Chapter 5

Anne pulled her suitcase out of the villa gates. Standing before the bustling traffic, she felt lost.

This was the place she had lived for eight years. It was a place she thought of as home.

Although she had made up her mind to break up and move out, she hadn't had the chance to find a new place yet. Where was she supposed to go now?

As she stood there, confused, her phone vibrated twice. She pulled it out of her bag and saw that it was a message from Harvey.

"I'm in Seabrook now. The weather's nice today, but I have tons of work. Had a Seabrook-style breakfast, but I barely managed to swallow it. Guess it's because I'm so used to food at home.

"I didn't eat lunch because I was too busy, but I have a social event tonight. Probably going to drink until I'm wasted. Honestly, I hate these things…"

His voice message went on for quite a while, detailing everything, like he was giving a report.

Anne felt a bit baffled, but the last line caught her attention.

"Oh, by the way, I'm staying at Villa No. 8 in Oceanwind Villas. You can move in anytime. This place will be our home. Of course, if you don't like it, we can always look for somewhere else."

Oceanwind Villas? He was actually living in the same neighborhood as her, and so close at that!

She arrived at Villa No. 8 and used the code Harvey had given her to unlock the door. A cold draft greeted her.

The layout of the villa was similar to hers, but the decor was completely different. Her place was warm-toned, with plenty of decorations on the walls and full furniture. But Harvey's was all black and white, and the place felt so empty. There wasn't even a couch in the living room.

Could anyone really live here?

With these doubts in mind, Anne headed upstairs. The second floor was just as bare.

There were three bedrooms, but only the master bedroom had a bed. Even then, it was just a bed, with not even a wardrobe.

She guessed Harvey either didn't live here or only stayed occasionally, so he hadn't bothered to furnish it much.

After a long morning of unpacking, Anne didn't have time to eat and went straight to work with an empty stomach.

Mindy gave her a muffin and half a cup of coffee, all while showing off her love life. "My husband made the batter last night and baked these fresh muffins early this morning. They're my favorite, filled with chocolate."

Anne looked at her with envy. "You'd better keep an eye on your husband, or I might just steal him."

Mindy grinned proudly. "Ha! No one's stealing him. He only loves me."

That day, Anne felt lighter and happier. For the past eight years, she had given everything to Zachery, loving him so much that it wore her down. Now that she had let go, she realized life could be this simple and free.

In the afternoon, Zachery sent her a message.

"Do you still want those books? If not, I'll just throw them away."

She glanced at the message but didn't reply. Instead, she blocked his contact number.

In fact, there were plenty of things she had left behind. Eight years' worth of memories couldn't be packed up so easily. Those few books were the least of it.

When she finished work, Harvey texted her back.

"I've moved into your place," she had written.

His reply was short and simple. "Welcome."

That one word somehow warmed her heart.

She sent another message. "Can I sleep in your bed?"

She knew he probably wouldn't reply right away. So, she went to catch the subway after sending the text. But once she was on the train, she realized how odd her message had sounded.

She took out her phone to add a follow-up, saying she would buy her own bed, but by then, Harvey had already replied, "Sure."

As Anne stared at the message, her face burned. Given the time difference, it was probably 3:00 am over there. Was he still awake?

After getting off the subway, Anne decided to go to the supermarket. Harvey's place needed so many things, after all.

Just as she reached the entrance, Caesar called her.

"Anne, help!"

Anne was stunned. "What happened?"

"I've been attacked."

"What?"

By the time Anne arrived at Julius' bar, the place was already cleared out. As she entered the courtyard, she saw the mess scattered everywhere, with the staff cleaning up.

Upon seeing her, one of them gestured toward the private room inside.

She reached the door of the private room and saw that it was in ruins as well. The table had a broken leg, the chairs were overturned, and there were shards of broken bottles scattered across the floor.

Zachery was slumped on the couch at the back. His face was dark, and blood was dripping from his head.

Anne glanced at him, then turned to leave.

"Anne, finally! Help me!" Caesar ran out of the room and grabbed her. "I really was attacked." He pointed to his arm, where blood was still flowing.

Just then, Julius walked over, pushed Caesar aside, and handed her a first aid kit. "Zachery refuses to go to the hospital or let anyone touch him. We had no choice but to ask you for help."

"I broke up with him. Whether he lives or dies has nothing to do with me," Anne replied helplessly.

"I support your decision, but you can still be friends even after breaking up, right?" Julius asked.

"I'll never be friends with him."

"Anne, do it for me, okay?"

Anne paused. After a moment, she took the first aid kit from Julius.

As she walked toward the room, Julius tugged at her arm. "Sophia's pregnant with Sean's child, but Sean doesn't want to take responsibility. He even told Sophia to get an abortion. Zachery wanted to stand up for Sophia, so he invited Sean here to settle things.

"They only talked for a bit before fighting. Sean couldn't beat Zachery, but then Sophia showed up. She protected Sean and stopped Zachery. That's when Sean grabbed a bottle and smashed it over Zachery's head."

Anne raised an eyebrow. "And where's Sophia?"

"She went after Sean."

"Ha! What a joke."

Julius sighed. "So, whatever you do, don't mention Sean's or Sophia's names to him. I'm worried it'll set him off again."

Anne didn't answer. She just went into the room with the first aid kit.

Zachery was sitting there, breathing heavily. He was clearly still fuming. When he heard footsteps, he looked up. The moment he saw her, his anger flared even more.

"Who the hell asked you to come here?"

Ignoring him, Anne took out a cotton swab and dipped it in iodine, preparing to clean his wound.

"I won't let you touch me even if I bleed to death!" he continued shouting.

Anne knew his temper well—reckless, stubborn, and unreasonable. She didn't respond, just efficiently cleaning his wound and bandaging it.

"It's pretty deep. You'll need stitches. You guys should take him to the hospital." She turned to Julius and Caesar.

She was about to leave, but Zachery grabbed her arm. "You blocked my number?"

Anne pulled her hand away. "Since we've broken up, I'm cutting ties cleanly. You won't have to be troubled anymore, Mr. Judd."

"You'd better unblock me!"

She scoffed. "Looks like you really did hurt your head. Go get it checked."

With that, she turned and walked away.

"Sophia changed her mind. She doesn't want to marry me. So, I'll marry you instead," Zachery said.

Anne stopped, turned around, and saw his smug look.

"Save your generosity. I've already decided to marry someone else."