Chester narrowed his eyes mischievously, deliberately dragging out his words as he teased the group. "With such precise timing, I can’t help but wonder… do you guys, uh, check the time for everything you do together too?"

Annie immediately threw a punch his way, her face flushing red as she angrily scolded him. "Chester!! You’re getting more and more shameless!"

Amid their playful banter, I forced a smile, trying not to dampen the lively mood. But no matter how hard I tried, the smile wouldn’t reach my eyes.

Distracted, my gaze landed on the postcard in front of the cake. In Jared’s handwriting were the words [The One and Only in This Life.]

It felt like the cruelest joke.

Jared loved me so much—so much that he’d meticulously planned this birthday "surprise."

I’d once thought we would be blissfully happy forever, stepping into marriage and growing old together.

How laughable that I only now realized I was the biggest fool in the world.

Snapping back to reality, I held back my tears and, amidst my friends’ blessings, clasped my hands together and closed my eyes to make a wish.

Just as I opened my eyes, ready to blow out the candles, the door swung open, and Jared walked in.

The moment I saw him, my eyes stung with unbidden tears. A wave of sour pain spread through me, tightening my chest and making it ache. But I bit my lip and told myself I wouldn’t cry.

"Happy birthday, my darling!" he greeted.

Jared, his hair was still damp, thrusting a large bouquet of roses—symbols of love—eagerly in front of me.

Panting for breath, he grinned and said, "I made it just in time!"

With his usual tenderness, he ruffled my hair, leaned down, and kissed my forehead.

His friends began recounting his efforts, saying he had rushed back immediately after his art exhibition, running eight red lights just to be with me on time.

"Really?" I replied skeptically, my tone laced with disbelief as I pushed him away, a cold smile on my lips.

Jared seemed stunned, pursing his lips momentarily before gripping my shoulders and flashing his signature hopeful smile. "My darling, what birthday wish did you make?"

I smiled faintly. "I’ll tell you in seven days."

After the party ended, Jared went outside to see his friends off while I stayed behind to help clean up with the housekeeper.

"You should rest, miss," the housekeeper urged. "I can take care of everything. If Mr. Brown sees you doing this, he’ll feel bad."

I shook my head, saying it was fine. But as I moved a piece of hard packaging, it unexpectedly sliced my finger.

"Hiss…" I gasped softly as a line of red quickly surfaced.

"Are you okay, darling?"

Jared had returned just in time to witness it. In a few quick strides, he reached me, grabbing my hand with a look of pure concern. Without hesitation, he brought my finger to his lips to suck the blood.

"How could you be so careless? Does it hurt?" He frowned deeply, pulling me on the sofa and carefully tending to my wound.

"Why are you doing this? We have a housekeeper for a reason."

Watching him at that moment, so focused and full of care, I felt a fleeting sense of confusion.

If I hadn’t seen that video, I might still believe I was the happiest woman in the world.

But it was all a lie.

Jared claimed to love me so deeply, yet behind my back, he entangled himself with another woman.

While he went to get the first aid kit, he left his phone beside me.

His password was my birthday. It took just seconds for me to unlock it.

A blank chat window with no previous messages suddenly popped up with a new text, [I left my stockings in your car. Hurry up and bring them back to me.]

Seconds later, the message was deleted.

But I had already seen every single word.

Clutching the phone, I began to tremble uncontrollably.

"What’s wrong, darling? Are you still feeling unwell?"

Jared’s concern was focused entirely on me. He didn’t notice my shaking hands as I discreetly slid his phone face down onto the couch.

"I’m just a bit tired. I think I’ll take a shower." I brushed his hand away gently, standing up from the sofa.

Jared seemed to sense something was off. His gaze followed me with suspicion as I walked away, and then he suddenly turned back toward the corner of the couch where his phone lay.

By the time I entered the bathroom, he had already picked it up, his expression growing tense.

What he didn’t know was that just moments ago, I had implanted a chip into his phone that would sync all his chat logs to mine.

A new message appeared almost immediately. [Why did you delete it? Haven’t I told you not to text me when I'm at home?]

The reply came in an instant. [I was just trying to be thoughtful! If your precious darling finds my stockings in your car, how will you explain it?"]

[You know she’s my one and only, and you still dare to seduce me? Don’t text me again. Tonight, I belong to my darling.]

[Fine, fine, I won’t bother you anymore. I’ll go model for your nemesis instead—let him see your masterpiece from today.]

[Don’t you dare!]

Their back-and-forth made me physically nauseous.

I bit down hard on my arm to stifle my sobs, tears silently streaming down my face as I stood in the bathroom.

My blurred vision was no match for the endless flood of tears. I wiped at them furiously, but they wouldn’t stop.

I clenched my teeth and tried to comfort myself.

'It’s okay. I’m leaving soon anyway.

Whatever Jared does from now on, no matter how outrageous, it won’t have anything to do with me.

Don’t cry. It’s your birthday today. Grandma said birthday girls shouldn’t cry.

Don’t...'

But just then, a wave of nausea rose from my stomach, and I couldn’t hold it back.

"Ugh!"

Jared heard the noise and rushed to the bathroom door, knocking anxiously. "What’s wrong, darling? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

I turned on the faucet, trying to drown out the sound of my retching as my body convulsed in pain.

Swallowing my tears, I managed to force out a weak reply. "I’m fine."

At that moment, another message from that woman appeared.

[Having a nice birthday, Lia? Want to make a bet? I can have you sleeping alone tonight with just one word.]

I didn’t reply, and she grew bolder, sending one video after another.

The videos showed her and Jared, both unclothed, as he painted her in various intimate settings.

[I’m his exclusive model. These are his masterpieces. One day, I’ll stand beside him on the highest podium. Aren’t you jealous, Lia?]

I still didn’t respond. Unfazed, she continued her taunts.

[Did you know? He said the scar on your chest is disgusting, that you’ll never be fit to be his model.]

She was right—I had a scar on my chest, a memento from three years ago when I shielded Jared from a knife.

Every time he saw it, his brows would furrow instinctively. I had always thought it was out of love and concern.

But now I knew—he found it revolting.

It turned out I was an eyesore to him all along.

The pain in my chest spread throughout my body, numbing me entirely. Outside the door, Jared gripped the handle nervously.

"Open the door, darling. What’s going on?"

The housekeeper, hearing the commotion, hurried over with a bowl of sobering soup.

"Did she drink too much today? Maybe it upset her stomach?" she wondered.

Brimming with frustration, Jared immediately raised his foot to kick open the door.

I composed myself, smoothed out my expression, and stepped out.

Jared froze for a split second before pulling me into his arms. "You’re trying to scare me to death, aren’t you, Lia? Is your stomach acting up again? Let’s go to the hospital right now."

I shook my head. "No need. A bowl of the hangover soup Auntie made will do the trick."

Without hesitation, Jared took the bowl from Auntie, gently blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to me one spoonful at a time. "Come on, drink this. Tonight, I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay home with you."

I swallowed the soup silently, lips pressed together. Suddenly, his phone buzzed repeatedly. I knew it was her.

Annoyed, Jared put down the bowl and reached for his phone, intending to turn it off. But whatever he saw on the screen made him hesitate. His expression shifted slightly, and he quickly turned to me with an apologetic look.

"Darling, there’s a bit of a mess with the night market’s art exhibition. I..."

Before he could finish, I suppressed my disgust and replied graciously, "Work comes first. You should go. Auntie’s here, so you don’t have to worry about me."

Jared’s furrowed brows smoothed out instantly. He kissed me lightly and hurriedly promised, "Take your medicine and rest early. I’ll be back as soon as I sort this out."

I nodded, and only then did he leave, seemingly relieved.

Once he was gone, a message from her popped up again.

[You lost, Lia. On such an important day, Jared still left you. Want to know what I told him?]

I didn’t respond, but instead sent her the screenshots of their synced chat history.

She went silent for a few minutes before replying,

[Since you’ve seen it all, there’s no point in hiding anymore. Yes, I’m pregnant, and the child is his.]

I tossed my phone aside and went to the bathroom, scrubbing every inch of skin that Jared had touched.

When I came out, she had sent me photos of Jared accompanying her to the hospital.

Almost simultaneously, Jared texted me as well, [Darling, the exhibition issue is a bit tricky. Be a good girl and sleep first. I miss you.]

I couldn’t help but laugh.

He had a child with another woman, yet he still had the audacity to tell me he missed me without feeling the slightest bit of shame.

Countdown: Day Six

Jared didn’t come home at all last night. It seemed becoming a father was an exciting milestone for him.

Early in the morning, I called Professor Davis to confirm the procedures and sign the agreement for the time capsule experiment.

"Lia, this is a serious decision," Professor Davis warned. "Once you enter the time capsule, you might not return to the real world for twenty years. Are you sure you don’t want to discuss this with your family?"

I shook my head. "Since my grandmother passed, I’ve been alone. There’s no one to discuss this with."

"And your boyfriend?" he asked.

"We’ve broken up," I said resolutely.

Professor Davis looked surprised but nodded with a hint of regret. After all, Jared’s grand romantic gestures to win me over back then—kneeling in the rain for a whole day and night against his family’s objections—were widely known.

"And this time...?"

Understanding his concern, I explained my reasoning. "My grandmother’s sudden passing left a scar in my heart. I want to use this opportunity, through the time capsule experiment, to see her again from afar."

Professor Davis nodded thoughtfully and gave me a final word of caution. "The time capsule’s world is still imperfect. Be extra cautious once you’re inside. Above all, you must avoid meeting your other self in that timeline. If their consciousness awakens, it could be fatal to you."