Vera trotted over with a bright smile, holding out a cup to Elias. "Elias, this is yours—three parts sugar, regular ice, double coconut."

She then handed another cup to Mira. "Mira, I wasn't sure what you like, so I just picked one randomly. I hope it’s to your taste."

"Thank you," Mira said, accepting the cup, while Elias took both cups with a small nod. He noticed Vera poking the straw into her drink and asked seriously, "Why are you drinking it iced?"

He gently took the milk tea from her hand, his expression concerned. "Don’t you remember what happened last time? You’ll get a stomachache again."

Vera pouted, clearly unsatisfied. "It’s just a small sip..."

Mira handed her the room-temperature drink she was holding. "Drink this one. I don’t like milk tea," she said, stepping toward the car.

The three of them made their way to a lamb rib shop near the school gate. The owner instantly recognized them.

"Ah, you two! I remember when you were students here. You used to come to the restaurant all the time. Your class president even caught you feeding her a piece of meat while trying to hide a premature love affair..." The boss chuckled as nostalgia filled the air.

The good old days seemed to resurface in an instant.

The boss’ eyes landed on Vera. "Who’s this?"

"My sister," Elias replied smoothly, exchanging a few more pleasantries with the boss before finding a table.

Soon, the ordered dishes arrived, with the steaming lamb ribs bubbling temptingly on the table. The boss had also sent a couple of extra dishes on the house.

"These aren’t spicy, so you can eat more. You’re looking too thin," Elias said, scalding the tableware with boiling water before handing it to Vera.

Mira watched the table filled with dishes, her gaze silent. She and Elias both loved spicy food, and it felt strange that every dish was so mild.

Vera picked up her chopsticks, but her movements were stiff. She tried to grab a piece of meat but struggled to pick it up.

Elias' eyes softened, a hint of pity flickering in them. "Let me help you," he offered, his voice gentle.

Elias carefully removed all the meat from the lamb ribs and placed it on Vera’s plate. "Eat," he said, his tone gentle.

"Thank you," Vera smiled sweetly.

Mira stared at the hot lamb rib pot in front of her, the steam rising in thick swirls. Her eyes stung, and she fought the urge to cry. Every action Elias took was so familiar, so reminiscent of the way he once cared for her in high school. But now, those small acts of kindness were being given to someone else, and it hurt more than she had expected.

Halfway through the meal, a boy in school uniform approached their table. He wore glasses and hesitated before pulling out his phone.

"Hello... Can we add each other on Facebook?" he asked, shyly.

The atmosphere around the table immediately turned icy. Elias' face darkened, and the air seemed to thicken with the dangerous emotion brewing in his eyes.

Vera paused for a brief moment, then pulled out her phone and said, "Okay."

She was about to accept the request when Elias' hand shot out, stopping her. He snatched the phone from her hands, his voice low and cold. "Which class are you from? What’s the name of your class teacher? What was your midterm exam ranking? You don’t focus on your studies and all you do is flirt with girls, huh?"

The boy’s face turned beet red, and in a flash, he turned and ran off.

Elias' expression remained sour, and after watching the boy flee, he handed the phone back to Vera. His voice was sharp. "Do you really want to add him?"

"No," Vera shook her head quickly. "I just didn’t want to embarrass him by refusing. If he adds me, I’ll delete him."

Elias' mood lightened a little upon hearing her explanation. "Alright, let’s eat then."

Mira, standing off to the side, felt like a stranger in the moment. She observed the interaction silently, her heart sinking.

After the meal, Vera excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Elias turned to Mira, his fingers brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Mira, are you upset?" he asked softly. "You didn’t say much during the meal."

Mira’s voice was blunt, her words cutting through the air. "You treat Vera very differently."

Elias froze, momentarily speechless, before a knowing smile spread across his face. "So you’re jealous?" he asked, his tone light yet teasing.

He gently ruffled Mira's hair, the warmth in his touch contrasting with the seriousness in his voice. "I just see Vera as a sister. Don’t you think she’s pitiful? Her life’s ticking away, her father doesn’t care for her, and my job is to help people. I do what I can to save as many as I can."

Is it really that simple?

Before Mira could voice her doubts, a cleaning lady came rushing out, mop in hand, shouting urgently, "Someone’s fainted!"

Elias' face immediately shifted, his expression turning grim as he rushed back into the restaurant. Moments later, he emerged, carrying an unconscious Vera in his arms.

"I’m taking her to the hospital!" His voice was firm, his gaze never meeting Mira's as he carefully placed Vera in the backseat of the car and sped off.

Mira stood frozen, her thoughts swirling in a haze.

Buzz—

A faint, electrical hum buzzed in her ears, drowning out the world around her. Her head felt like it was being pierced by a thousand sharp needles, the pain overwhelming. The room seemed to tilt, and as the world spun, Mira crumpled to the ground, clutching her head in agony.

When she regained consciousness, the sterile scent of disinfectant filled her senses. She was lying in a hospital bed.

"You’re awake," a doctor’s voice whispered, soft with concern. "Do you understand? You have a tumor in your brain. If you don’t have surgery soon, the fainting episodes will worsen."

Silence lingered in the room as she processed the gravity of the doctor's words.

Mira nodded numbly.

As the doctor left, her phone buzzed with a new call—Elias' name flashing on the screen.

"Mira, I’m sorry," Elias' voice sounded guilty, full of regret. "I left you alone today. I’ll make it up to you, I promise, twice as much next year."

Next year?

Mira’s lips curved into a bitter smile. Do they even have a next year?

"The situation was urgent. I understand," she replied, her voice distant.

Elias let out a relieved breath. "Vera’s fine now. I’ll be home soon, I’m picking up dinner."

"It’s fine." Mira’s words were cold, distant.

After hanging up, Mira took off her hospital gown and prepared to pay the bill. As she made her way toward the exit, a familiar female voice echoed from around the corner of the hallway.

"Elias, we haven't done the rehearsal kiss for today yet."

It was Vera’s voice, light and playful.

Elias' figure was cast in shadow on the floor tiles, his hand reaching out to gently touch Vera’s head. "Alright, stop fooling around," he said, his tone firm but affectionate.

"Did you kiss Mira when you got married?" Vera's voice had a teasing edge.

"...I did."

"Then, of course, our wedding should be like this," Vera said, standing on tiptoe, her voice soft but insistent.

The shadows, tall and short, moved closer together.

"Elias, can you kiss me? How can a girl kiss someone on her own initiative?" Vera’s voice was sweet and delicate, laden with unspoken longing.

Elias didn’t move. The atmosphere thickened, heavy with silence.

After a long pause, Vera whispered, her voice barely audible, “If you don’t want to, forget it. I can find someone else...”

The rest of her words faded into nothing.

The sound of lips meeting, of breath mingling, echoed through the quiet corridor.

Two minutes passed, thick with tension.

Elias' voice broke the silence, low and hoarse. "Don’t find someone else."

Mira, standing on the steps just beyond the wall, covered her mouth with her hand. She swallowed the sobs rising in her throat, her heart breaking with each passing second. Quietly, she turned and walked away.

In the bedroom, the faint light from outside spilled across the room, casting soft shadows on Mira’s red, swollen eyes. She stared blankly at the photo frame on the bedside table, her heart aching so painfully it felt as though it could shatter.

The photo was from the day of her high school graduation. It captured her and Elias in school uniforms, his arm around her shoulders. The moment the shutter clicked, she could still remember his soft whisper in her ear: "Mira, happy graduation. We’ll be together forever."

Elias' smile in the picture was as handsome as ever, and every time she looked at it, she couldn’t help but think back to the fire when she was fifteen. He had rushed in without hesitation, pulling her from the flames, saving her without a second thought.

The burn scars on his brow were still visible.

Wiping away the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes, Mira quickly composed a message and sent it off to a civil lawyer.

[Hello, my husband and I have no children or property disputes. Please help me draft a divorce agreement.]

Just as she pressed send, Elias walked through the door, hurriedly holding food in his hands.

“Mira, the neighbor said she saw you in the hospital yesterday. What’s wrong?” He asked, concern filling his voice.

Mira looked at his worried expression and replied calmly, “My digestion hasn’t been great recently. The doctor said it’s nothing to worry about.”

Elias visibly relaxed. “The prawns today are really fresh. I’ll make seafood porridge for you.”

“Okay.” She forced a smile, unable to meet his eyes.

As she watched him move around the kitchen, the image of two hours earlier flashed in her mind—him holding another woman, kissing her so effortlessly, so wantonly. The thought made her stomach twist.

Later that night, as they prepared for bed, Elias noticed Mira lying with her back to him. An unfamiliar emptiness filled his chest. He gently rolled her over, pulling her into his arms, his voice soft but searching. “Mira, are you worried?”

“About Vera?” He continued, his voice growing tender. “She’s just a little girl, and she doesn’t have anyone else to look after her. I take care of her, like I would my own sister…”

Mira’s words came slowly, each one measured. “You can’t just stand by when someone’s life is in danger. But I trust you.”

Elias breathed a sigh of relief, a small smile tugging at his lips. He hugged her even tighter.

Days passed with Mira often alone, as Elias remained caught up in his work. A gas explosion had occurred in an old residential building in the south of the city, and the fire brigade was conducting urgent safety inspections in all nearby buildings. Despite his hectic schedule, Elias video-called her every day.

It was a busy evening, and traffic was at a standstill during the rush hour. Mira had just finished work when she saw a new message from Elias: “I finally get a half-day off tomorrow.”

She decided to take a taxi to the mall to buy a large suitcase. However, as she stepped into the store, she froze.

There, in the mirror, stood Vera in a pure white wedding dress, shyly admiring herself. The shopping guide was tying up her long hair, and as she glanced at the man sitting on the sofa nearby.

Even though the man had his back to Mira, she recognized him instantly. It was unmistakable.

Vera, after hearing something Elias said, turned around. Her face lit up with a sweet smile as she fell into his arms, looking every bit the happy bride about to marry the man.

The scene felt all too familiar. Mira, too, had felt that same joy and excitement when she had married Elias. She remembered how he cried when he saw her in her wedding dress for the first time.

After knowing each other for ten years and dating for three, he had once told her she was his everything. But then, somewhere along the way, he had been drawn to the innocence of fresh little white flowers like Vera.

"Big sister, why are you crying?"

A little girl, her pigtails bouncing, handed Mira a piece of tissue.

Mira realized her face was wet with tears and sniffed, forcing a smile. “Thank you.” She quickly wiped her face, turned, and left the store, feeling as though she were running from the reality of it all.

Back home, she received the documents from the lawyer. [Ms. Granger, this divorce agreement will take legal effect once both of you sign it.]

Mira printed the agreement, slipped it into an envelope along with her wedding ring, and sent a message to Frederick: Senior, I’ve decided to undergo treatment at Philekren Hospital. Could you please help me schedule the surgery? I’ll be flying to the UK in about ten days.

The next morning, Elias returned home. He looked exhausted.

“I’m so tired these days,” he muttered, taking off his coat before walking over to her. Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms. “Mira, I miss you so much.”