"I … I didn't mean to, Ivana. Don't be mad at Ernest. I bought the flowers. It has nothing to do with him." Sydney sobbed softly, her voice dripping with artificial innocence.

Ivana found it irritating. She turned her back to them, ignoring her entirely.

Ernest said, "Ivana, Sydney already apologized. She meant well. Aren't you going too far?"

"Ernest, stop. It's my fault," Sydney murmured weakly.

"Ivana!" Ernest grabbed Ivana's arm, flipping her over forcefully.

Ivana, who had barely recovered, was still as pale as a sheet. Ernest froze for a second.

Sydney clutched his arm, "Ernest, Ivana just woke up. It's only natural she'd be upset. After all, it's my fault. She lost a toe and now she's … now she's disabled. It's understandable for her to have a bad temper."

Ivana slowly withdrew her arm, which Ernest had gripped so tightly it hurt. She quietly watched Sydney perform her little act.

"Ivana, I know you're unhappy, but you can't treat Sydney this way. She came to see you with good intentions. She even picked the lilies one by one for you. She just apologized, so now it's your turn to apologize to her," he said.

Ivana's chest ached. In a hoarse voice, she repeated, "You … want me … to apologize? Ernest, you want me to apologize to her?" He wanted her to apologize to Sydney!

A stranger might not have known about her pollen allergy, but Ernest definitely knew!

When they first got together, Ernest had once bought her lilies too because he used to buy them every day when he pursued Sydney.

Ivana, trying to hold in her allergic reaction, had accepted them. By dinner time, she was covered in rashes and running a fever. Ernest had rushed her to the hospital and upon finding out the reason, he'd laughed as he held her, calling her silly. After that, he never sent her lilies again.

And yet, the moment Sydney returned, he'd forgotten it all. Of course, if the stand-in differed from the original, it could only be the stand-in's fault.

"I did nothing wrong," Ivana said weakly but firmly.

"Ernest, it's my fault. Blame me, okay? Don't argue with Ivana." Sydney's voice trembled pitifully, her eyes brimming with tears.

One insisted on an apology, the other refused. The standoff persisted.

"Enough noise! This is a hospital ward, it needs to stay quiet! What's wrong with you as a family member? She just got saved and you're here arguing with her?" The nurse, having seen all kinds of situations, sized up the scene immediately.

Disgusted by the spectacle and Ernest's raised voice, she finally stepped in to shoo them off.

Sydney couldn't stand the curious and disapproving glances from several nurses outside. Tugging at Ernest, she whispered, "Ernest, my stomach hurts."

Ernest finally helped Sydney out, the nurses throwing disdainful glances at them as they left. "What kind of people are they?" The nurse rolled her eyes, watching them disappear down the hallway.

Ting! A notification appeared on Ivana's phone.

"Dear passenger Ivana Millian, your flight ticket has been issued. Journey: San Diego to France. Ticket number … Please arrive at the airport 2 hours early with your ID to complete check-in."

The days before her discharge were peaceful. Sydney's provocative messages occasionally popped up, but Ivana treated them as regular spam.

Her flight was scheduled for ten days later. The first thing Ivana did upon being discharged was head home to pack her things.

The moment she opened her apartment door, she realized everything had changed. The small apartment, which could be seen entirely with one glance, felt foreign. The photos of her awards on the wall were gone, replaced by Sydney's graduation photos.

Her pictures with Ernest had disappeared, replaced by photos of Ernest and Sydney. Even the polaroids stuck to the fridge were now shots of Sydney and Ernest.

The sticky note she'd left on the fridge before leaving used to say: [There's light cheesecake in the fridge that you like. Don't eat too much, you'll get a stomachache.]

Now it read: [Sydney and Ernest's love-preserving fridge,] with a big red heart drawn beside it.

The couple mugs she'd bought for herself and Ernest had been shoved into the furthest corner and mold had even grown inside them.

The bed sheets in the bedroom had been replaced with a lily-themed set that Sydney apparently liked. The sofa cushions, the carpet, the bedside lamp, the trash bin, the shoe cabinet and the little footstool, everything within sight was unrecognizable to Ivana.

She couldn't even find her slippers. In just one month, it felt as though her five years with Ernest had been wiped clean.

Thank goodness it was summer. Ivana walked barefoot, wobbling slightly on the uneven floor. Her foot no longer hurt much, but her gait was still awkward as she was unused to walking like this.

In the storage room, she found her suitcase. She also dug through the closet, now full of Sydney's clothes, to the farthest corner where she unearthed her own crumpled clothes.

The clothes she'd still wear, she folded neatly. Anything Ernest had bought, she threw away.

For a moment, Ivana wanted to toss out the closet itself, too, since she was the one who'd bought it.

She glanced down at her foot, forget it. It had been used for years anyway, she could just treat it as a donation to the junk hauler.

In the end, there was only a single, lightweight suitcase to take with her, but the pile of trash was enough to fill the entrance of the apartment.

Just as she was about to call the property management to arrange garbage pickup, a timid young girl next door approached her.

"Excuse me, Miss …? You don't want all this anymore?" The girl looked as though she had just moved in, not well-off, by the looks of her circumstances. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, glancing nervously at Ivana.

For a moment, Ivana saw herself eight years ago, when she'd first arrived in this city. The room she'd rented back then had been much worse than this apartment.

Back then, she, too, had timidly asked a girl who was moving out, "Miss, do you not want all of this anymore?"

Ivana answered, "Yes, I don't need it anymore. Do you want it?"

The girl's eyes lit up and she blushed with excitement, "How much do you want for it?"

Ivana smiled, "Nothing. Do you have any coke? If you do, an iced cola will do in exchange."

"Yes, yes, I do!" The girl hurriedly fetched a bottle of icy coke, her slippers dragging noisily across the floor.

After taking a gulp of the coke, Ivana's spirits lifted considerably.

"It's all yours!" She left the keys on the table and, with a swing of her suitcase, headed out the door to catch a taxi.

She said, "Sir, end number 8210, Orchard Apartment." Watching the scenery blur past outside the window, Ivana breathed in the scent of freedom.

Ernest called her again, spoiling the mood, though it didn't matter. She only had ten days left to endure.

"Gaining some guts now, huh? You got discharged and didn't even tell me?" His voice was icy, the words forced through gritted teeth.

"I wish you and Sydney happiness." This time, Ivana said it with an incredible calm.

"That's enough! I've already called you, haven't I? If you keep acting like this, don't blame me for what happens! You know my temper!"

Ivana found herself speechless, "If you don't want to hear me speak, you can hang up, you know."

"Ivana!" he yelled.

"Ah, don't yell at her again. Speak nicely," Sydney's sickly sweet voice interrupted as usual. "Hello? Ivana, it's me, Sydney."

Ivana just said, "Oh."

Sydney invited her, "Three days from now, it's my birthday. I don't have many friends here and Ernest booked the entire Nolen Bar. Can you come? We'll celebrate together, okay?"

"I don't think I'll go. My foot isn't convenient." Ivana said.

Sydney tried to persuade, "Ivana, are you still mad at me? I'll make you a cake to apologize, okay?"

Here we go again ... Ivana was in a pretty good mood today. Thinking it over, she figured it was just a meal, what's the worst that could happen? She'd be leaving for France soon and she didn't want to stir up any more drama.

With the Gilmore Family's influence in San Diego, it wouldn't even be hard for them to stop her from boarding the plane.

"Fine, send me the time," she finally said.

Sydney texted her: [7 PM, Nolen Bar. (Location shared).]

***

Ivana picked out the same dress she wore on her very first date with Ernest five years ago. She'd always been someone who believed in finishing what she started.

By the time Ivana arrived, it was already 7:30. Nolen Bar was bustling. Most of the people there were familiar to her, Dominic, for one, was present again.

There were also a few women who looked vaguely familiar. Ivana vaguely recalled they were Sydney's close friends.

Dominic was the first to notice her and quickly approached with a mix of flattery and unwillingness in his eyes, "Ah, our chef is finally here! Ernest and Sydney are over there."

Following Dominic's gaze, Ivana saw a large cake on the table, it looked familiar.

Ernest was talking to Sydney, who playfully nudged his chest and then fell into his arms, giggling coquettishly.

"Ivana! You came! Come on over!" Sydney waved her over, her face full of unconcealed triumph, like a hen proud of winning a fight.

As Ivana drew closer, she got a clearer look at the cake. It was the exact design she'd drawn up as a plan to celebrate her five-year anniversary with Ernest. She hadn't expected Sydney to steal the idea and make it for herself.

"Isn't Sydney's cake just gorgeous?"

"I heard someone's always winning cake design awards in competitions, but those cakes look nowhere near as good as Sydney's."

"Who knows if those awards were won by cozying up to Ernest?"

Sydney's two friends chimed in one after the other, their disdainful gazes sweeping up and down Ivana.

"Ivana's awards were all won on her own merit." It had been a long time since she'd seen Ernest. He seemed to be doing well, full of vitality. Only when he looked at Ivana did a hint of displeasure creep into his expression.

"Ernest, don't say that. If Sydney were to enter those competitions, she'd definitely win too!" someone said.

Ernest's eyes remained on Ivana and she quietly stared back. Sydney, ignored, bit her lip and called Ernest's name pitifully.

Ernest glanced over at her and his expression softened.

He said, "Come here. Sit next to me." Ivana didn't want to sit beside him, but sitting next to Sydney would be even worse.

Her gaze scanned the available seats and Dominic immediately slid further over, hogging two seats with a single body. Sighing, Ivana settled beside Ernest.

Fine, sitting here would also mean he'd hear her breakup message more clearly later. That way, she wouldn't embarrass him publicly.

"Ivana, about last time, I'm sorry. How about you light the candles?" Ernest wrapped his arm around Ivana's waist, took the lighter from Sydney and pressed it into Ivana's hand. "Go ahead, light them."

Ivana stared at the lighter. He knew she was afraid of fire, any open flame triggered her deep-rooted fear.

Once, Ernest had even replaced all the stoves in their house with induction cooktops for her. For five years, her birthday cakes never had candles.

Ivana thought for a moment, fine. She'd light the candles and once everyone was singing 'Happy Birthday,' she'd tell Ernest they were breaking up. Then, she'd find an excuse to leave.

With the noise of the crowd, no one would even hear her. That way, everyone could save face.

As Ivana lit the second candle, Sydney suddenly let out a sharp scream. Everyone turned toward the source of her scream and Ivana instinctively lifted her head to look.

Just as she wondered what Sydney was shouting about, she suddenly felt a surge of heat rise sharply against her thigh.