Ten Years, Seven Failed Engagements

Chapter 1

At our seventh engagement party, Zackary Taylor was about to abandon me for his childhood sweetheart yet again.

We had been together for ten years. This was our seventh attempt at an engagement.

Every single time, something happened to his precious Cynthia Young.

This time, I couldn't help but try to stop him.

"We are seconds away from exchanging rings. It won't take long," I whispered.

"She only has a slight fever. Can't it wait an hour?"

Zackary's face instantly darkened with rage.

"Jane, stop being so damn dramatic! You know Cynthia has been physically fragile since she was a kid!"

"Besides, we've been together for ten years. Who cares about one stupid ceremony?"

He turned and walked out, leaving me standing there.

But this time, I was finally, truly done.

I stood in the center of the stage. Zackary didn't even look back.

It was always like this. He never cared about the judgment from our relatives or the whispers from the crowd.

I was turning thirty-five next year. This was our tenth year together.

Zackary and I were practically born into each other's lives. Our families had made a joke about us getting married before we even left the womb.

Nobody took it seriously except for me. I had loved him since I was a little girl and dreamed of that arrangement becoming real.

Years later, Zackary's father made some terrible business decisions. His company's stock tanked, and they were facing bankruptcy.

The Taylors suddenly brought up the old marriage pact. They wanted a merger to save their failing empire.

My parents, being veteran business moguls, saw right through them. They were ready to say no.

But I overheard the conversation and threw a tantrum. I insisted on being with Zackary.

My parents finally gave in, letting us start a trial relationship.

Everyone, including my parents, thought I was just going through a phase. With my looks and money, I could have had anyone.

Nobody expected it to last ten years.

This was our seventh party. There were far fewer guests now than the first or second time.

Even my parents hadn't shown up.

The only people left were those desperate to suck up to my family's business.

I decided to give myself one last chance to be a fool. I called him on speakerphone in front of everyone.

"Zack, stop this. Everyone is waiting for the engagement to start."

"This is the seventh time we've done this."

The host held the microphone to my phone. Zackary's voice boomed through the ballroom.

"Jane, how many times do I have to tell you? Cynthia has a fever. Is a life more important than some shallow ritual?"

"Don't you trust me after ten years?"

"Stop calling me. I'll make it up to you later."

Before I could say another word, he hung up. The crowd erupted into hushed giggles and sighs.

This wasn't the first time he had humiliated me in public. I should have been used to it.

Like the previous six times, I calmly arranged for drivers to take the guests home. I swallowed the insults and the pity.

My parents had practically disowned me over my obsession with him.

After the last guest left, I saw Cynthia's latest post on social media. It was a photo of two hands locked together.

"In a strange city, I'm so lucky to have him by my side," the caption read.

The man in the photo wore a coral bead bracelet. It was Zackary.

Cynthia had handmade that bracelet for his birthday years ago.

I remembered giving Zackary a diamond-encrusted watch once. He had sold it and given the cash to Cynthia for her expenses.

Yet, he never took that cheap coral bracelet off.

I had confronted him about it once. He just looked at me with pure annoyance.

"Once you give me a gift, it's mine to do what I want with," he had said.

"Cynthia is struggling in this city and her health is poor. As friends, why shouldn't we help her?"

"Besides, she made this with her own hands. It has heart. Unlike your expensive, soulless rocks."

Chapter 2

After that, for every birthday, I didn't just buy him luxury items. I started making things by hand.

Hand-knit scarves, custom scrapbooks, engraved jewelry

I did everything short of pulling the stars out of the sky for him.

But he never wore or used a single thing I made.

I knew Cynthia's post was a direct jab at me. Every time Zackary and I had a date, one text from her would send him running.

I sat alone in the massive, empty ballroom. I opened the expensive wine bottles on the tables one by one and drank.

Even as my stomach cramped with pain, the alcohol numbed the ache.

This was the end. I wouldn't forgive him this time.

I woke up the next morning with a blinding headache.

As expected, Zackary hadn't come home. He had spent the night with Cynthia.

I didn't call him. I just made myself some soup to settle my stomach. Usually, I was the one making it for him when he came home smelling like a bar.

I decided to bury myself in work to forget the pain.

My family's company was about to go public. It was a critical time for Miller Enterprises.

I was typing away at my laptop while sipping soup when the front door opened.

Zackary walked in. He had dark circles under his eyes, but he looked incredibly happy.

He jumped a little when he saw me. I was rarely up at 6:00 AM.

He walked over guiltily and put his hands on my shoulders, trying to give me a massage.

I kept my face cold and didn't say a word.

"Why are you up so early, babe? Go back to sleep for a bit."

He knew I was pissed. His voice was softer than usual.

"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you there alone last night."

"I was just panicked. Cynthia has no family here, no real friends. I'm all she has."

"You know she saved my life when we were kids. I have to pay her back for that."

When I didn't respond, he reached over and closed my laptop. He pulled me onto his lap to face him, acting cute.

Usually, this would have worked. I would have melted.

But this time, my heart was a block of ice.

"I've told you a thousand times, Zack. Cynthia wasn't the one who saved you. Why won't you believe me?"

"Jane, are you really going to claim it was you again? I woke up in her arms. There's no need to lie about this!"

He never listened. Not once in ten years.

"Zackary, let's break up. Since you and Cynthia are so clearly meant to be, I'm stepping out of the way."

It was the first time I had ever initiated a breakup. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"How many times do I have to say it? We are just friends! Why are you acting like a child?"

"She's my savior. Instead of helping me look after her, you're throwing a tantrum. Grow up."

I pushed him off me and stood up. I started packing my bags.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum. We are done. I'll explain everything to our parents."

I kept a separate apartment near the office, so I already had most of my things there. I called my driver immediately.

Seeing that I was serious, Zackary grabbed my arm. His eyes actually started to well up with tears.

"You're just mad about the party, right? Fine. Next weekend. I promise we'll finish the engagement."

Chapter 3

I always hated seeing Zackary cry. It was my biggest weakness.

No matter how much he hurt me, my instinct was to comfort him. I still loved the version of him I had built in my head.

Just as I reached out to wipe his face, his phone rang on the coffee table. I knew that ringtone. It was the one he only used for Cynthia.

He had a special tone for her so he'd never miss her calls.

My hand froze in mid-air.

Zackary checked the screen and scrambled for his shoes.

"The doctor says Cynthia's fever is spiking again. I have to go check on her."

"Jane, please don't do this. I'm already exhausted from taking care of her. Just wait for me to get back."

He tried to lean in for a kiss, but I pulled away.

He wanted to say more, but the phone wouldn't stop ringing. He gave me one last look and sprinted out the door.

That view of his back was so familiar. It was etched into my memory.

I planned to go to my apartment to catch up on work, but my mother called. She told me I had to come home immediately.

I knew they'd heard about the disaster at the engagement party.

They had practically given up on their embarrassed daughter, so this sudden summons was strange.

When I arrived at the family estate, my parents were sitting on the sofa looking as in love as ever. It made me ache.

Because their marriage was so perfect, I had assumed that if I gave enough, I'd get the same thing.

I had given ten years and gotten nothing but a headache.

As I prepared to greet them, a sharp, annoying voice cut through the air. It was Zackary's mother.

Mrs. Taylor was dressed to the nines, sipping tea with her bright red manicured nails.

"Jane, have you been upsetting my Zackary again?"

"You've grown up together. You know his temper. You should learn to be more yielding."

Mr. Taylor gave a fake cough. He pretended to restrain his wife, but everyone knew they were two of a kind. One played the villain, the other the saint.

By all logic, they should have been kissing my feet. If the Millers hadn't been propping them up, the Taylors would be living in a trailer park by now.

But because I was so obsessed with their son, they thought they could walk all over me.

They had been sucking my family dry and stealing our clients for years.

My parents were annoyed with me, but I was still their daughter. They usually looked the other way because they thought we'd eventually be family.

But I knew why they were here today. It wasn't just about the breakup. It was about money.

"Anyway, I don't want to get involved in your little lovers' spat," Mrs. Taylor continued.

"We're actually here for business. We're facing a bit of a liquidity crunch. We were hoping for a small injection of capital. After all, we'll all be one family soon."

I lost count of how many times they had pulled this move.

Ever since they decided Zackary had me locked down, they had become degenerate gamblers.

My father glanced at me. He was waiting to see if I was still a pushover.

Looking at the smug faces of the Taylors, I knew I was about to ruin their day.