Everything Taken I Left to Become CEO (Darcy and Zane) novel Chapter 45

**Pain Refines the Soul — Jason Brooks**
**Chapter 45: The Unopened Letter**

Darcy’s expression twisted into a frown, a mix of confusion and frustration dancing across her features. “The letter I sent you via express delivery a month ago. You didn’t receive it?”

Zane’s response was immediate, his own brow knitting together in disbelief. “What letter?”

Her long, dark lashes fluttered like the wings of a trapped butterfly, and a wave of heartache washed over her, mingled with a bitter hint of amusement. How had they arrived at this moment, so disconnected from each other? They had navigated the treacherous waters of their relationship, managing to cancel their engagement and finalize her resignation without truly communicating.

Was it fate playing a cruel trick on them?

The breeze picked up, tousling her hair, and in that fleeting moment, she felt an unexpected release, as if the weight of the world had lifted from her shoulders.

With a calmness that surprised even herself, she met Zane’s gaze, her eyes reflecting a serene detachment. “The day after I returned from my business trip, I sent you a letter. It was delivered express. It contained my resignation… and a request to end our engagement. When you visited me at the hospital and mentioned postponing the engagement, I assumed you had read my letter and were in agreement with my decision.”

A violent jolt hit Zane’s chest, a realization crashing over him like a tidal wave.

Now that she mentioned it, he remembered. Rex had indeed handed him a letter that very morning. But after his meeting, it had vanished from his mind, lost in the chaos of his busy life.

He had always been swamped with work, and a single letter had seemed too trivial to warrant his attention.

But what struck him most was the revelation that Darcy had been the one to initiate the end of their engagement. The very Darcy who had loved him fiercely, more than she loved herself, had chosen to bring it all to a close?

His body swayed slightly, the ground beneath him feeling unsteady. After a heavy silence hung between them, he finally found his voice, though it was cold and heavy. “Why did you call it off?”

“Answer me. Why?!”

To his surprise, Darcy laughed, a sound that held a hint of disbelief. She raised an eyebrow, her expression challenging. “Well, Mr. Vance, why did you call it off?”

The way she addressed him—“Mr. Vance”—felt like a slap across his face.

After seven years of intimacy, she was now speaking to him with the distant formality of a stranger.

Zane’s gaze flickered, searching for something familiar in her eyes. “I told you on WhatsApp—this is only temporary.”

Darcy let out a soft, cutting laugh that pierced through the tension. “Temporary? Zane, you know damn well it’s anything but.”

She didn’t have the luxury of time for a verbal sparring match; she still had her studies looming over her.

“Don’t come looking for me again. We’ve been together for so long—let’s maintain some dignity and not drag this out any further.”

With that, she turned on her heel, determined to walk away.

But Zane’s hand shot out, gripping her arm gently. “Darcy, please, stop this. I know you’re upset about the postponement. I’m sorry. I promise we’ll get married next year. Just come back to work tomorrow!”

He had always been acutely aware of what Darcy wanted most: that elusive marriage certificate.

At that moment, he didn’t even care about the reasons behind his decision to postpone. All he wanted was to soothe her, to bring her back to the company, back into his life.

As long as she was willing to return, he would marry her.

“Zane, I don’t care who’s in your heart. I don’t care who you marry. None of it concerns me anymore. From this day forward, we are strangers. Please, don’t bother me again.”

This time, she walked away with resolute steps, her determination unyielding.

Zane watched her retreating figure, a suffocating weight settling in his chest like a stone.

In a daze, he made his way to the convenience store, purchased a pack of cigarettes, and sank onto a park bench. He lit one up and smoked in silence, the world around him fading into a blur.

It wasn’t until a message popped up in their three-person group chat that he finally extinguished the last cigarette.

He glanced up at her apartment window, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

Fine. She’s just angry right now. I’ll give her space until she cools down.

He had always perceived Darcy as a rational, mature woman. He hadn’t realized she possessed this unreasonable, dramatic side.

But then again, perhaps her intensity stemmed from the depth of her love for him. That thought brought him an odd sense of relief.

He drove to the bar, where Hugo and Ines were already deep into their second round.

The moment he stepped inside, Ines, with his keen nose, sniffed the air. Confirming the unmistakable scent of smoke wafting from Zane, he was astounded.

“Holy crap, you’re smoking? Has hell frozen over?”