Broken Oath: I Left, He Regretted-Chapter 162: Zoe Ellison Was Only Ever His Backup Option
Facing the furious man before her, Serena’s heart jolted, and in that instant, she understood everything.
Zoe had actually exposed this matter!
She had thought that if Zoe wanted to win Timothy’s heart back, she would consider his pride and wouldn’t expose everything so recklessly and directly.
But Zoe just had to do it, breaking through that layer of pretense. Did she really not want to get back together anymore?
Seeing Timothy’s face twisted in rage, a trace of fear surfaced in Serena’s heart.
She hurriedly squeezed out tears, her voice choked as she defended herself, "Timothy, you’ve misunderstood me! That night, things got so chaotic between us—I really don’t know when I made that call. I didn’t do it on purpose..."
"Cut the act!"
Timothy harshly interrupted her. Despite being heavily drunk, he seemed glaringly sober at this moment, his sharp gaze as if it could see right through Serena.
He gritted his teeth, "If you didn’t make that call, would the phone call itself? Serena, you just wanted to provoke Zoe. You never wanted to see us back together, did you!"
Serena simply broke down and wailed, crying shrilly, "Timothy, how can you accuse me like this! Ever since I’ve been with you, I’ve put you first in everything. Even when Miss Ellison’s daughter caused me to miscarry and lose our baby, I never once complained! If I were that kind of person, I would’ve done this long ago—why wait until now?"
As she spoke, she secretly shot a look at Sophia, who was watching the scene unfold from the side—her eyes full of warning and threat.
Sophia’s heart tightened instantly, nerves stretched taut.
Her weakness was still in Serena’s hands—she couldn’t let her cause trouble here.
With no other option, Sophia had to bite the bullet and step forward, reaching out to pull Timothy away, feigning anger, "Look at yourself! The president of Xavier Group, yelling at a woman here—what would people think if this got out!"
Timothy shook off Sophia’s hand, pointing at Serena and Sophia, "If it weren’t for you two, Zoe wouldn’t be this hopeless toward me, and Doris wouldn’t refuse to call me Dad! Now look—you’ve made a mess of things for me, destroyed my family. Are you satisfied? Are you both satisfied?"
Serena was so frightened by Timothy’s demeanor that she didn’t dare take another step forward.
Sophia no longer wanted to get involved in this mess.
All these years, she had always put her son first, yet Timothy still hated her this much.
Now, having seen Serena’s true colors, she no longer wished for her to become her daughter-in-law.
Sophia took a deep breath and instructed Nanny Lowell, "Nanny Lowell, hurry up and help Mr. Xavier back to his room to rest, and then make some sobering soup."
Nanny Lowell quickly agreed, carefully supporting Timothy up the stairs.
Soon, only Serena and Sophia were left in the living room.
Serena stared resentfully at Timothy’s retreating figure disappearing around the staircase corner, brimming with unwillingness.
She turned around and gave Sophia an icy glare, her voice sinister, "Come—we need to talk."
Sophia’s heart leapt, immediately guessing what Serena wanted to say. She didn’t dare let anyone else hear, so she forced herself to bring Serena into her own room.
As soon as the door closed, Serena raised her hand and slapped Sophia several times, so hard the blows left her dizzy.
Sophia clutched her burning cheek, both furious and terrified.
This was already the second time Serena had hit her. If Serena really married into the Xavier Family, how could she ever have a peaceful day again?
But she didn’t dare fight back—afraid Serena would expose what she had done all those years ago.
Serena sneered, her eyes sweeping over the altar in Sophia’s room, with its Goddess of Bright and burning incense.
"So now you’ve started believing in the Goddess of Bright, old woman?" Serena enunciated each syllable. "Don’t tell me you’re praying for her to drive me out of this house?"
A flicker of unease flashed in Sophia’s eyes.
Indeed, every day she prayed for the Goddess to have Serena hit by a car so no one would threaten her again!
But how could she ever admit it?
"Serena, you... you’ve got it wrong," Sophia stammered in fright. "I’m just praying the Goddess can... can bless you."
Serena snorted coldly, clearly disbelieving her.
She stepped forward, yanked out the incense burning in the censer, and pressed it mercilessly against Sophia’s arm.
Sophia trembled with pain, just about to scream, but with gritted teeth, she forced herself to swallow the cry back down.
She didn’t dare make a fuss, could only bear the agony as cold sweat poured down her forehead.
Serena poured all her bitterness at not having Timothy onto Sophia.
She yanked Sophia’s hair, forcing her to kneel before the Goddess of Bright, and used burning incense to scorch her arm over and over, until Sophia’s arms were covered in purple burns.
Only when Serena grew tired did she finally stop. She spoke with an icy chill, "Old hag, didn’t you say I’m useless? But what use are you? You’ve raised your own son for thirty years, but does Timothy care about you? I’m telling you, as long as Timothy doesn’t marry me, I’ll torture you every single day! Unless my parents get out of prison, unless I become Mrs. Xavier, you’ll never get a peaceful day. Otherwise, you’ll suffer pain like this every single day!"
With that, Serena jerked Sophia’s hair fiercely and flung her to the side.
Sophia hit the floor, curling up in agony, her clothes soaked with sweat, not even daring to sob aloud.
She stared at Serena in terror—this woman was clearly a deranged, heartless demon!
Sophia regretted everything so much her guts twisted, but now, there was nothing she could say.
Huddled on the ground, she was filled with utter despair.
How long could days like this, worse than death, possibly go on?
...
A few days later, Timothy was still trapped by Doris’s words to him that day, unable to move on.
The dusk was falling. The blinds in the top-floor office of The Xavier Group were only partially open, the sliver of setting sun spilling across the photo album on the desk.
Timothy’s fingertips caressed the bright, beaming girl in the photograph, his throat tightening.
He muttered to himself, "Zoe, are you really never going to forgive me? Should I... should I finally let go? If I agree to the divorce, will you still hate me this much?"
The frustration and turmoil that had built up these past days left him unable to focus on work.
He simply picked up his phone and dialed his assistant, Jack Sullivan.
"I’m going away for a few days. If there’s nothing urgent at the company, leave it all until I’m back."
There was a pause on the other end before Jack shared his concern: "President Xavier, leaving for a trip now... Ethan’s been acting frequently, and I’ve found out he’s privately contacted a few senior board members. He might be about to make a move."
Timothy’s lip curled in disdain. "Ethan? When isn’t he causing trouble? Ever since he came to Xavier Group, he’s never toed the line."
He turned away, his gaze full of contempt. "He’s just a spoiled rich kid who got into the company riding on being the old man’s illegitimate son. Besides partying, playing around, and pulling some cheap tricks, what real trouble could he possibly make?"
"It’s different this time, President Xavier," Jack said, his tone grave, still trying to persuade him. "He’s gone to see Chairman Morgan and Chairman Lancaster, who both followed the old master back in the day. Their voices carry a lot of weight in the boardroom."
Timothy didn’t take Ethan seriously at all.
He sneered, "He could bring the King of Heaven, but he’s still a bastard and nothing useful. Don’t worry—whatever tricks he has, I’m not worried. I’ll deal with him when I get back!"
With that, he hung up and started booking tickets himself.
The first stop was Corinthos, the place where he and Zoe had taken their first trip alone—right near Veridia.
Just a quaint, old-fashioned small city, but it held so many of their memories.
...
A few days later, outside the kindergarten.
I had just picked up Doris from kindergarten when I saw a familiar black sedan parked not far away.
The car door opened, and Sophia clicked over quickly in high heels toward me.
Doris was startled, immediately pushing her away. "Don’t touch my mom!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Sophia’s face chilled, as if wanting to lash out, but she held herself back.
Her voice didn’t carry that old sting anymore, but was instead full of worry as she looked at me, asking, "Is Timothy with you? His phone is off. I can’t reach him! He’s been missing for days."
I tightened my grip on Doris’s hand, my heart sinking a little.
Could it be that after the incident at the Sinclair Family, he couldn’t handle it?
But Timothy and I are already two separate people now. I don’t want to worry about him anymore, nor do I want to be involved in his affairs.
So I said, "I haven’t seen Timothy in days either. Try looking elsewhere."
With that, I was ready to take Doris and leave.
But Sophia blocked my way, her tone surprisingly humble, "I know—you don’t like me. It’s my fault; I shouldn’t have opposed you two back then. Timothy... because of you, he’s been drinking himself into a stupor every day lately. It hurts me to see him that way. No matter what he’s done wrong, his feelings for you are real. Zoe, could you help me find him?"
I curled my lips, my voice calm and emotionless. "Ms. Kendall, I don’t have time to look for him. I need to get Doris home and make dinner, and help her with her homework. I don’t have the time for his business."
Sophia exploded at my words, yelling, "You ungrateful wretch! Do you know how much Timothy gave up for you? How many matches with families of equal status did he reject because of you? Because he was distracted by you at the company, Ethan found an opening! And now you’re living free and won’t even go look for him!"
The parents nearby all turned to stare.
I shot Sophia a cold look. "If you want to destroy the online image your son worked so hard to build of your loving, happy family man, then go ahead and keep shouting. Let everyone see what kind of people the Xavier Family really are."
Doris glared at Sophia, "Don’t talk bad about my mom! You’re a bad grandma!"
Sophia’s face turned ashen.
I no longer looked at her, leading Doris to our car.
After strapping Doris safely into her car seat, I started the engine. In the rearview mirror, Sophia was still standing there.
As I drove, Doris asked softly, "Mom, is Dad... really missing? Last time when you were missing, I was so worried."
She was afraid I’d be upset, so she didn’t dare say she was worried about her dad.
But hearing her tone, I replied, "Doris, he’s your dad. It’s only natural for you to worry about him. But he’s a grown-up and knows how to take care of himself. If Grandma truly can’t find him, she’ll call the police."
Only then did Doris relax, her little face showing a seriousness beyond her years. Looking at her in the mirror, my heart ached with sorrow and pain.
...
Corinthos.
Timothy parked his car along the seaside road and stepped forward on the soft sand.
The sea breeze, thick with salt and moisture, swept into his face. Suddenly, he saw in his mind’s eye a girl with a high ponytail, crouched on the rocks, carving letters intently.
He strode forward, but by the rocks, there was no one.
Timothy’s fingers brushed the surface of the rock. The old carving, faded by wind and sea, was still distinguishable.
He remembered that summer ten years ago—Zoe’s grades had plummeted at the end of term. She was always a top student and proud, so she sulked for several days over it.
To cheer her up, he booked round-trip tickets to Corinthos early the next morning.
Since the city was close to Veridia, they could return the same day.
The beach was now developed as a tourist spot, but back then, it was so small no one visited.
He hadn’t started college yet, hadn’t met Naomi, and his small world contained only Zoe.
"Timothy, look!"
Back then, Zoe’s eyes sparkled as she proudly displayed her handful of seashells.
He laughed, tousling her hair. "Don’t let a bad test get you down. Even if you don’t get into college and turn into a homebody, I’ll take care of you forever! But you have to promise—you’ll be a happy homebody, okay?"
Zoe froze, blushing, and asked, "Really? Do you promise?"
"Mm. Promise."
He nodded solemnly.
Zoe grabbed a stone, crouched by the rock, and carefully carved their names.
"Zoe Ellison & Timothy Xavier."
No words of love or romance.
But thinking back now, maybe that was when Zoe began to like him.
He had never given her any promises, feeling a commitment would constrain him later on.
He had longed for the freedom and vastness of college life beyond his small hometown.
So Zoe never asked him for promises, never told him she liked him, never brought him any trouble.
When he fell for Naomi later, he felt no guilt, even comforting himself that what he and Zoe had was just sibling affection.
But now, facing his own true feelings, he knew that if Naomi hadn’t appeared, he would have loved Zoe.
Zoe had been there, filling all the emptiness of his world before Naomi showed up.
All along, he’d treated her as a fallback.
He remembered how, when he’d come back and proposed to her, the happiness and joy she could hardly hide—his heart now felt like it was being sliced apart, full of regret and pain.
He had always known how much she loved him, yet pretended not to, using her love to his heart’s content while hurting her again and again.
Until they reached this point of no return.
His vision blurred. Timothy tilted his head back, closing his eyes tightly.
After a long time, he took out his phone and photographed the carving on the rock.
But all the photo showed was the weathered stone and blurred letters—the beaming, radiant girl was gone forever.
He opened X, and as his fingers trembled while composing the update, he finally just typed three words: "Still remember."
As he hit send, he mocked himself with a tiny smile.
Zoe had blocked him—this was his only way to let her remember their past happiness.
In the days following, Timothy retraced the path of his travels with Zoe, visiting every city they’d wandered together.
All were near Veridia—back then, The Ellison Family wouldn’t let Zoe stay out overnight.
Her parents spoiled her, but they had rules: for instance, a girl must be home before nine at night.
So Timothy only dared take her to nearby cities, places they could return from the same day.
He went to the dessert shop hidden in a side alley, and to the wetlands park on the outskirts...
Everywhere, he took photos and posted them on X.
But he didn’t know whether Zoe ever saw them.
On the last day of his trip, he stood atop a hill in some city, the setting sun painting the sky orange, just like when they’d snuck out to watch the sunset ten years ago.
But back then, he’d hurried her: "Let’s go! If you don’t, we’ll miss the last bus back—your dad and mom will give you the family rules treatment!"
Zoe looked up at him with her fair, tender little face, smiling brightly: "Timothy, when I turn eighteen and have my freedom, will you bring me back to watch the full sunrise and sunset?"
He’d promised her without hesitation.
But after that, he never brought her back to this city, just half an hour from Veridia, nor did he ever again accompany her to see the sunrise and sunset.
He suddenly remembered, on her birthday, Zoe had given him a ’gift’ containing the divorce papers. Back then, he’d dismissed it and set it aside without even bothering to open it. When she left the study, looking back at him, her eyes held no hatred or resentment, only absolute despair.
He had actually caught that look out of the corner of his eye.
But he thought Zoe wouldn’t leave, would come back on her own anyway.
Until there was no more midnight snack made by her at home, and no light left on for him.
That’s when he finally understood—he hadn’t just lost a wife, he’d lost his entire world.
At this moment, Timothy’s chest hurt so much he could barely breathe.
Just then, a call came in from Jack Sullivan, sounding like the sky was falling:
"President Xavier, please come back! There’s trouble at the company!"
