Chapter 4 Viral Love and Quiet Wars

By 9 a.m. the next morning, the internet had caught fire.

#ZylerReturns was trending worldwide.

The blurry balcony photo.

The red carpet stare-down.

The perfectly timed clip of Zara saying, "We're just people who used to love each other."

Millions of reposts. Billions of opinions.

"If these two don't get back together, I'm giving up on love."

"Zyler is endgame. Don't play with us!"

"Someone check on Tyler. He looked like he was about to cry."

Zara read none of it.

She turned off her notifications, threw her phone on the marble kitchen counter, and cranked up her sound system instead.

Doja Cat.

Full volume.

Distraction.

But nothing could mute the memory of Tyler's voice.

"I cheated because I thought you were already gone."

The words had hit her like a whip.

She didn't know whether to scream, cry, or laugh.

Instead, she did what she always did-she worked.

She styled a luxury apartment for a client in Banana Island. Posted an Instagram reel with ambient lighting, soft jazz, and floral arrangements. Replied to five brand deal emails and did a voiceover ad for a skincare line.

Productivity was her painkiller.

But her chest still ached.

Meanwhile, Tyler was spiraling.

He hadn't planned to speak to Zara at the gala. Just seeing her was supposed to be enough.

But her eyes had unlocked something in him. And now he couldn't lock it back.

He sat in his office at Echelon Tech HQ, staring at his MacBook screen, pretending to work.

His phone kept buzzing.

Jay: "Bro, y'all broke the internet last night. You good?"

Aunt Ronke: "You need to fix things with that girl. She's the best thing that ever happened to this family."

Mum: "Tyler, don't let ego kill you. Go to her."

He muted all chats.

But one message kept replaying in his mind.

Zara's voice-raw and quiet.

"Dreams aren't real. And love isn't always enough."

Two days passed.

No calls.

No texts.

Just silence.

Until Zara's best friend, Kiki, showed up at her apartment unannounced.

Kiki never knocked.

She barged in like chaos in a Chanel bag, holding bubble tea in one hand and sunglasses in the other.

"Girl. Sit down."

Zara sighed. "Kiki, I'm busy-"

"Nope. Sit. Now. Emergency bestie meeting."

Zara plopped onto the couch.

Kiki threw the bubble tea into her hand. "Drink. And spill."

Zara sipped. Slowly.

Kiki narrowed her eyes. "You still love him."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. It's all over your face. And the internet. And your balcony. You looked like you wanted to kiss him and slap him at the same time."

Zara groaned. "It's complicated."

"No, it's not," Kiki said. "He messed up. You walked away. Now he wants to make things right."

"It's not that simple."

"But it could be," Kiki whispered.

Zara looked away.

That same night, Tyler called his therapist.

"I saw her," he said.

"And how did that feel?" the therapist asked.

"Like I came back to life. And then immediately drowned again."

The therapist paused. "So what do you want now, Tyler?"

He didn't hesitate.

"I want her back."

But getting Zara back?

That was going to take more than words.

Because she wasn't the same woman he left.

She was stronger. Sharper. Less forgiving.

And love-real love-wasn't just about grand gestures anymore.

It was about proof.

And Tyler was about to start proving himself.

One silent battle at a time.