Mr Efficiency Spent His Life WAITING for My Bestie Chapter 05
Zane pushed past the tenant and stormed inside.
It hit him all at once: he actually had endless time and patience to comfort Nina—if only he’d chosen to use it.
He recognized the nail holding the calendar; he had hammered it in himself during a visit to Nina’s mother’s house.
Ten calendars had hung there across ten years. Every Valentine’s Day and Christmas Day had been circled in Nina’s handwriting.
She’d spoken softly, a little shy, “Mom says those dates would make perfect wedding dates.”
Zane had understood exactly what she’d meant. But whenever he pictured all the tedious wedding customs, all the meaningless family obligations, a heavy weight settled in his chest.
Over time, every time Nina brought up marriage, that weight pressed harder, suffocating him with the feeling of being pressured.
The refrigerator in the living room had been a gift from him to Nina’s mother. The fridge magnets were souvenirs from trips they’d taken together in the early years.
They’d barely traveled together in recent times. Trips with Susan tagging along as a third wheel had become commonplace.
Nina had told him more than once that bringing Susan along on couple’s trips felt wrong.
Susan would well up and plead, “Just treat me like a random travel buddy. I’ll handle all the itineraries and split the food bills.”
—
Susan knew exactly how much Zane valued practical, efficient solutions. When Nina voiced soft, emotional objections and Susan laid out rational-sounding excuses side-by-side, Zane always sided with Susan without hesitation.
Every small outburst from Nina on those trips got blown out of proportion.
He’d cut her off mid-complaint. “Nina, can you act like an adult? Stop throwing pointless tantrums.” Or he’d tell her to bottle her feelings up.
Eventually, Nina stopped mentioning honeymoons entirely. Zane had even praised her for being understanding about the IPO stress.
Staring at the refrigerator, still covered in their shared mementos, the truth hit him hard.
Nina hadn’t grown quiet out of consideration. She’d simply given up.
She stopped crying because he’d never listened. She stopped fighting because she no longer wanted anything from him.
Zane pushed past the confused tenant and rushed to the guest bedroom. A large patch of wall was bare, plaster chipped away, like a scar left behind.
Eyes burning, Zane shouted at the tenant. “Where is the photograph?”
It was the graduation-day shot. He’d knelt on the football field to propose to Nina. Golden sunset light had spilled over them, and someone had snapped that perfect moment.
Nina had had it enlarged and hung on that wall. Beneath that photo, they’d made love and sworn to spend their whole lives together.
—
“What photograph?” The tenant looked confused. “The previous tenant threw everything out before I moved in.”
Zane felt completely adrift. Every direction led to dead ends; there was no path back to Nina.
All his usual tricks, his talent for drawing up quick, effective plans, failed him. He had endless time and energy, yet nowhere to direct it.
He’d sprinted blindly toward his goals, ignoring every warning sign along the way. But what was the point of winning if Nina was gone?
Was this what he’d really wanted? Zane sank down onto his knees, defeated.
He’d founded his company to give Nina and her mother a better life. He’d pushed for the IPO because Nina’s eyes had lit up, telling him he could pull it off.
He’d never craved wealth for himself. Every big move he’d made was so Nina would feel safe building a future with him.
Now Nina was gone. She’d blocked his number, resigned and left New York. She hadn’t returned to her hometown. She’d vanished completely.
Zane’s naive assumptions shattered. He’d thought she’d cave easily; that she was getting older, that her mom was desperate to see her married, so marrying him would be her best remaining option.
Susan called. Her voice feigned worry, but couldn’t quite mask her satisfaction. “Zane, you have a board meeting this afternoon. You can’t keep wasting your time on Nina’s emotional problems.”
—
Those same words, coming from Susan, cut like a blade.
Zane’s tone turned ice-cold. “What gives you the right to pass judgment on my relationship with Nina?”