"Miss Millian, hello, I'm the nurse here. Your boyfriend has paid for three days of fees." Said a woman.

Ivana looked at her hand, "My boyfriend was here?"

"Yes, the one who sent you over, looked like a firefighter. He paid for all the expenses," the nurse said again.

Ivana said, "My boyfriend isn't a firefighter."

She asked the nurse to turn on her phone for her, but there were no calls or texts at all. However, on her WhatsApp status there was a nine-photo collage of Ernest and Sydney eating together. The caption read: [You're still the boy who loves desserts from back then.]

Ivana closed her eyes, the heartache unbearable. Five years of feelings were no match for the favorite woman.

If you love that woman, Sydney Hamilton, so much, then Ernest, I won't love you anymore, I don't want you anymore.

For half a month, Ivana's phone didn't receive a single message from Ernest. What filled it were nine-photo collages posted by Sydney.

Some showed them eating, some showed them shopping. Some showed Sydney baking a cake while Ernest helped on the side and some had Sydney smearing cream all over Ernest's face like a painted clown …

The latest post read: [My baby craving the taste from five years ago …]

Ernest's call came through, "Ivana, make one of your signature brownies and deliver it to Stellar Hotel, Suite 888 tonight."

"I can't." Ivana looked at her hands and, for the first time, refused Ernest's request.

"Don't forget who paid to open your dessert shop!" he threatened.

Beep ... before Ivana could reply, the call was cut off.

The next moment, a message came in: [Ivana, thank you for taking care of Ernest these past years. Now that I'm back, Ernest should return to me.]

Ivana gripped her phone tightly. For a moment, she felt her heart clench so hard she couldn't breathe. But gradually, she relaxed.

Lifting her hand under the sunset, she looked at it. Five years ago, it was this hand that Ernest held tightly, telling her the desserts she made were the best in the world.

He said he'd protect her hands forever and let her make desserts only for him. The fingernails she lost to frostbite hadn't even fully grown back. Her hands looked frightening.

The cloud storage sync kept flashing and her home camera sent notifications. Ivana stared at their increasing photos and listened to Sydney's voice messages.

They talked about everything: the past, the future. In hours-long recordings, not a single word they mentioned Ivana.

It was only at the end that Sydney asked Ernest, "Ernest, during all these years I wasn't around, you and Ivana were doing well, right? Seeing you happy, I feel at peace. In a few days, I'll move to another city and we should stop contacting each other."

Ernest sounded anxious, "No, no, it's not like that. Ivana is great, but I was with her because ... only her desserts taste like yours. Every time I eat her desserts, I think of you. Every time I see the dessert shop, I think how nice it'd be if it were you making them."

The recording ended abruptly. Ivana touched her face, it was covered in cold tears.

So it was just as she thought, she was only a substitute. She had believed that, in these five years, she had warmed Ernest's heart.

But it turned out she was just a replacement. Now that the real girlfriend was back, whether the substitute's hands could still make desserts no longer mattered.

Wiping away her tears, Ivana opened her email and found the invitation from the French Le Cordon Bleu Academy when she won the dessert competition five years ago.

Back then, because she couldn't bear to leave Ernest, who had collapsed after Sydney left, she gave up on that opportunity everyone envied.

Nowadays, Ivana wanted to go again but didn't know if she still could. After some thought, Ivana sent an email to them, attaching her various awards over the years.

While waiting for a reply, Ivana also researched other schools and their admission requirements. But the one she wanted most was still Le Cordon Bleu.

Researching schools, checking flights, consulting about rental apartment ... Ivana busied herself until evening.

Ernest's call came through, "Ivana! Didn't learn your lesson last time? Where's the cake?" his voice sounded furious.

Sydney's voice clearly came through, "Ivana must've been caught in traffic again. Why you be so harsh with a woman? She might be scared."

Ernest commanded again, "Ivana, I'm telling you, three minutes. Right now. Deliver the cake immediately!"

Ivana held the phone and replied calmly, "I said I can't make it."

"You've gotten spoiled, haven't you?" Ivana could already picture Ernest furiously pacing on the other end of the line.

Over the years, Ivana had always gone along with Ernest. Getting up in the middle of the night to make cakes was nothing unusual, she had never said no before.

"I can't do it. That's it. I can't." After speaking, Ivana hung up and put her phone on silent mode.

Patients needed rest. Ivana told herself this and acted on it, asking the nurse to turn off the lights and going to sleep.

The phone screen switched from call after call to countless incoming messages. The screen's light bothered Ivana, so she flipped the phone over, screen down.

Ernest, whether you're happy or not, whatever you want to eat, whoever you want to eat with, it has nothing to do with me anymore.

After a good night's sleep, Ivana saw dozens of missed calls and hundreds of messages on her phone and felt it was ridiculous. For a cake, Ernest could persistently call and text her this many times.

Even back when Ivana had a fever, fainted and was hospitalized, he had never given her such treatment. Judging from his messages, he didn't even know she was hospitalized and had a toe amputated.

Ivana didn't intend to reply, she just compulsively tapped away all the notification dots.

Then she opened her email. There sat one unread message.

Ivana's heart raced, please, please let it be an acceptance!

She opened the email and sure enough, it was an acceptance letter. Holding her phone, she cried tears of joy. At that moment, she suddenly realized it had been so long since she'd felt this happy.

She got busy booking flights. Her foot needed another half a month to heal, so she scheduled her flight for a month later. She also needed to start looking for housing. She contacted local agents, wondering whether her broken French would be understandable.

She couldn't bring too much luggage. Everything from before could be left behind. She'd only bring a few personal clothes and buy new things in France.

***

Ernest's call came in again. After some thought, Ivana answered.

Five years of feelings, even if they were breaking up, she wanted it to end as clearly as it began.

"Ivana, have you had enough? It's been half a month and you haven't been home. Tomorrow's Sydney's welcome-back dinner. I won't hold this against you anymore. Make that award-winning Eternal Companion fondant cake and bring it over."

"I can't make it." Ivana said casually.

He roared, "It's been half a month already, haven't you had enough?"

"Even another half a month won't be enough for me to come home," she said.

"What do you mean by that?" he puzzled.

"Oh no, don't scold her. Ivana might blame me," Sydney's syrupy voice chimed in.

Ivana said again, "I'm hospitalized. I can't make it."

Ernest exploaded, "What kind of illness lasts half a month? Stop pretending! She's your senior!"

Ivana found it utterly absurd. She couldn't understand what made Sydney a 'senior.'

Back then, there were dozens of students learning under that pastry chef. How did Sydney suddenly become her senior? She had never recognized her as such.

"I lost a toe. I can't come." Ivana looked at her right foot, now missing one toe and that day trapped in the freezer involuntarily flashed in her mind.

Her heart clenched, though she didn't know if it was because of losing a toe or Ernest's heartlessness.

The phone was silent for a moment. "Where are you?" Ernest's tone softened.

Ivana said, "Alvarado Hospital. You don't need to come. I'm recovering well."

He asked again, "Why didn't you tell me?"

She explained, "You don't know? Your dear brothers should know. The freezer door at the dessert shop still isn't fixed, from what I hear." Ernest hung up.

Ivana looked at her phone. She hadn't had a chance to break up yet, but no matter, there'd be time.

She refocused on preparing for her departure, filling in all the necessary paperwork. With her flight scheduled for a month later, her visa couldn't wait. Hopefully, a quick-moving agency could speed things along.

"Bang!" The hospital room door was kicked open. The man called Dominic rolled into the room.

Ivana was startled but no longer surprised when she saw Ernest follow him in. That was just how he did things, direct, violent and fast. Over the years, Ivana had gotten used to it.

"I asked him. That day, he locked you in for hours." Ernest kicked Dominic hard, sending him stumbling forward to apologize to Ivana.

Ivana looked at Ernest calmly, "He locked me in for hours. But where were you?"

Ernest's expression faltered for a second before resuming its usual composure, "Sydney returned that day. She's unfamiliar with the area and I thought since she's your senior, I'd pick her up at the airport."

"You picked her up and that meant you couldn't answer your phone, return texts, or leave the keys to the freezer?" Ivana's tone was calm and indifferent.

Ernest thought Ivana seemed different at that moment, perhaps angry. That was fine. She'd been angry before and after a few days, she'd be back to clinging to him with a smile.

He said, "Enough already, Ivana."

"Let's break up." Ivana looked at Ernest with unwavering calm.

She had always thought it would be hard to say those words, yet the moment she did, her chest felt instantly lighter, strangely relieved.

Ernest felt a sudden heaviness in his chest, "What nonsense are you spouting? You're breaking up with me?"

She bravely said, "Yes. I'm breaking up with you. I'm not seeing anyone else either."

He asked, "What do you want me to do? Chop off one of his toes to pay you back?"

Dominic turned pale with fright, visibly trembling. Ernest would do it.

Once, a thug made trouble at Ivana's shop and tried to touch her inappropriately. When Ernest found out, he had one of the man's fingers cut off and dragged him to Ivana to apologize.

She said coldly, "If you cut his, will mine grow back? Or can you sew it back on for me?"

Ernest's face darkened. Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang.

Ivana could hear Sydney speaking.

Ernest's expression eased, "I'll let this slide because you lost a toe. I'll pretend you didn't say any of that."

Ting! A WhatsApp message from Sydney: [Do you think pulling this stunt will make Ernest come back to you?]

Ernest left quickly. Sydney's WhatsApp status updated just a few minutes later.