Zoya’s P.O.V
As soon as I saw my cousin and my ex-fiancé together, I felt my heart thrash against my ribcage, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that made me want to disappear into thin air right then.
I had hoped to avoid them, but it was clear that luck wasn’t on my side anymore. Even though I had managed to avoid running into Dr. Salvador…avoiding Tania and Ravi was now inevitable.
I felt frozen, as if time had stopped for a moment and I was left suspended in a vacuum with nothing and no one to hold on to. All of the pain and hurt I had felt during our tumultuous breakup flooded back into my mind. The image of his mouth on her breast, her gasp of pleasure as she thrust her chest deeper into him…made my chest burst with an explosive flare of heaviness. I couldn't believe that they were both here, in the same place at the same time, and on the exact same day that I happened to be visiting too. And to make matters worse, Ezra was standing by my side. I felt awkward and uncomfortable, unable to decide what to do next.
I could feel him tense up beside me, and I wanted to run, to scream and never look back. It was like I was watching a car accident happen in slow motion; it terrified me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was nothing but a helpless bystander, watching powerlessly as all hell broke loose.
As they approached, I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me. I knew I needed to keep my composure, but it was hard when I felt like the world was closing in on me. My knees would have buckled had Ezra not taken hold of my hand. I knew they were looking at where my hand and his met in the middle, but when I was this close to breaking down in public, I could not care less about what they thought.
When Ezra stepped up to my side almost protectively, shielding me behind him slightly, it felt like a lifeline had been thrown to me. I was grateful for his presence and support, but at the same time, I was embarrassed that he had to witness this awkward encounter.
Moreover, I felt a part of me shrivel up in humiliation for having to need his support when we were barely even friends. I preferred to keep this part of me to myself, but today I did not have much of a choice.
"Oh, Zoya," my cousin Tania said, looking Ezra up and down with a mischievous glint in her eyes that I did not like one bit. I didn't even know whether she and Ravi had gone public yet, but it was clear that she had her claws out for Ezra, like a predator spotting its prey from miles away, ripe for its picking. "Funny seeing you here. Who's your…friend?"
The sickly sweetness of her voice rubbed against my senses in all the wrong ways. I hated it, the way she licked her lips as if she wanted to pounce at Ezra right then.
"This is the Sheriff, Ezra Hunter," I said, introducing him to the snakes for the sake of being courteous. Even though the people I had considered my own had betrayed me, showing any kind of displeasure would just be to their advantage, and I didn’t want them to think I was throwing a tantrum over something that was already dead and gone. "Ezra, this is my cousin Tania and my ex-fiancé, Ravi."
Ezra gave them a polite nod, but I could feel his tension. Something told me that he didn't like seeing me uncomfortable, especially after what I had told him about this place. Perhaps he sensed that these people in front of us had something to do with my bad experiences here? Cop instincts, I guess.
However, no matter how civilized I had tried to be, my cousin seemed to have other thought in mind. Tania didn't waste any time before showing her attraction to Ezra, either. With the way she was batting her eyelashes and flashing seductive smiles at the man beside me as if neither I nor Ravi were there, I could tell she was flirting with Ezra, and it made me feel even more uncomfortable.
“I can't believe you replaced Ravi so quickly,” Tania gushed; her voice purposefully loud enough to make sure that the people nearby could overhear what she was saying. There was nothing innocent about her mockery, and if the way Ezra's grip tightened on my hand was any indication, it seemed that he thought the same. “So soon after your breakup! I gotta respect your hustle. You don’t waste time beating around the bush, do you?”
I didn't want to seem weak in front of Ezra, but I couldn't help feeling hurt by her words. It was like she was rubbing salt in the wound, and it made me feel like I was back to that day all over again, when I caught them red-handed in their dirty act of betrayal. But in the end, they has slipped away by playing the innocent victims while I was now hated by my family.
However, when I felt like I might become the laughing stock yet again, with people now gathering around in open interest at the dirty laundry being spewed all over the floor…it was surprisingly Ezra who came to my rescue.
“Well, I prefer free women over cheaters any day,” Ezra said smoothly, his lips tilting up slightly when Tania’s jaw all but hit the floor. “Why beat around the bush when you’re both single and ready to mingle?”
With that said, we walked away quickly, not giving them the chance to torture me further. More like, Ezra all but dragged my stupefied ass out of the building and into his awaiting car.
After we left the hospital, Ezra and I went to a nearby café for lunch, since I had already missed breakfast and was on the verge of a mental breakdown after the ordeal. We didn’t say much after leaving the hospital, and the silence was killing me, so I decided to end the torture and tell him the truth. But first, Ezra deserved an apology.