After receiving an affirmative answer, Selena left the house without looking back.

It was drizzling outside. Her tears fused seamlessly with the falling droplets, perfectly concealing her misery.

Upon arriving home, Selena had only just changed out of her dripping clothes when Zachary returned.

He was humming softly, seemingly in a good mood.

However, his happiness vanished the moment he raised his head and spotted Selena. He took a startled step back while hiding his hand behind his back.

There was a hint of awkwardness in his smile as he asked, "You're back so soon? Didn't Mr. and Mrs. Yane say they had something to discuss with you?"

Selena didn't respond, her gaze focused on Zachary's left hand, the one he was hiding behind his back.

Slowly stepping forward, she pulled his hand out from behind his back. The glimmering ring on his ring finger was a heartbreaking sight.

"Hah! You're already wearing matching rings. What's your next step, getting your marriage certificate?"

Zachary subconsciously rubbed the tip of his nose.

This simple action caused Selena's heart to clench painfully. Having known him since they were practically babies, she was more than familiar with his every little action.

"You two have already gotten your marriage certificate, haven't you?"

Selena let out a long sigh. Even though she had already mentally prepared herself to leave him, her heart still broke when she realized her fiance had gone behind her back to register his marriage with her sister.

Unwilling to continue this topic, she turned and headed for the bathroom.

She had been in the rain earlier, so she would fall sick if she didn't take a hot shower soon.

Zachary grabbed her wrist, explaining, "Selena, please listen to me. I know you've always felt guilty about what happened to Lucy. That's why I'm doing all this. It's to help you make it up to her.

"She's going to marry Michael Chiton soon, and we all know what sort of man he is. She definitely won't be happy there. I only want to help you do something for her before she leaves.

"When the time is right, I'll naturally divorce her. As for this ring, it's just for show, so you don't have to take it to heart. The woman I love most is you. Don't we even have this bit of trust between us?"

Selena could only stare at the self-righteous man before her, suddenly realizing she didn't know him at all.

She didn't know when Zachary had started to address Lucine so intimately as "Lucy", just like how she didn't know when his feelings toward her had started to change.

Her tone sounded distant when she said, "I was in the rain, so I'm going to shower now."

The Zachary before her was no longer the observant and caring man who used to love her. Now, he only had eyes for Lucine.

Only after she mentioned it did Zachary notice that her hair was wet.

A flicker of guilt flashed in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Selena. I should've gone to pick you up. Even so, you're already an adult, yet you still don't know how to take care of yourself. If the rain was too heavy, you should've just taken a taxi back home."

Selena ignored him and entered the bathroom without looking back.

The bathroom was soon filled with thick mist as water poured relentlessly from the showerhead onto Selena's head.

Selena shut her eyes tightly, visions of their past love playing in her mind's eye.

Zachary had once said he was her knight, and with him around, she could be a child forever.

As it turned out, "forever" only lasted six years for him.

When Selena emerged from the bathroom, Zachary hurriedly approached with the hairdryer. He thoughtfully started to dry her hair for her.

"Selena, I was in the wrong earlier for neglecting you. I've booked us a table at an award-winning restaurant. After the meal, we can go shopping. The ten-carat pink diamond necklace that caught your eye previously has finally arrived."

Before Zachary could say anything more, both of their phones chimed simultaneously.

Zachary turned slightly to glance at his phone. When he saw the message, a delighted look flashed across his face.

Selena, on the other hand, appeared calm as she stared at the message she received.

It was from Lucine.

The message read, "Selena, Zach's already spent quite a long while with you. Time for me to get him back."

Even through the screen, Selena could imagine the smug look on Lucine's face.

She didn't reply to the message and just turned off her phone screen.

When she raised her head again, her gaze met Zachary's. He gave her an apologetic look.

"Selena, there's unfortunately an emergency meeting at the company, so I have to head over there now. Once the meeting is over, I'll return immediately, okay?"

Though the words sounded like a question, his tone implied there wasn't any room for her to refuse.

Letting out a self-mocking laugh, she stared earnestly into Zachary's eyes and asked, "Do you have to go?"

Zachary hesitated for the briefest moment before nodding seriously. "Yes, I absolutely have to."

"Alright."

Upon hearing how easily she agreed, Zachary was rather surprised and a little uncertain.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately grabbed his coat and left without another word.

Just like that, Selena was left alone in the room, which now felt empty.

She thought of the pink diamond necklace Zachary had just mentioned.

She really did like it and had been waiting for so long for it, so she decided she might as well buy it back now.

After getting herself ready, Selena left the house. She had only just stepped into the jewelry store when she spotted two familiar figures.

Lucine and Zachary.

In Lucine's hands was none other than the pink diamond necklace Selena had come here for.

Striding forward, Selena said to the store employee, "If I remember correctly, that necklace is the last of that series, and I happened to pre-order it half a year ago."

The employee's gaze darted between the three of them warily. Clearly, she was unsure what their relationship with each other was. It had only been half a year, yet the woman beside Zachary had changed.

Zachary hadn't expected Selena not to wait at home for him.

He stammered as he tried to explain, "I was here picking a gift for a client and coincidentally bumped into Lucy, so I—"

Selena ignored him and continued talking to the store employee. "Please wrap up that necklace for me."

A conflicted expression appeared on the employee's face. "Ms. Yane, this necklace was pre-ordered using Mr. Xenakis' name back then, so…"

Before Selena could respond, Lucine placed the necklace back on the viewing tray with red-rimmed eyes.

"This was originally supposed to be yours anyway, so I shouldn't have expected anything. It's my fault for not knowing my place. It's just that I never really had any nice things for the 20 years I was lost outside. That's why I couldn't tear my eyes away from this necklace. Sorry to put you in a difficult position, Zach."

As expected, the moment Zachary heard that, his heart broke for Lucine.

He turned to Selena, a displeased look in his eyes.

"Selena, as the older sister, isn't it only right for you to give in to your younger sister? You've always gotten whatever you wanted for all these years. Do you have to fight with her over a necklace? She's already had a tough life, so you should be more understanding."

With that said, he instructed the store employee, "Wrap it up for me, please."

After Zachary paid for the necklace, Lucine's eyes were practically glued to it.

She said to Zachary sweetly, "Thanks, Zach. Can you help me put it on?"

"Of course."

Zachary carefully brushed away Lucine's hair before helping her put on the million-dollar necklace.

While he was doing that, Lucine raised an eyebrow and shot Selena a disdainful smile.

Selena spun on her heel to leave, but then Lucine's voice rang out again, sounding aggrieved.

"Selena, where are you going? Are you angry with me?"

Zachary instantly frowned when he heard that.

Meanwhile, tears were already glistening in Lucine's eyes.

"Selena, please don't be upset. I'll give you the necklace. I don't want our relationship to sour because of this."

As she spoke, Lucine made as if to take off the necklace. However, she had only just touched the clasp when Zachary stopped her.

"This is my gift to you. You don't have to take it off."

He then shot an icy glare at Selena. "Lucine was lost out there for 20 years and is used to being timid, so stop throwing a tantrum. You're well aware she values family more than anything, yet you're still treating her like this. You—"

"Are you done?" Selena interrupted him. "If you are, I'm leaving. I don't have time to see you two acting all lovey-dovey."

A hint of panic instantly surfaced on Zachary's face. He hurriedly grabbed Selena's arm tightly.

"Selena, it's not like that between Lucy and me! How could you say that in public? Are you trying to falsely paint her as someone who interfered in her sister's relationship? How could she possibly withstand that accusation?"

Selena simply thought the anxious manner in which Zachary tried to explain himself was laughable.

"Did she not interfere?"

"Of course not!"

While answering, Zachary increased the force of his grip, causing Selena to gasp in pain. However, he didn't notice at all.

"You better not say such things again in public! This is the last time!"

With that, Zachary flung Selena's arm away before returning to Lucine's side, where he began gently comforting her.

He even picked out other expensive jewelry and thoughtfully put them on for her to try.

He would pay for anything that caught her fancy.

When Lucine smiled, Zachary did the same, his eyes filled with tenderness.

Selena let out a self-deprecating laugh at the sight. Just as she was about to leave, an announcement rang out in the mall, warning that the mall's roof was collapsing.

As the trio got ready to evacuate, the ceiling above them trembled as debris rained down on them.

In that critical moment when the ceiling was about to collapse on them, Lucine shoved Zachary out before yanking Selena to her side.

Zechary spun around, only to see a large chunk of debris crushing Lucine's leg. Blood trickled from the wound incessantly.

"Lucine, are you okay? How could you be so foolish? I should've been the one protecting you! Why did you push me away?"

Lucine put on a strained smile.

"I wasn't thinking. All I knew was that I didn't want you to get hurt."

Zachary's expression was filled with heartache for her. He moved the debris on her before lifting her into his arms.

"I'll take you to the hospital right away!"

As the two disappeared into the distance, Zachary completely forgot about Selena.

At that moment, Selena was nearly completely buried beneath the debris, with just some of her upper body peeking out.

She wanted to shout for help, but found that she couldn't make a sound.

The surrounding area was in chaos, so she could only rely on herself as she slowly crawled her way out from under the rubble.

Her body was covered in wounds and dust, causing intense pain to shoot through her with every movement she made.

The sharp corners of the debris sliced her skin, and the sight of her blood mixing with the rubble was gruesome.

Selena had only just dragged herself out from the rubble when she received two messages, one from Lucine and another from Zachary.

The one from Lucine was, "Selena, I won again this time."

Meanwhile, the one from Zachary read, "The mall collapsed, so I'm sending Lucine to the hospital. You should head home first."

He had overlooked her so completely that he didn't even realize she had been buried under the rubble, too.