On the winding, twisting track, two race cars alternated positions, neither giving an inch.

Cora stood in the viewing area, watching the constantly changing speeds on the screen.

George's car maintained the highest speed, but he could not shake off Tyler, who kept varying his pace with practiced ease. Even a novice could see that Tyler was deliberately provoking him the entire way.

George paid him no attention. He pushed himself to the limit, flooring the accelerator on the final lap. But even giving it everything he had, his car was still a considerable distance behind Tyler's.

Then, on every curve, Tyler would swing to the outside lane, deliberately closing the gap between their cars.

Seeing this utterly humiliating behavior, everyone thought George would surely lose and began sighing in disappointment.

Cora picked up her bag, preparing to leave.

A few seconds later, hysterical screaming erupted behind her. She turned at the sound to see George's black race car crash into Tyler's like a madman on the final curve.

In an instant, the white sports car swerved violently to avoid the collision, forced to veer off the track.

George seized the opportunity and shot across the finish line. The price he paid was losing control of his speed and slamming straight into the guardrail.

The entire car flipped on its side. The front end shattered into pieces and burst into flames.

Witnessing this scene firsthand, everyone in the viewing area gasped. No one had expected George to be crazy enough to win the race this way.

Even Kimberly, who had seemed somewhat bored, screamed and ran onto the track. Seeing her appear, George, covered in blood, stumbled out of the car.

Then, he brought her over to Tyler's car and raised his hand high, making the gesture reserved for winners.

"You lost. For the rest of your life, you're never allowed to come near Kimberly again!"

Cora had known him for nine years. He had always been cool, refined, steady as a rock. This was the first time she had seen George so spirited and fierce.

It would also be the last.

Amid the thunderous cheers, she turned silently and left. This time, she would have no lingering attachments.

…

It was the early morning hours, and George still had not returned. He only sent a message saying he would be on a business trip for a week.

Soon after, Kimberly also sent a photo of George taking her and a group of friends to a victory celebration.

[George said he's taking me abroad to celebrate his victory.]

Cora only replied with one word: [Great.]

Taking advantage of this time, she packed her luggage and made a detailed travel itinerary. After finishing her plans, she first booked a flight back to her hometown.

The airline called to confirm the itinerary. She listened carefully and repeated it back. "Yes, I booked the ticket for a week from now..."

"A ticket? Where are you going?"

Hearing George's voice, Cora turned to find he had returned without her noticing.

She avoided his confused gaze, hung up the phone, and answered honestly. "Back to my hometown to see my parents."

George nodded without asking further. He pulled out an exquisitely wrapped gift.

"Cora, you said before you didn't want jewelry or bags. I picked out a perfume for you this time. Do you like it?"

Cora unwrapped it and sniffed it perfunctorily before setting it down. "I like it."

Her flat response surprised him. He stepped forward and gently pulled her into his arms, sounding concerned.

"What's been going on with you lately? I was away on business for so long, and you didn't send me a single message. Are you in a bad mood?"

Cora had not expected him to notice such a small detail while he was with Kimberly. However, she remembered how she used to share everything with him, from seeing a flower to hearing some gossip.

For three years, he had endured daily messages from someone he did not love. When that person suddenly stopped, any normal person would notice.

Thinking of that, she did not find it strange anymore.

Seeing her remain silent, George thought she was truly upset. He leaned down to kiss her, but she pushed him away, which was a stark contrast from her usual behavior. She turned toward the bathroom.

"It's just my period."

Looking at her retreating figure, George felt stunned. Her period started quite a while ago. Was it still not over?

The next evening, George said he had prepared a surprise and took Cora out. When they arrived at the restaurant, the server led them directly to a private room on the top floor.

The moment the door opened and she saw the room filled with flowers and candles, Cora's eyes sharpened.

George smiled and pulled out a chair for her. "Cora, do you like it?"

She froze for a few seconds without speaking, then sat down silently. He picked up the menu and ordered a table full of dishes, all her favorites. When the food arrived, he even cracked crab legs and deveined shrimp for her.

Throughout the evening, he kept finding topics to talk about and even brought up memories from when they were dating.

"Remember when we first got together? You'd come with me to all my classes every day. My professor kept calling on you so often that he privately asked me why everyone else accompanies their girlfriends to class, but with you, it was reversed..."

Faced with this sudden warmth from him, Cora felt uncomfortable. "What's gotten into you today?"

"I just noticed you haven't seemed happy lately, so I wanted to cheer you up. There's another surprise coming soon."

As he spoke, he checked his watch, then drew back the curtains.

Cora turned to look and heard a series of loud booms. Over a thousand fireworks rose into the sky, bursting open in brilliant, dazzling displays. Watching the heart shapes blooming in the air, Cora was frozen in place.

"You arranged all this?"

Before George could answer, the door to the private room burst open. Kimberly barged in with a group of people. Someone was snapping several photos with a Polaroid camera.

"Cora, are you satisfied with tonight's date? This was my carefully planned surprise. Isn't it romantic?"

Hearing Kimberly's smug tone, Cora's face, filled with complicated emotions, went rigid. She turned to look at George and asked the question again, though her voice now trembled.

"You arranged all this?"

George did not notice the change in her tone. He shook his head slightly and smiled at Kimberly. "No, it was Kimberly's idea. Why?"

Kimberly looked triumphant. "That's right. I heard George stood you up on your wedding anniversary, so I came up with this idea. The restaurant, flowers, candles, dishes, and fireworks were all my recommendations. I wanted to make sure you had an unforgettable evening.

"Oh, and did you get that perfume? I spent forever picking it out. Do you like it?"

It turned out all of this was Kimberly's arrangement. No wonder George was being so proactive.

In an instant, Cora recalled all the things Kimberly had done in college to push them together. Kimberly had told George to buy flowers, take her to amusement parks, send her good night messages at the same time every day.

He had followed through like a robot. Even his tone during the confession had been stiff.

Hearing the group of people around them praise Kimberly's clever arrangements, a deep sense of powerlessness washed over Cora.

Kimberly had arranged all this just to prove one thing to her. No matter how hard she tried to hold onto the past, the beginning, the end, and even the middle of her relationship with George had never been in her control.

From start to finish, everything had been in Kimberly's hands.

Cora could only accept it, and George was perfectly content with that.

Seeing Kimberly surrounded by a crowd of people, Cora could not stand it any longer. She got up and headed downstairs.

Halfway down, Kimberly caught up and stopped her.

"What's wrong? Not happy? Ending this relationship with such a romantic candlelit dinner will leave quite an impression on your life, won't it? Here, I'll give you these photos as mementos."

Cora lowered her eyes and saw the Polaroid photos Kimberly held out to her. In the photos, heart-shaped fireworks bloomed behind George. His arm was around her shoulder, making them look intimate.

Cora noticed immediately that his gaze was not on the camera, but toward where Kimberly had been standing.

She did not take the photos. She simply looked quietly at the person before her, exhaustion in her voice.

"'I've already signed the divorce papers. I'm letting you have him. What's the point of all this?"

"The point? I thought you'd be moved. Well, if you don't like it, I won't play these games anymore. There won't be any more chances anyway."

Kimberly turned around with a grin, about to leave, when the light fixture above suddenly came loose. In an instant, the crystal chandelier weighing dozens of pounds plummeted straight toward them.

Cora instinctively raised her hands to shield her head, then saw George rush over.

The fixture crashed heavily onto Cora's wrist, shoulder, neck, and back, knocking her to the ground.

Tears from the pain rolled down her face in large drops. Agonized groans escaped her throat.

Her whole body trembled as she tried to call for help. Then she saw Kimberly crying as she helped George up. He was also bloodied from the impact.

"George, why are you so foolish? No matter what danger I'm in, why do you always appear first to protect me? Why do you insist on staying by my side? Why can't I ever drive you away? Why..."

It was because he loved you. Cora answered for him in her mind.

Her head grew heavier, and her vision blurred. Finally, she could hold on no longer and lost consciousness completely.

…

When she woke again, Cora saw Kimberly. She placed a birthday invitation on the table.

"Six days from now will be the last day of your divorce waiting period with George. It's also his birthday. I'm planning to confess to him that day. He likes me so much. Giving him such a huge surprise will definitely make him very happy.

"George hit his head and has a mild concussion. I'll take care of him these next few days. If you want to spend more time with him during these last few days, I can move you to the room next to his."

Cora closed her eyes. Her voice was completely flat.

"No need. The person he wants to see most right now is you. And I don't want to see him anymore."

Kimberly nodded knowingly and left, closing the door behind her.

…

During those final days in the hospital, George called several times and sent several messages. Cora did not respond to any of them.

On the day she left, she was discharged from the hospital and went to pick up the divorce certificate.

After returning home, she placed the divorce certificate, along with the divorce agreement both of them had signed, into a gift box and tied it with a ribbon.

She had just picked up her luggage to leave when she ran right into George coming home.

Seeing her with a suitcase, he looked somewhat surprised. "Cora, today's my birthday. I was just about to take you to the party. Where are you going?"

Cora lied smoothly, "I have to catch a flight back to my hometown. The ticket's for today."

She turned and picked up the gift box from the table. "I prepared a birthday present for you. Happy birthday. I need to hurry, so I'm leaving now."

Without waiting to see George's reaction, she walked out the door, hailed a cab, and headed straight for the airport.

Watching her leave in such a rush, George felt a sudden unease.

His instinct was to call her back, to ask her to change her flight, or at least stay for his birthday party. However, just as he took a step, Kimberly's call came through.

"George, the birthday party's about to start. Why aren't you here yet? I've been planning this party for you for so long. I even prepared a big gift for you. I can't wait to show you my surprise..."

After a moment of hesitation, he ultimately drove away.

As for the gift box Cora had given him, he casually left it in the car without opening it.

Pushing open the hotel doors, the banquet hall was crowded with people, glasses clinking, lively and festive.

Seeing him appear, Kimberly smiled brightly and hurried over to him. "George, you're here?"

George nodded, his expression gentle. "Yeah. Didn't you say you prepared a surprise for me?"

Kimberly smiled at his words. "George, you're definitely going to love this surprise."

With that, she quickly walked to the front of the room and picked up the microphone. Her voice echoed throughout the entire hall.

"Thank you all for taking the time to attend George's birthday party. Today is a wonderful day. Not only is it his birthday, but I also have two pieces of good news to share.

"The first piece of good news is congratulations to George on his divorce. He's leaving the past behind and embracing a brand new future.

"The second piece of good news is that I will be formally confessing my feelings to George right here, right now.

"George, you've liked me for so many years, but I've been selfishly taking advantage of your affection. Today, I've finally come to my senses. I want to be with you forever..."