ZIA
That man—Finn Albern Maxson. Noel's uncle, five years older than me. Noel's archrival in business, a figure who was always superior, faster, smarter. Noel hated him. And now, he was the one helping me.
With a wave of his hand, Finn let the man in the white coat enter.
"He's my best doctor. More skilled than anyone Noel has," he said calmly.
Seeing my father finally being treated professionally, my heart felt relieved. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes as my father's breathing slowly returned to normal.
"His condition is stable. Let him rest," said the doctor.
I obeyed. It was time to talk to Finn. We walked to the hospital rooftop. The cold wind stung my face, but my mind was in turmoil.
"I thought you were joking all this time," I said softly, staring at him intently. Between relief and gratitude. "Admitting you loved me secretly for years... but today I really owe you my life."
A thin smile, half a smirk, appeared on his stern face. "Keep it short. Are you ready to leave that jerk Noel and build a new world with me?"
Just hearing Noel's name made my blood boil again. After what he did to my father—paralyzing him and nearly killing him just because of Casey—I already knew the answer.
"Yes," I said sharply. "Give me a week. I'll take care of my resignation letter as Noel's secretary. Then I'll leave quietly with my family, disappearing from his life before the wedding."
"The right choice." Finn laughed softly, satisfied. "Jack will lose his memory temporarily. My doctor will continue to treat your father, posing as a regular doctor. All done."
He slipped a small card into my bag. His personal number.
"Call me when everything is ready."
I could only stare at his sturdy back as he walked away, my fingers reflexively typing the number into my phone. Then, I immediately called the only employee I trusted.
"Amanda, prepare my resignation letter. Bring it to me as soon as possible."
There was a long pause. She was clearly shocked. "Yes, Miss Zia."
I hung up the phone and hurried back to my father's room. Seeing him still breathing was the greatest blessing of that night. Noel didn't call me—and for the first time, I realized I didn't even care anymore. My love for him had died.
—
The next day, my father was still weak. But he had recovered enough to be allowed to go home. I pushed his wheelchair into the house with a slightly lighter heart.
But my steps stopped abruptly at the doorway.
A disgusting sight met my eyes. Casey, scantily clad, sat arrogantly on the sofa with Noel. Meanwhile, my only sister, who was ten years old, was kneeling on the floor, massaging Casey's feet as if she were a queen.
My hands gripped the wheelchair tightly. "Who gave you permission to enter my house?!" My voice broke, hoarse with suppressed anger.
Seeing them dare to touch my family for the second time, my heart burned. I quickly approached, lifted Zea to her feet, and hugged her. My gaze pierced Noel and Casey.
"Well, Zia." Noel spoke lightly, as if I was the one in the wrong. "Why are you so angry? Casey just came to help me with the wedding preparations." His tone turned cold. "Because you're busy at the hospital. And you're really stubborn. No apology for Casey, instead you're acting spoiled."
He spoke again. "You're willing to spend more time at the hospital just because you don't want to take a taxi. You think it's all free?"
The veins in my neck tensed. After Noel's annoying accusations, I was too angry. Too disgusted to even look at them.
"Because you dared to touch my father and sister, forget about the wedding. Get out of my house right now."
Hearing my cold tone, his eyes turn darkened. His face tensed. "Zia, you should think before you speak. What would your life be without me? Where would your father get hospital treatment and—"
"Get out of my house!" My voice cut him off, exploding.
Casey glanced at my father's wheelchair, then smiled thinly—full of contempt. "Instead of kicking us out, you should take care of your father first. I heard... he has a history of heart disease."
My body tensed up.
Because I was angry at seeing my sister being trampled on, I forgot about my father. My priority should have been to keep my father's condition stable.
"Wait here for a moment," I whispered softly to my sister, Zea. After that, I immediately took my father to his room.
"Father, please don't think about anything for now." My voice trembled as I covered his body, trying to hold back my tears. I felt guilty for being careless. "I promise I will take care of everything. You don't need to worry. Just take care of your health."
My father nodded weakly. "I believe in you."
After giving my father his medicine and he fell asleep, I immediately went to the living room. Every step felt like it was burning. And there I saw a sight that made me almost vomit: Noel was hugging Casey tightly.
Both my hands clenched tightly. It was no longer out of jealousy—it was pure disgust. How dare they dirty my house!
As soon as he saw me, Noel immediately backed away with a panicked look on his face.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Zia." Casey spoke first. "We're just bestfriends. We've been doing this since we were kids. It should be fine, right?"
Noel nodded quickly. "Yes. I'm just calming Casey down. She's still traumatized from the harassment that almost happened yesterday."
Instead of paying attention, I was busy looking for Zea.
"I don't care," I said with a straight face. "But where is my sister now?"
Noel seemed offended by my statement. But rather than paying attention to his reaction, I preferred to search the entire room for Zea.
"Zea!"
Noel grabbed my hand before I could leave. Tightly. His gaze was unreadable. "Why have you become so cold and stubborn now that our wedding is approaching?"
