Chapter 2

“Who gave you permission to go through my pockets?” Damian snatched the receipt from my hand. The movement was not rough, but his voice had turned cold.

“It fell out on its own.”

“You should’ve put it back.”

He folded the receipt neatly and slipped it into his wallet.

I asked, “If the necklace was a gift from everyone, why was it charged to your account?”

“I paid for it upfront.”

“That's 680,000. Will the others pay you back?”

“Friends don’t need to keep such careful accounts.”

I glanced at the box of oatmeal on the table that cost 11 dollars and 90 cents. “But we do?”

Damian followed my gaze and frowned. “What do you actually want?”

“A bouquet of flowers.”

He looked at me as though he had not heard me correctly. “What?”

“Four years together, and all I want is one bouquet of flowers from you.”

He fell silent for a moment, then he pulled 500 dollars from his wallet and placed it on the table. “If you want flowers that badly, buy them yourself.”

The bills landed beside the oatmeal. It was like charity, like settling a debt.

“I want you to give them to me.”

“Does it really matter who buys the flowers?”

“Then how do you know which kind Sienna likes?”

Damian’s expression hardened. “She mentioned it once. I happened to remember.”

“I told you too.”

“What did you say?”

The last bit of warmth in my chest suddenly went out.

The first year we were married, I passed a flower shop and mentioned that I liked white lisianthus. The second year, he asked what I wanted. I gave him the same answer—lisianthus.

He told me flowers were overpriced and said we might as well buy two bunches of vegetables instead. After that, I never mentioned flowers again.

I pushed the 500 dollars back toward him. “Forget it.”

The tension in Damian’s expression eased, and I could almost see the breath he had been holding finally leave him. “That’s more like it. Don’t let some pointless ritual ruin what we have.”

…

The next afternoon, Sienna invited me over to her place.

The moment she opened the door, I saw unopened gift boxes scattered throughout the apartment.

She was wearing a diamond necklace. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around me. “I didn’t spend your birthday with you yesterday. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

I did not pull away. “No.”

“Damian always says you’re so understanding.” She led me into her dressing room and pointed toward a row of limited-edition handbags. “I’ve been decluttering lately. Help me pick out a few I don’t want anymore. I’m going to list them online.”

I stared at the bags. Among them was a green handbag I had once lingered over in a magazine.

Back then, Damian had taken the magazine away from me. “That color will go out of style too quickly. It’s not worth buying.”

Now, it sat inside Sienna’s glass display cabinet. The protective film had not even been removed.

I asked, “Was this one from your ex too?”

Sienna ran her fingers lightly over the bag’s clasp and put on a faint smile. “The person who gave it to me doesn’t matter. What matters is that someone remembers what I like.”

The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the front door. Damian walked in carrying two cups of coffee.

The moment he saw me, his expression changed. “Why are you here?”

Sienna took the coffee from him and answered for him, “I invited Elena over. You don’t mind that Damian has a key to my place, do you?”

Damian handed the other cup to me. “Sienna always forgets her keys. I keep a spare for her. That’s all.”

I lowered my eyes to the cups. Sienna’s was a hot latte with hazelnut syrup. Mine was an iced long black.

“I can’t drink iced coffee.”

His brows twitched. “You used to.”

“My stomach can’t handle it. I haven’t had anything iced since we got together.”

Damian froze for a moment. Sienna immediately took the iced long black from my hand. “It’s fine. I can drink it too. Damian has so many things to remember every day. It’s normal for him to get something wrong once in a while.”

In one hand, she held the hot latte Damian had remembered exactly how to order. In the other, the iced coffee he had gotten wrong for me.

Damian glanced at me. “It’s just a cup of coffee. Don’t make everyone uncomfortable.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

As I was leaving, I spotted a pair of men’s slippers beside the shoe cabinet. They were identical to the pair Damian wore at home.

Sienna noticed where I was looking and deliberately put on a smile. “He comes by sometimes to help me fix things. It’s just more convenient to keep a pair here.”

Damian said nothing.

I stepped into the elevator. As the doors slowly began to close, Sienna suddenly slipped her arm through Damian’s. “Damian, don’t forget that we’re picking out my ring tonight.”

Damian’s expression changed instantly, and his eyes instinctively found mine. For one brief moment, our eyes met. Then the elevator doors closed completely.