Claire POV

After Vivian came back, Aaron didn't call once.

And I? I refused to throw myself at him again, to beg for a glance, to lose my dignity for the sake of being near him.

Instead, I wrapped myself in the comfort of my freedom. Bella and I ate, drank, and laughed through our days, letting the world blur around us.

That afternoon, as we lingered over red wine, sampling black truffles and caviar, Bella's phone buzzed. A news alert.

"WTF?!" she muttered, thrusting the screen toward me.

Vivian's hand appeared, adorned with a pink diamond so large it seemed absurd.

And, of course, the photos were everywhere.

"A five-million-dollar ring?! Aaron actually bought her something that expensive at an auction? That should have been yours!" Bella fumed.

I gave a faint smile. "If she wants it... let her."

Bella fumed. "And the media... they're already asking if she's about to marry Aaron. And she's doing that... coy act, neither confirming nor denying. She's shameless!"

Bella was so angry she almost threw her phone.

I scooped a spoonful of ice cream, feeding it to her.

"Don't get worked up. It's not worth it. I'm fine the way I am."

We rose to leave, letting the buzz of the restaurant fade behind us, only to find ourselves face to face with Aaron and Vivian.

Vivian's hand curled through Aaron's arm, body pressed close.

Her eyes widened when she saw me. She covered her mouth, a faint panic creeping into her gaze.

"Aaron..." Her voice trembled, and in it, I could hear the faintest edge of accusation.

"She's here again... stirring things up."

Aaron's gaze, warm just moments ago, sharpened.

He stepped forward, placing himself slightly in front of Vivian.

"Claire, I thought we agreed, no more of these chance encounters."

I rubbed my full stomach and smiled.

"Bella and I just had dinner. How is that a chance encounter?"

"Aaron, I finished my meal before you even arrived. Don't get too full of yourself," I added.

He hesitated, a flicker of unease passing over his features, before he looked at Vivian.

"Let's go inside. Forget about her."

Vivian pursed her lips in displeasure and reached out to stop me.

"Don't go!"

She deliberately lifted a hand to flick her hair, letting that enormous pink diamond catch the light.

God, that stone was obscene, its fire practically stabbing my eyes.

She leaned slightly toward Aaron, her voice low, almost conspiratorial.

"The paparazzi are all camped at the front. If they see me and Claire walking in one after the other, they'll say I'm stealing her man."

Then she turned to me, forcing an apologetic smile.

"Claire... maybe you should leave through the back door?"

I paused, then let out a short, incredulous laugh.

"Vivian...you really expect me to believe those paparazzi just happen to be here?"

Her face flickered, a hint of unease betraying her carefully constructed act, then she returned to her fragile, trembling persona.

"Claire... how can you say that? I may be little-known, but I'm still a movie star. It's normal for the paparazzi to follow me."

Pathetic.

All the fortune Aaron lavished on her couldn't change the fact that she was still a third-tier actress.

I stared at the pink diamond—five million dollars at auction—and couldn't help feeling the irony.

The loved ones always act fearless.

She knew no matter what she said, Aaron would believe her.

That debt he felt for her father's sacrifice would always put Vivian first.

And I... I was just an expendable outsider.

I let out a quiet scoff and tugged Bella toward the back entrance.

"All that drama, and I just want a simple meal in peace."

Vivian's muffled cries followed behind us.

Seconds later, Aaron's men stepped in, blocking our path.

"Claire," Aaron stepped in front of me, his gaze sharp, almost cutting. "Apologize to Vivian."

I lifted my chin just a fraction, meeting his eyes.

Vivian clang to him, quiet sobs trembling against his chest.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be sorry for."

"I got here first, and you still insist I'm claiming you came after me on purpose."

"You told me to use the back entrance—I did exactly that."

"What more could I possibly apologize for?"

Aaron's expression stiffened, his voice low and commanding.

"Claire, stop making a scene. When I tell you to do something... you do it."

I exhaled, a soft, resigned breath, letting my gaze drift over him without breaking my composure.

"Fine. Vivian... I'm sorry for everything."

Before either of them could react, I grabbed Bella's hand and slipped through the back entrance, leaving them behind.

Bella was fuming.

"Why did you let her have it? Look at that smug little face! You should have slapped her."

I tilted my head toward the drifting clouds above, a faint, easy smile curling my lips.

"Because... I don't care anymore."

Not long after, Aaron's voice messages pinged my phone:

【Claire, stop sulking.】

【The diamond ring was meant for you, but if Vivian likes it... let her have it.】

【Next time, I'll get you something better.】

I let out a quiet scoff and glanced at my watch.

Fifteen days.

Fifteen days until I'm free.

Claire POV

These days, I ate, drank, and played without a care.

No longer did I worry about Aaron's daily routines or tiptoe around his business affairs.

Life felt unburdened, almost blissfully carefree.

Friends would occasionally send me updates about Vivian, but I merely smiled and let them slide.

Back then, I would have tracked her every social media post, scrolled through every photo, hunting for the slightest trace of her and Aaron.

I would then engineer "chance encounters," desperate for him to notice how much I cared.

But now, all of that seemed utterly meaningless.

The messages from friends were glanced at, and quickly forgotten.

I had almost erased their existence from my mind.

Deep inside, I simply didn't care anymore.

A few days from now, I would leave this city entirely.

Thinking of it made my chest feel light, unburdened.

So when Aaron called, a rare thing these days, I answered with a cheerful voice.

"Claire?" There was a trace of surprise in his voice. "You... sound happy."

I tilted my head. "Is that a problem?"

"You used to cry all the time after leaving me... called me twenty, thirty times a day..."

I let out an ironic laugh. "Yes, you know... that was the old me."

There was a pause, then he said, "It's been a while since I've seen you. I've booked Celestia on the 19th."

"I'm not going," I cut him off, sharp and decisive.

But today, he seemed unusually patient.

"Claire," his voice softened, almost pleading, "the 19th is our anniversary. Just have dinner with me, please."

"Anniversary?" I said lightly. "I've married and divorced so many times, I've long since stopped remembering which day it was."

There was a pause on the line.

"The divorce... that was my fault." His voice had dropped, deepened.

"You know... Vivian is a public figure. I can't risk her reputation."

So, I was always expected to bear it all.

To be the unlucky one.

The target of her fans' online rage every time she held a press conference.

Memories pricked at me like tiny needles, sharp and persistent.

My voice cooled.

"You don't need to explain any of this. I'm not coming to dinner."

I didn't want to see him.

"Wait—" His tone turned urgent. "Don't you remember? Five years ago, at Celestia, was the very first time we met..."

My fingers trembled slightly.

Five years ago, I had been celebrating a friend's birthday at Celestia.

One push from my friend sent me sprawling into the arms of a man at the neighboring table.

In that moment, his gaze cut like a blade, a dangerous heat wrapping around me.

But just as quickly, a soft, almost imperceptible tenderness eased the tension.

At the time, Aaron had just taken the reins of the Moretti empire, every muscle in his body taut, every movement calculated, ready for any threat that might come his way.

And there I was, a plastic cake knife trembling in my hand, pressed—purely by accident—against his chest.

Flustered, my cheeks burned crimson.

I scrambled to wipe the cream off his bespoke suit, apologizing over and over.

And in the chaos of my fumbling, a subtle, fleeting smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, one I almost missed.

That single moment of tenderness etched him into my memory.

And later, I let myself fall for him.

"Claire... promise me, will you? I want to see you."

Aaron's voice pulled me back to the present, a warm flutter rising in my chest.

Time had passed so fast. Five years... I had loved him all that time.

Alright. Let everything return to its starting point.

Where it began, it should end.

I whispered, "Fine. See you then."

Before I could hang up, a soft, trembling voice came through the line.

"Aaron... I'm not feeling so good..."

"Aaron... don't..."

And then, a flirtatious undertone.

Disgusted, I tossed the phone aside.

How could he... entangled with another woman one moment, yet telling me he wanted to see me the next?

Then, a news alert flashed across my screen.

Vivian, drunk at a bar, being carried into a hotel by Aaron.

I laughed, though a bitter ache stirred in my chest.

I had thought I'd never feel pain for him again...

Forget it.

Let Celestia be the end of our story.

Claire POV

Aaron had been calling me for days since that dinner invitation.

Every time his name lit up my screen, I thought of Vivian's soft, suggestive whispers that night, I let the phone keep ringing until it stopped.

Then came a message:

Aaron: Claire, please. Come out. I just want to see you.

Me: Sorry. I'm done being someone's maybe.

Once, no matter how angry I was, the moment he reached out, even just a little, I'd wipe away my tears, force a smile, and run straight into his arms.

But things changed when Vivian came back.

The more often she appeared, the less patient he became, with me, with us.

He stopped being the man who tried. I was always the one apologizing, always the one asking to stay.

Looking back now, I can hardly stand the woman I used to be.

All I wanted this time was one last dinner on the 19th, the night before I leave, for closure.

That afternoon, I curled my hair into the same soft waves I'd worn five years ago. The chestnut strands fell over my shoulders like a silken waterfall.

Bella called just as I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup.

"Hey, guess what? I heard Vivian and Aaron had a fight last night." Her voice brimmed with excitement.

"Really?" I arched a brow, adjusting my lipstick. "That's rare. I thought he practically built his world around her."

Bella raised her voice a little. "Apparently it was about you! No one knows what happened, but Aaron stormed out of the dinner and left Vivian there."

I kept my tone even. "Thanks for telling me, Bella. I appreciate it."

She hesitate. "You... don't care?"

A soft laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

"I'm leaving soon. Let them have whatever version of happiness they can manage."

I gave a quiet laugh. "I'm leaving anyway. I wish them well."

Then I slipped into the same blue dress I'd worn five years ago, styled my hair and makeup just as I had back then, and headed to Celestia.

Where everything began, and where it would end.

It was the same table. The same view.

Aaron must've had the restaurant prepare everything in advance, Celestia looked even more extravagant than it had five years ago.

Fine crystal, flickering candles, and a centerpiece of white lilies filled the room with their faint perfume.

There were no other guests tonight, only a discreet line of servers standing quietly in the distance.

He'd cleared the place again.

Typical Aaron.

I sighed, gazing out the window where the city lights were beginning to blur into the dusk.

What was I supposed to say when he arrived?

Would he accept it quietly, or lose his temper, as he always did when things slipped from his grasp?

My phone buzzed. Aaron's name lit the screen.

"Claire, I'm so sorry. The meeting ran longer than I expected. I'm coming to you now."

"It's been too long. I've missed you."

I could hear the faint rhythm of his footsteps, the low warmth in his voice that once made my heart flutter.

"Alright," I said softly, pretending lightness. "You're lucky I'm in a forgiving mood tonight."

But as the sky deepened from amber to indigo, the seat across from me remained empty.

Half an hour passed.

Then an hour.

Aaron still hadn't shown up.

I called...

No answer.

Then Bella's name flashed across my screen.

"Claire, check the trending feed. Vivian's gone crazy."

My stomach tightened as I opened the news.

Vivian's car had swerved across Aaron's lane, stopping him dead in traffic.

The two cars collided in a perfect T, not hard but enough to draw a crowd.

Cameras caught everything:

Aaron running toward her, panic carved across his face as he pulled her into his arms.

Another shot showed him stopping a taxi, cradling her like something fragile, driving straight to the hospital.

The tabloids were having a field day:

"Just a minor crash, but Aaron's panic says it all—he looked like he was afraid of losing her."

"Vivian didn't seem hurt. In his arms, she looked... happy."

"After last night's heated argument, the two seem to have reconciled in the most dramatic, passionate way possible."

A dull, persistent ache hovered in my chest, subtle but insistent, like a quiet whisper I couldn't ignore.

One exquisite dish after another had been laid out across the table, the scent of burning candles filling the air, the entire restaurant bathed in a soft, romantic glow.

A waiter approached.

"Would you like to wait a little longer, ma'am?"

I silenced my phone. "I'll start without him."

A solo luxury dinner wasn't so bad, I told myself.

If he wasn't coming, I could just enjoy it all by myself.

But... the lobster lacked its usual richness.

The foie gras... a faint bitterness lingered, subtle, yet unmistakable.

I almost considered calling the chef over, but the thought felt ridiculous.

After picking at a few bites more out of habit than hunger, I pushed back my chair and stood.

This restaurant, it would never see me again.

Dragging my suitcase through the quiet streets of the night, I made my way to the airport.

The café I settled into was nearly empty, yet my phone buzzed relentlessly with Aaron's calls.

I blocked him.

And then his messages started pouring in through the app:

[Claire, I'm sorry. Vivian got hurt; I need to take care of her first.]

[We still have so many anniversaries ahead, right? I'll make it up to you.]

[Tomorrow we're getting remarried. Don't forget.]

Curiosity, or perhaps a need for closure, made me open Vivian's social feed.

It had been a long time since I peeked into her world.

And there it was, a stream of photos of her with Aaron at every conceivable occasion.

The latest update, posted just a few hours ago:

"You promised you'd always take care of me."

"And I've always believed..."

In the photo, she leaned into his embrace, fragile and delicate, while he held her with a tenderness and protectiveness I had once thought was mine alone.

I let out a small, ironic smile, unaware of when the tears had started to trace salty, bitter paths down my cheeks.

Dawn was just beginning to stain the sky.

I wiped my eyes, straightened my hair, and made sure I looked composed.

At 7 o'clock, I had checked in.

Aaron's message blinked on my screen, asking if I was on my way.

I didn't answer.

Instead, I quietly removed him from my contacts.

At 8 o'clock, I was queuing to board.

Unknown numbers flashed insistently across my phone, but I didn't answer, knowing it was him trying to reach me.

At 9 o'clock, the plane began its slow glide toward the runway.

Just as I was about to switch off my phone, Bella's call came through.

The moment I picked up, Aaron's voice, tense and urgent, came through the line:

"Claire, where are you?!"

（卡点）