The water in the glass was shaken, reflecting her calm face.

She didn't check to see if there were any new replies.

Anyway, no matter what Clara said, she already knew it.

Turning into the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and took out half a head of lettuce and two carrots.

The sound of the knife blade hitting the chopping board was crisp and monotonous, drowning out the sound of rain for a moment.

She cut slowly, one stroke at a time, but with great concentration.

It seems that only in this way can I stop myself from thinking about the scenes that I shouldn’t think about.

The lights on the yacht, the man's lowered gaze, and Clara's boastful private message.

The rain still didn't stop.

But Anna Collins suddenly felt a calm and extremely determined mind:

Instead of waiting for others to tear it apart, it is better to let go first.

The sky gradually darkened and the rain finally stopped, but the air was still filled with the smell of dampness.

Anna Collins was holding a freshly made salad and was about to have some dinner with some soup.

There were no candles or cakes on the table, and it was as quiet as every other night.

She wasn't expecting anything.

Ethan Grant three years ago , she learned that expectation is the thing that is most likely to hurt people.

The door lock turned with a click.

She subconsciously looked up, thinking that Ethan Grant had returned. However, it was not him who came in, but the delivery man.

"Hello, here's your order."

The other party handed over an exquisite cake box.

Anna Collins was stunned for a moment and signed for it.

Anna Collins, was clearly written on it .

Her heart suddenly began to beat faster. Could it be... Ethan Grant ?

Carefully unpacking it, I found the cake was beautifully made, with a rose shape and delicate cream.

Her breathing gradually became lighter, and a long-lost warmth appeared in her eyes.

However, when she picked up the small card attached to the box, her fingers froze slightly.

There is a line of words written on it:

" Happy birthday, Clara ."

The handwriting was Ethan Grant 's. A familiar stroke, with his usual coldness.

Anna Collins stared at those words, his throat seemed to be blocked and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

This cake doesn't belong to her.

There was just an error in delivery and it was sent to her.

The wind outside the window blew the curtains, the candlelight-like twilight swayed, and her eyes sank slowly in the shadows.

She slowly put the card back into the box, her movements so light that it seemed as if a heavier touch would crush the last shred of illusion in her heart.

Her fingertips were slightly cold, but she smiled, a smile quieter than crying.

At this moment, she finally understood:

Ethan Grant never remembered was her birthday.

It was the night of their wedding anniversary, and Anna Collins spent the whole day making careful preparations.

She placed candles on the dining table, picked out her best dishes, and even changed into the dress he had given her when they got married.

The candlelight flickered and the atmosphere was romantic, as if everything was waiting for the moment when the door was pushed open.

But the phone screen lit up twice, and it wasn't him either.

Ethan Grant " finally popped up .

She almost couldn't wait to pick up the phone, and said with a smile: "Where are you? Are you coming back soon ...

" Anna ."

His voice was cold and a little tired. "Something urgent happened at the company. I may not be able to go back tonight."

She was stunned, and the light in her eyes dimmed little by little.

"But... today is our anniversary."

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end of the phone, followed by a brief "sorry" and a continuous beeping sound.

Anna Collins held the phone in his hand for a long time without moving.

The candlelight flickered, and the red wine on the table reflected a bright light, but only her lonely figure was reflected.

Her heart felt hollowed out and she almost suffocated.

Just then, her best friend Yuanyuan called and asked her to help deliver her coat to the bar for an urgent matter.

Anna Collins agreed.

She wanted to go out for a walk, maybe it would make her feel better.

The lights in the bar were dazzling, the music blaring. Anna Collins squeezed through the crowd, clutching his jacket tightly in his hand.

She looked around for a while but couldn't find Yuanyuan. However, she saw a familiar figure deep in the crowd.

Tall, straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist , that's Ethan Grant .

She paused.

The person who said on the phone that he was working overtime at the company was actually in the bar at this moment.

What made her even more suffocated was that the figure was currently being held tightly by a woman.

The woman was wearing a burgundy dress, her eyes were red, and she was completely drunk and unconscious.

But even so, she still stubbornly put her arms around Ethan Grant 's waist, as if she wanted to embed him into her body.

Anna Collins 's heart trembled violently. She didn't need to go closer to clearly recognize the person , Clara .

Ethan Grant's face was grim, and his voice was filled with suppressed anger.

" Clara ! Stop it, let go!"

But no matter how many times he pushed her away, she still held on tightly, even harder.

Her eyes were blurred with tears, and she murmured vaguely: "Shi Ye, don't go... don't leave me..."

Ethan Grant 's expression changed from anger to helplessness, and finally to complete relaxation.

He no longer pushed away, but stood there stiffly, with his head lowered and an extremely complicated look in his eyes.

" Clara ..."

His voice was low and full of powerless surrender, "What exactly do you want me to do with you?"

At that moment, the love in his eyes was so clear that it was blinding.

Anna Collins 's hand loosened and the bag of his coat fell to the ground with a plop.

The surrounding noise suddenly became blurred, and all that remained in her ears was the dull pain of her heart.

Countless images flashed through my mind:

On a rainy day, he held an umbrella for her;

In the crowd, he took her hand;

At the graduation ceremony, he got down on one knee and proposed.

All these moments that she thought belonged to her collapsed at this moment.

It turned out that she had always been a substitute when Clara was absent.

It turned out that his tenderness towards her was just a fragment that was forced to be transferred.

No tears fell, she just stared at the scene blankly, but her heart seemed to be torn apart.

That night, Anna Collins finally understood clearly ,

Even though they had been married for three years, and even though she was Mrs. Zhou in name only, she had never truly owned Ethan Grant .

Not even a minute or a second.

Anna Collins did not move forward.

Her coat fell to the ground and she didn't even bend down to pick it up.

She felt like her legs were filled with lead and even her breathing became heavy.

The music in the bar was still deafening, and the lights flickered, shining on her face but unable to reveal any expression.

Her eyes were empty, as if she was looking at the couple hugging each other through a thick layer of glass.

Their world is passionate and lingering.

And she was just an unnecessary bystander.

Anna Collins turned around and walked out.

The laughter and noise of the crowd gradually faded away, and her pace quickened little by little, as if only by escaping could she maintain the last bit of dignity.

I pushed open the bar door and the rain poured down again.

A cool breeze mixed with rain blew in, hitting her face, chilling her to the bone.

Anna Collins did n't bring an umbrella.

She was too lazy to avoid it and just let the rain flow down her hair and eyelashes, soaking her skirt.

The street lights blurred into circles of halos in the rain, and the hustle and bustle of the city was swallowed up by the sound of rain, as if she was the only one left in the world.

She walked on the slippery sidewalk, the clatter of her heels drowned out by the sound of rain, leaving no trace of loneliness.

The scene just now kept flashing back in her mind:

The forbearance, compromise, and heartache in

Ethan Grant's eyes... every one of them clearly showed two words : Clara .

It turned out that she had been deceiving herself.

Three years of marriage was nothing more than her clinging to a little remnant left by others, which she called "happiness".

"Never before..."

She murmured softly, her voice drowned out by the sound of rain.

The pain in my heart is colder than the rain.

The rain completely washed away her makeup, so she didn't try to wipe it off.

Passersby occasionally cast curious glances at her, but she didn't care.

When she reached the corner of the street, she suddenly stopped and looked up at the gray sky.

The raindrops hit her eyes, like tears falling for her.

At this moment, she suddenly felt a clarity she had never felt before.

Perhaps, this marriage should have come to an end tonight.

She took a deep breath and her eyes gradually became firm.

He turned around and disappeared in the rain, his back was lonely, but with a hint of determination.

The night was dark and the rain had just stopped, but the air was still damp and cool.

Anna Collins sat alone at the small dining table.

On the table was the takeout she had ordered: a salad and a piece of cheesecake.

The cake was small, with a single candle with the number "24" stuck on it, standing there alone.

She lit the candle herself.

The flames danced, reflecting in her eyes, but could not illuminate the emptiness.

No blessings, no company, only a silent room.

The phone screen lit up again and again, all of which were messages from the work group or promotional advertisements.

No one remembered that today was her birthday.

She lowered her head and smiled softly.

The laughter was very light and self-deprecating.

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

The only sound in the air was the faint sound of burning candles. She silently made a wish:

"In the new year, Anna Collins , you must learn to stop relying on others."

After saying that, she opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and blew out the candle.

In an instant, the room fell into darkness.

The wind blew outside the window, and the remaining water droplets after the rain fell from the eaves, hitting the iron sheets with a crisp sound.

Anna Collins didn't turn on the light.

She leaned back in her chair, staring quietly out the window, as if she wanted to engrave this moment firmly in her memory.

This, she thought, was the starting point of her twenty-four years.

There were no surprises, no company, but at least she could celebrate for herself.

So, she picked up her fork and took a bite of the cheesecake.

The sweet taste spread in her mouth, but her throat felt dry and she could hardly swallow it.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she looked up and forced them back.

This year, she doesn't want to shed tears for anyone anymore.

Three days later, the classmates of the 21st class of the School of Computer Science and Engineering had a reunion.

The lights in the KTV box were dim, the floor was shaking slightly with the ferocious drumbeats, and the odor of alcohol mixed with perfume filled the air. A few boys sang off-tune, yet still managed to draw laughter.

Anna Collins pushed the door open, everyone's eyes froze for a moment.

On the sofa in the middle, Ethan Grant was surrounded by a group of people.

He leaned lazily, his temperament cold and noble. Even without saying a word, his presence could not be ignored.

His eyes swept through the crowd and almost instinctively stopped on the figure at the door.

Anna Collins wore a very simple light-colored dress, had no makeup on, and had a quiet temperament.

It doesn't fit in with the hustle and bustle here.

Ethan Grant's eyes darkened. He stood up, walked straight to her and sat down next to her.

This action made the air subtly freeze for a few seconds.