Female NovelZoey heard the news that Wendy had gone abroad the next day.
Cornelia thought she'd be somewhat relieved, but Zoey's eyes remained calm, fixed outside the window. After a long silence, shehummed a soft acknowledgment.
She had gotten thinner; her chin sharper, more delicate. At night, she'd still call out in her sleep, "Ozzy."
She couldn't bear to think about how Ozzy had died. The mere thought filled her with self-loathing for her incompetence.Cornelia was worried about her mental state and suggested getting a therapist.
"There's really no need; it's just some aches and pains. A good rest will do."
Zoey was sent back at home; the dog food remained untouched, and the water bowl was still full, but Ozzy was gone.Fearing she'd break down in front of Cornelia, Zoey forced a smile at once.
"Cornelia, you've put off filming for too long. Go back to the set. Don't worry; I'll take good care of myself at home."
Cornelia nodded, but still advised, "I've instructed the property management. Unless it's someone from Star Movie Group andthey've been thoroughly vetted and have the homeowner's permission, they can't enter. This won't happen again."
Zoey managed another smile, "I got it.”But the smile looked more painful than tears.novelbin
After Cornelia left, everything in the house felt alien to Zoey. Still unwell, she was confined to her home for recovery. Lying inbed, she took out her phone and discovered that Fitch had unblocked her; she could see his Facebook updates again.
Previously, Fitch's Facebook had been empty, as he never posted anything. But today, there was a new post.It was a photo of a small, cream-colored puppy. He asked, "How do | take care of it?"The post was from half an hour ago. Zoey had mutual friends with him, like Tyler, and a few business associates.
The comments were filled with advice, except for Tyler, who was puzzled, "When did you start liking these little critters? That puplooks awfully similar to that one. You didn't just go out and get one to match, did you?"
In the past, Zoey would have found this sweet, maybe even thrilling, and then she'd obsess over what Fitch meant by the post,why he made it, and if it was a hint for her.
But now, it just stung. Her puppy was gone, and he casually got another, as if rubbing salt in her wound.
Without hesitation, she deleted his contact and his phone number. Then she lay there, thoughts of Ozzy bringing fresh tears.These days, it felt as if she'd cried out all the water in her body.
After posting on Facebook, Fitch kept refreshing his notifications, hoping to see Zoey's profile among the likes.
There were too many, and after counting a couple of times, he didn't find her. He visited her profile page but felt it would be tooabrupt to message her directly.
After a short standoff with himself, he sent a question mark. He received a red exclamation mark in return.
He'd never been deleted before and took a moment to realize what it meant. He didn’t understand he had been unfriended byher until below it said they were no longer friends.
He felt an uncomfortable twinge. Logically, he should be glad Zoey wasn't fixating on him anymore, but instead, he felt a dullache. Especially when he looked down at the puppy digging in the garden, the discomfort grew.
Tossing his phone aside, he thought that there was no need to reach out to her. Maybe it was for the best, a clean break.
They were never from the same world, after all.