Chapter 1

Shane Falkner was stunned for a moment. "Marina, what's the matter?"

I was just about to tell him, "A law firm in Vaeland reached out to me through a recruiter, and I've already signed with them."

However, Shane had already turned his attention to Sabrina Langford, who was sobbing pitifully next to him. "Come on, stop crying. No one's expecting you to save the day, anyway. Why are you being such a coward?"

Pain rippled through my heart, shutting down my urge to share.

Back in my sophomore year, I was battling a high fever when I joined a moot court competition with Shane, who was just a senior back then. Of course, my performance was a wreck.

Shane chewed me out in public after the competition. I was so humiliated that I couldn't even look up.

He said, "In the real world, no one will pity you just because you're sick. Marina, you're not a weakling. If you really want to win, you don't get to make excuses."

That was the last time I showed any vulnerability around Shane.

Later on, I gave my all to force myself to grow. I wanted to catch up to Shane's talent with my hard work.

But as I forged ahead, somewhere along the way, I finally took time to pause and look back. It was only then that I suddenly realized my best friend Sabrina, whom I treated as my own family, had already come in between Shane and me with her cruelly innocent smile. There was no changing it now.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I was suddenly curious about something. "Shane, do you still remember what day it is today?"

My graduation ceremony was five years ago, on this very day. Shane had spent all his savings on a diamond ring, which he presented to me as he confessed his feelings. "Congratulations on graduating, my dear partner. Would you give me a chance to fight alongside you in a battle we can't possibly lose?"

In just five years, I had already lost this battle through and through.

When I finished speaking, I heard Shane's breath catch in his throat. It sounded like he had just realized something.

"I'm sorry, Marina. I've been really busy these days. Just hang on and wait for me at home. I'll be there in 30, no, 15 minutes."

After ending the call, I stood in front of the dining table for a moment. In the end, for some inexplicable reason, I still decided to reheat the food on the table, which had gone completely cold.

Ignoring the subtle anticipation welling up in my heart, I reassured myself that this would be a peaceful ending to our relationship.

It didn't seem too bad to end our last anniversary on a dignified note.

15 minutes later, Shane had returned as promised.

The renowned Mr. Falkner, who was usually quite particular about his image, was completely drenched as he dropped the cake box carelessly onto the cabinet in the entryway.

Loosening his tie, he headed toward the bathroom and said, "I got caught in the rain, so I'll go take a shower first. If you're feeling hungry, you can eat the cake with Sabrina first. I'll join you guys later."

Sabrina poked her head out from behind him, grinning sheepishly at me. "It's raining cats and dogs outside. Shane was worried I might miss my station if I took the subway, so he brought me over for dinner instead. Your favorite third wheel is back again today!"

It was pouring outside.

When I noticed that Sabrina was completely dry, I felt something crack in my heart.

Shane was born with the precision and calm found in most legal professionals. Whenever it rained and we had to share an umbrella, he would say that relationships were built on equality, so he would hold the umbrella squarely between us.

For a moment, I had the urge to ask him if his white-knighting tendencies had finally stripped him of all reason. I wondered if it had gotten so bad that he instinctively let her have the umbrella while getting drenched in the rain himself.

I was so close to voicing it, but I forced myself to hold it in.

I simply stepped aside to let Sabrina in. Then, I smiled. "You can have the cake."

She stuck out her tongue bashfully. "While it's true that I do love strawberries… Mr. Falkner personally chose this cake for your anniversary. I don't think I should eat it."

She had a sincere smile on her face when she said that.

Maybe it was exactly her unguarded cheerfulness that convinced Shane to willingly let her have the umbrella. But it also convinced me that I would only look petty and bitter if I talked about how wounded I felt.