Regret in His Wake (Hannah and Zachary) novel Chapter 5

It seemed like Zachary was worried Anna might leave, so he quickly instructed the housekeeper to move her luggage into the largest guest room.

Yolanda, feeling quite smug, turned to Hannah and said, "Well, what are you standing around for? Go make dinner. Remember, Anna can't handle spicy food, so keep it mild."

In this household, even with help around, it was always Hannah who cooked. Mostly because Zachary was quite the picky eater, and even top-starred chefs couldn’t satisfy him. Only Hannah's cooking was passable enough for him to eat.

But no matter how much effort Hannah put into the meals, Zachary would only take a few bites, occasionally joined by Yolanda who would critique every dish.

This time, Hannah simply shook her head and said something no one expected.

"I can't do it."

Hearing Hannah's refusal, Zachary instinctively looked over at her. In his memory, she had never gone against the family. This was her first time refusing.

Just as he was about to speak, Anna's eyes reddened, and she bit her lip, eyes downcast.

"It's my fault. I shouldn’t have moved in. After all, I'm just an outsider. It's not right to make Ms. Clarke cook for me."

With that, she turned to go upstairs and pack her bags, but Zachary quickly grabbed her arm.

"It's not related to you," he said, turning back to Hannah with a more serious tone. "You said you weren't upset. What’s this about now?"

Hannah lifted her hand, revealing band-aids on her index finger and the fourth one.

"I'm injured. I can’t touch water for a while."

In truth, she wasn't hurt at all. The agreement was over, and she didn't want to waste any more time on Zachary, so she had slapped on some band-aids as an excuse not to cook.

The atmosphere turned tense.

Hannah had always managed the household chores herself, so the servants would leave on time. Now, with no one else to cook, calling the help back would take too long.

Yolanda frowned with displeasure, full of complaints. "Why didn’t you say you were hurt earlier? Are you trying to make us starve purposely?"

She was about to scold Hannah further when Anna gently intervened. "Yoli, don’t be like that."

"A broth base, no meat for Anna, lots of vegetables, but hold the cilantro," Zachary instructed the server as he scanned the menu.

Even after all these years, he remembered Anna's preferences clearly.

"Hannah, anything you don't eat?" he asked. It was the first time in five years he’d inquired about her tastes. Hannah, sitting across the table, wiped down her cutlery with a napkin.

"Anything's fine, except seafood."

Throughout the meal, Zachary paid attention only to Anna, ensuring she had plenty to eat while barely touching his own food.

Midway through dinner, a commotion erupted at the neighboring table. Voices rose, and a heated argument turned physical.

As patrons rushed to break it up, one furious man grabbed a steaming pot of soup, intending to throw it at his opponent. The intended target dodged, and in a misdirected throw, the hot soup flew toward their table.

In the chaos, Zachary instinctively shielded Anna, pulling her close. Hannah, caught off guard, watched helplessly as the scalding broth hurtled towards her.