here, you should focus on how to win back John’s heart.

“I already have a new boyfriend.”