"Zoe, every time you cried in the past, was it really because Zara was bullying you?"
Preston didn't know why his mind had suddenly cleared.
Before, he had always felt that Zara was inferior to Zoe in every way.
But the fact that his brilliant cousin was willing to marry Zara proved that she couldn't be that bad.
So, had he been completely blind all this time?
Zoe furrowed her brows, looking deeply pitiful and heartbroken. "Preston, do you not believe me either?"
"I have no reason to frame Zara."
"She is our grandfather's only biological granddaughter. Compared to me, a mere step-granddaughter, everyone dotes on her more."
"If I deliberately caused trouble for her, my family would never allow it."
With her saying all of this, the old Preston would have bought it immediately.
But now, a seed of doubt had firmly taken root.
Because he realized that a lot of what Zoe said to him was conveniently ambiguous.
In the past, the moment he heard she had been wronged, he couldn't help but rush to her defense.
Even when Zara tried to explain that it wasn't her fault, Preston's preconceived notions always won out.
But now, he felt that Zoe was entirely too good at lying.
Perhaps many times in the past, he had completely misunderstood Zara.
Preston felt a profound sense of disappointment toward Zoe.
He had thought the girl he loved was genuinely innocent, pitiful, and kind, but now
he realized it was all just a carefully crafted facade.
He couldn't even tell what she was truly like on the inside anymore.
The realization left him utterly bewildered.
Having loved her for so many years, he still couldn't bring himself to say anything too harsh.
He could only mutter, "Zoe, I'm not feeling great today. I'm going to head home."
"Stop right there!" Zoe hadn't expected the day to come when Preston would actually walk away from her.
She felt a flicker of panic.
"Preston, are you mad at me?"
"Are you blaming me for costing you your chance with Zara?"
"You actually love her, don't you?"
Her baseless accusations were the final nail in the coffin for Preston's lingering affection.
How he had treated Zoe in the past was something everyone knew.
Now that her true colors were exposed, she had the audacity to accuse him of falling for someone else.
He truly hadn't loved Zara, but her decisive choice to marry his cousin still left him with a bruised ego.
The realization that someone he
was so sure adored him
nothing
set
rhing was a mally felt
to his pride content
blow
And Zoe's relentless manipulation left him choking on his own bitter regret.
She really wasn't a good person. He had been completely wrong about Zara all along.
"No, I don't have feelings for her."
"Zoe, don't you know you're the only one I've ever cared about?"
Zoe's eyes grew glassy. "I know, but my family always said you and Zara were the perfect match.neve dared to hope
"And now?" Preston stared intensely at her.
told
"Now that Zara is engaged to Reid, she's no longer an obstacle. If I you wanted to be with you right
now 24vou say yet
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"If you agree, we can walk back into that banquet hall and announce to everyone
that we're getting engaged too."
Preston hadn't wanted to test the girl he had once loved so deeply.
But having finally recognized that she had been using him this entire time, he was left speechless by her hesitation.
Perhaps Zara had been right all along he was nothing more than a convenient backup option in Zoe's little game.
"No!" Zoe rejected the idea without a second thought.
Preston let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Just as he suspected. She didn't care about him at all!
"Forget it, then. Go back and get something to eat. I'm leaving."
The fact that Preston didn't try to coax her left Zoe completely unsure of where they
stood.