I asked him why, and he said, "It's just a favor. Do you really have to make a thing of it?"

Make a thing of it.

Five words, and every question I had was shoved right back at me.

As if I were the one being unreasonable.

When I got home, my mother saw me soaked to the bone and clucked over me, aching with worry.

"On a holiday, no less. What if you catch your death out there?"

She went to pour me some hot water, her mouth never stopping.

"Is Phineas seeing someone? A while back he left a cat at his mom's place for her to look after. One look and you can tell it's a girl's cat."

I peeled off my wet clothes. "Probably will be soon."

"For someone with allergies to keep a cat, that's got to be a girl he really likes... And you. You've trailed after him since you were little, and after all these years it never came to anything."

"Mom," I said suddenly, "I got an exchange-student spot."

"That's what I came home to tell you. I leave after the holiday."

"Does Phineas know?"

"No reason to tell him."

A few seconds of silence, and then her eyes went red. She came over and held me.

"All right. When you come back you'll be a student who studied abroad. We deserve the best."

I leaned against her shoulder and said nothing.

After my shower, I sat on the edge of the bed while my mother stood behind me, drying my hair.

"You and Phineas grew up together. You've been stuck to him since preschool. You tested into whatever high school he went to, you followed him to Northbridge, and when he went into the eight-year medical program, you stayed at school for grad studies just to stay with him."

Her voice was half-muffled under the hum of the dryer.

"Almost twenty years now, Greta. I just think you deserve the best in the world... I've always thought so."

I didn't say anything. My eyes went hot again.

She didn't know that Phineas and I had been together for five years already, from south to north, from spring to winter.

It was only that he had never once acknowledged I existed.

That evening, both families had dinner together.

The moment I walked in, the cat trotted over and rubbed its head against my shin.

I bent to look at it, but I didn't reach out.

Amelia Fox smiled. "Oh, Greta, have you seen this cat before?"

I remembered the day Phineas brought it home, the rare time he'd messaged me first with a photo.

"Don't you like cats?"

That one line kept me happy the whole day.

I'd thought he was finally willing to bend for me.

A man allergic to cat hair, willing to keep a cat. Wasn't that love?

Looking back now, it's almost laughable.

It was never for me.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't."

There was a stir at the door. Phineas came in with Lacey Doyle.

She spotted the cat at once and ran over to scoop it up. "Tubby! Mama missed you so much!"

Then she turned to Phineas. "Has he been good this whole time?"

Phineas glanced at me, then said, "Haven't I been sending you videos every day?"

Amelia caught on. "This is... your girlfriend, Phineas?"

The girl glanced at Phineas and waved a hand with a laugh. "Not yet. I'm just visiting relatives abroad, so I asked him to look after Tubby for a while."

Amelia heard what she meant and warmly insisted she stay for dinner.

Phineas said nothing. He only watched me.

I knew that look.

He was waiting to see how I'd react.

In the past, at a moment like this, I'd have gotten jealous, gotten upset, made a scene with him in private.

But today I just pulled out a chair, sat down, and poured myself a glass of water.

At the table, Amelia served the girl food twice.

The first time was cilantro, and he warned, "She doesn't eat cilantro."

The second time was shrimp. He stopped her. "She's allergic to seafood."

My mom glanced at me on instinct, her expression unreadable.

I kept my head down, eating my rice with great care.

Halfway through the meal, a downpour started outside.

Aunt Amelia said, "The rain's coming down hard. Why don't you just stay the night?"

The girl looked over at Phineas. He said nothing.

Aunt Amelia tried again. "Phineas, say something, would you?"

Phineas finally spoke, his voice flat. "There's no spare room."

My hand paused around my bowl. "She can have my room. I was going to clear it out anyway."

For as long as I could remember, I'd had a room of my own at the Sanchez house.

Phineas had set it up just for me. Every break, we'd spend most of our time holed up in that room, building Legos and watching cartoons together.

For years I'd believed that room would always be mine.

"Fine." He looked at me, his voice neither soft nor hard. "Use whatever's in there."

"Anything you don't like, just toss it."

Lacey glanced at me, then at Phineas, pressing her lips together and saying nothing.

Outside, lightning flashed again, thunder cracking right behind it.

I picked up a bite of greens and chewed slowly.

"Greta," Phineas said suddenly.

I lifted my eyes.

"You sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure."

He stared at me for two seconds, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, and smiled.

I understood that smile. He was angry.

He turned to Lacey. "The room's at the end of the hall. I'll take you up later."

Lacey nodded sweetly. "Okay. Thanks, Phineas."

That night, the thunder rolled in wave after wave.

Every time lightning split the sky, I could feel my body trembling faintly.

The last time there was a storm like this, we'd fought over the cat again.

In the heat of it I'd said let's break up, and he only hesitated a moment before agreeing.

The next day I found out I was pregnant.

I'd squeezed myself into his arms and told him, "Let's get married."

He froze for a long time, then pulled me out of his embrace.

"You're despicable, pulling a stunt like this."

I thought he was just saying it in anger. I tugged at his sleeve. "Phineas, don't talk like that, okay?"

"I'm not joking with you."

He shook my hand off. "Neither am I. Trapping me into marriage with a trick like this. Doesn't it make you sick?"

"We just slept together for five years, that's all. Anything you can give, someone else can give too."

I stood frozen where I was, for a long time.

Then Lacey called, saying she'd landed at the airport.

He glanced at me, took the call. "I'm on my way."

The moment the door closed, thunder cracked outside.

I cried alone in the dark for a long, long time.

When I came off the operating table, Lacey's feed had just refreshed.

Phineas was crouched in the airport terminal, retying her loose shoelace, the caption just one line: 【Back home.】

The anesthesia hadn't fully worn off, the wound aching dully.

The enormous loss and the hurt came pouring out, and in that instant, I decided to give up on Phineas.

In the dark, a warm breath drew close, and I was pulled into an embrace.

His hand settled over my belly, his fingertips brushing softly, his voice low and rough.

"Almost three months along now, right."

I shoved him away hard and sat up.

Caught off guard, Phineas's tone was nothing but irritation.

"Greta, what's wrong with you?"

Outside, the thunder rolled again, and I flinched without meaning to.

He tilted his head, clicked his tongue, then got up and pulled the blanket back over where it had slipped off me.

"Go to sleep."

A long silence stretched between us.

"Phineas, is today the first day you've learned I'm afraid of thunder?"

I lifted my head and looked at him, lightning flickering across his face.

I was afraid of thunder. Phineas knew that.

Yet every stormy night these past few years, he hadn't been beside me.

The first thunderstorm, I'd called him. He said he was busy at the lab and hung up in a rush.

The second time, he said he was driving Lacey home.

The third time, he said he was helping Lacey look for her cat.

Bit by bit, I stopped expecting anything.

His eyes flickered, but he quickly slipped back into that detached look.

"I don't have that kind of free time——"

"It's not that you don't have time," I cut in. "You just don't want to."

"You really have to dig up old grudges?"

He tugged irritably at his collar, then pulled out his phone and held it up in front of me.

"Take a good look. You're not the only one who needs coaxing."

On the screen was a message, the contact saved as "Lacey."

【Phin, where'd you go? The thunder's so loud QAQ】

I looked at that message, and all at once it struck me as absurd.

Three years together, and the name he'd saved for me was always "Greta Fox."

No prefix. No pet name.

And I'd been foolish enough to think he just didn't bother with that kind of thing.

I lay down and pulled the blanket over my head. "Do whatever you want."

"Fine. You said it yourself."

He walked to the door, paused, his breathing heavy.

"Greta, what is it you actually want?"

I closed my eyes.

"Let me remind you of one thing. This isn't a cold war. We've broken up."

The door slammed shut.

The crash shook the whole room.

The next day, I dug out everything he'd given me over the years.

A crystal necklace, his gift for my eighteenth birthday, bought with allowance he'd saved up for half a year.

A hair clip, because I'd offhandedly said it was pretty, and he'd bought it the very next day.

……

I found a cardboard box, packed it all in, and carried it to his house.

The door wasn't fully shut. Laughter and chatter spilled out from inside.

I pushed it open and walked in. The living room was full of people.

Phineas sat on the couch, Lacey beside him.

"Oh, isn't this what's-her-name?" Someone recognized me, smiling with a knowing edge. "Phineas's——"

"Neighbor," Phineas said, taking up the word, his tone flat.

"Oh——a neighbor."

"Funny, I heard she's a doormat. The kind who's been groveling for years and never gotten anywhere."

"So Lacey's officially with Phineas now?"

Laughter burst out around the room.

Phineas glanced at me, then, in front of everyone, leaned down and kissed Lacey on the forehead.

Lacey blushed and pushed him away with a laugh.

The living room erupted in catcalls.

I drew a breath, carried the box past them, and stepped into the room that had once been mine.

I took everything out and started packing.

My phone buzzed.

A message from Phineas: 【You said it yourself. We've broken up.】

I didn't reply. I picked up the box and headed out.

In the living room, those people were still going at it.

"Seriously, Phineas, did you ever sleep with that doormat or not?"

"Why even ask? She's a neighbor, grew up with him, knows him inside out. A little fun's nothing strange."

"Shut it, you two. Can't you see Phineas has a real girlfriend now?"

Phineas still said nothing.

He leaned back on the couch, flicking a lighter over and over in his hand, his gaze fixed on the chat screen of his phone.

Until someone dropped a crude joke.

"But then again, was Lacey any good in bed? Some girls look so innocent, but who knows——"