chapter 228
“Nothing.”
“Zack, I watched you grow up. In this family, I know you best. If nothing happened between you two, you wouldn’t have come back here to stay. So, what exactly did Serenity do? It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me; I can find out when I visit her shop later and ask her.”
Zachary paused and looked at his grandmother, feeling a bit frustrated. “Nana, we agreed that you wouldn’t interfere in anything after I married Serenity.”
“I’m not interfering; I’m just concerned and want to understand what happened between you two. You’re proud and egotistical, yet you pretend to be humble and marry Serenity, who has no idea about your true identity. Even if you’re at fault, you wouldn’t easily admit it. At this point, you need me to mediate and help mend your strained relationship.”
Old Mrs. York had indeed promised Zachary not to meddle in the couple’s lives after his marriage to Serenity. However, she kept a close watch on their every move. She was aware of everything—from how they initially neglected each other to their growing bond, and how Zachary gradually began to care for Serenity. She even congratulated herself for her keen insight, believing the young couple was developing as she had anticipated.
Unexpectedly, they had separated before she could savor her satisfaction.
She was still hoping to hold a great-grandchild. “It’s just a little misunderstanding; it’s not a major issue, so you don’t need to worry. There’s no need to ask Serenity either. I’ll return to Brynfield in a few days.”
Zachary remained hesitant to reveal the true reason. After his conversation with Josh, he vaguely sensed that his actions were driven by jealousy.
Josh also mentioned that he was beginning to care for Serenity. However, he refused to acknowledge it and could not set aside his ego. When he saw Serenity dining with Shawn, he suspected her of cheating, which left him feeling humiliated. In reality, they had married in secret, so very few people were aware of their relationship as husband and wife.
Regardless of whether Serenity and Shawn were innocent, and even if they had wronged Zachary, outsiders were unaware of his connection with Serenity, so how could he truly be humiliated? He grew angry, questioned Serenity, and only trusted what he saw with his own eyes because he developed a desire to control her. With his domineering nature, he couldn’t bear to see a woman he cared about with other men, even if she was with her best friend. He wanted Serenity’s affection and bright smile to be his alone, yet she remained oblivious to this. Stubbornly, he refused to admit his mistakes, leading the couple to their current predicament. They had deleted and blocked each other’s contacts, lived apart, and were now engaged in a cold war.
“Are you sure there’s no problem?”
“Yes.”
Old Mrs. York chuckled. “Alright, I believe you. Since you say there’s no issue, then I’ll take your word for it. Even if I were to find my granddaughter-in-law, I wouldn’t ask her, just to spare you some dignity.” Zachary felt slightly embarrassed but stubbornly replied in a low voice, “I don’t need your help to save my dignity.”
She smiled and patted her grandson’s shoulder. “Zack, as a man, you must learn to give and take. Moreover, you and Serenity are husband and wife. You’ll be spending the rest of your lives together. Is there any obstacle that you can’t overcome?”
Zachary paused for a moment before responding, “I signed a six-month agreement with Serenity. If we don’t fall in love within these six months, then…”
“We’re getting a divorce. You don’t need to worry that she got the short end of the stick. I never touched her, so she remains pure.” At most, he had kissed her once or twice when she teased him, which he found hard to resist. He had only kissed her forcefully once that night.
He merely kissed her small mouth, ensuring it wouldn’t significantly affect her future remarriage. “We married in secret, so not many people are aware of it. This way, the impact on her after the divorce will be minimal. I also promised to give her the house in Brynfield and the national MPV. I won’t let her leave with nothing.” Old Mrs. York thought to herself, “This little rascal!”