Chapter 2

I put the wallet back into the box and asked faintly, "Why did you give him such an expensive gift?"

Vivian grabbed her phone, and there was an awkward expression on her face. "John just got a divorce, and he's in a bad mood. I just wanted to give him something to cheer him up.

"You never cared about quality, anyway. Presents are all about sincerity. If you insist on comparing the price, then it'd be stupid."

So, when she gave me a gift, all that mattered was her sincerity, but when she gave something to John, she had to give him something worthy of his tastes.

I asked softly, "So, the moment he asks for something, he gets 3,000,000 dollars and a watch worth 990,000 dollars. After I had an entire day's worth of follow-up checks, I said that I was hurting, and it became me asking you for money?"

Vivian's expression sank. "That's my own money. I don't need to tell you how I decide to use it. You already got your gift. Why are you vying for what's John's?"

It was only at that moment that I understood.

What truly hurt me was never the large difference in value between our gifts.

Instead, it was the fact that I still had to prove that I was not eyeing her money, even after we had been together for six years.

John had cast her aside for six years, but all he needed to do was to come back, and she would remember how much she had loved him in the past.

Vivian took the follow-up report and placed it casually on the shoe cabinet. She did not even bother reading it. "Enough already. I spoke a little too harshly just now. Tell me ahead of time if you're going for your follow-up. I'll try to free up time to go with you."

There was a hint of resignation in her voice, as if she was trying to appease an unreasonable person.

Whenever we argued in the past, the moment she conceded slightly, I would back down and swallow all my sadness.

For once, I simply nodded silently. "Okay."

Vivian thought that she had managed to make me calm down, and she relaxed.

At that moment, my phone screen lit up. [Your renal artery embolization surgery has been scheduled.]

I turned off the screen so that she would not see it.

Vivian would not know.

There was not going to be a next time between us any longer.

The next morning, Vivian acted as if nothing had happened and simply sent me a message that she had reserved a restaurant.

[Come to Cloudtop Restaurant at 12 p.m.. It might be late, but I'll celebrate your birthday.]

I had reserved that restaurant three times.

The first was during our couple's anniversary. Vivian had balked when the bill cost 5,000 dollars per person, and she said that there was no need for us to spend such money for a meal.

The second time was during our wedding anniversary. She had a social gathering at the last minute and asked me to cancel the reservation.

Last month, I reserved it for the third time, and it was for my birthday.

She forgot to come and made me sit in the restaurant until it was closing time. In the end, I did not order anything.

She had finally asked me to go there.

Even though I knew that our marriage was over, I still felt a sting in my heart.

It seemed like a wish fulfilled far too late could no longer make me happy.

That noon, I arrived at the restaurant on time, but the waiter did not bring me to a private dining room for two. Instead, he opened the door to the dining hall.

Sitting inside were all of the company's executives and project partners.

Some writing was displayed on the screen.

[Welcome back, John. Congratulations on the launch of your new project.]

John wore a light gray suit and sat beside Vivian.

On his wrist was that 990,000-dollar, limited-edition watch.

In front of Vivian was a long, thin gift box.

It was the empty presentation box for a limited-edition pen that I had mentioned I liked, but she had never bought for me because she thought it was expensive.

That pen was clipped to John's breast pocket.

When he saw me, John immediately stood up. "Zach, you're finally here. Vivian said that we're celebrating your birthday and also throwing a welcoming party for me today."

There was a three-layer cake at the center of the table, but written on it was: Welcome back, John.

My name was nowhere in sight, and there was nothing birthday-related about it.

I turned to Vivian. "This is how you're making up for my birthday?"

An awkward look appeared on Vivian's face. "No one had any other time to gather together, so we could only celebrate everything on the same day. It's just a birthday. You have one every year.

"But John came back after six years. This welcoming party is more important to him."

Suddenly, I remembered what she had said yesterday.

Gifts were about sincerity, and there was no need to compare prices.

Apparently, birthdays were the same.

As long as it was me, she could skip giving me gifts, her love, and any form of ceremony.