Chapter 1: The Last Anniversary

The rain arrived just before evening, falling in gentle sheets that blurred the skyline outside the apartment. From the twelfth floor, the city looked almost dreamlike, its lights shimmering behind streaks of water. Elena Brooks stood quietly by the dining table, adjusting the white lilies in a glass vase before taking one last look around the room. It wasn’t luxurious, but every detail had been prepared with care.

Two candles burned between matching porcelain plates. A bottle of red wine rested in a silver bucket borrowed from her neighbor, while the aroma of rosemary chicken and creamy mashed potatoes drifted from the kitchen. She had spent nearly an entire month’s savings on the dinner, convincing herself that some occasions deserved sacrifice.

Today was their third wedding anniversary.

Her gaze fell on the small gift box resting beside Adrian’s plate. It contained a silver fountain pen engraved with the words, For every dream you have yet to sign into reality.

Elena picked up the box and gently traced the silver ribbon with her thumb. For a brief moment, she imagined Adrian smiling the way he used to whenever she surprised him. He had never cared about expensive gifts. It had always been the thought behind them that mattered. At least, that was the man she remembered marrying. She placed the gift back beside his plate, hoping tonight would remind them both that love wasn’t measured by wealth but by the quiet moments people chose to share.

Years ago, when Adrian had been struggling to build his company, he used to joke that successful businessmen always carried elegant fountain pens. Back then they had laughed over instant noodles and shared impossible dreams inside a tiny apartment with peeling wallpaper. They had very little money, but they had never run out of reasons to smile.

Her phone vibrated.

A hopeful smile spread across her face before she looked at the screen.

Not Adrian.

It was a message from her best friend.

Nina: Did Mr. Workaholic remember your anniversary this year?

Elena smiled faintly as she replied.

Elena: He’s probably caught in traffic. He promised he’d be home.

The response came almost immediately.

Nina: You’ve been saying that for a year.

Elena stared at the message before locking her phone.

Maybe Nina was right.

Over the past twelve months, Adrian had become a stranger who happened to share the same address. Business meetings replaced family dinners. Late-night phone calls replaced conversations. Even when he sat beside her, his thoughts always seemed somewhere else.

Still, she believed things could change.

Love wasn’t always easy.

Sometimes it only needed patience.

She had always believed that marriages survived because two people chose each other daily, especially on the difficult ones. Giving up had never crossed her mind, because loving Adrian had never felt like a burden.

She glanced at the clock.

Seven twenty.

Dinner was getting cold.

Just as she reached for the serving spoon, headlights swept across the living room ceiling.

Relief filled her chest.

She hurried to the mirror near the hallway, smoothing the wrinkles from her cream-colored dress before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

The front door opened moments later.

Adrian stepped inside carrying the scent of rain and expensive cologne. His tailored charcoal suit looked immaculate despite the weather, but exhaustion lined his face. He barely looked up as he loosened his tie and placed his briefcase beside the sofa.

“You made it,” Elena said, unable to hide the warmth in her voice.

He looked around the apartment before his eyes settled on the candlelit table.

“You prepared all this?”

“I wanted tonight to be special.”

For a brief second, guilt flickered across his face.

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“It’s alright,” she replied with a gentle smile. “The food is still warm.”

He walked toward the dining table, noticing the neatly wrapped gift waiting beside his plate.

“You bought me something?”

“It’s only a little anniversary present.”

Before he could answer, his phone vibrated sharply.

His expression changed the instant he looked at the screen.

“I need to take this.”

Elena forced herself to smile.

“Can it wait until after dinner?”

He hesitated only briefly.

“It’ll only be a minute.”

Without another word, he disappeared into the study and quietly closed the door.

Elena remained standing in the dining room, listening to the silence settle over the apartment once again. The candles continued to burn while steam slowly disappeared from the dishes she had spent hours preparing.

She told herself not to feel disappointed.

Running a company wasn’t easy.

She understood that better than anyone because she had stood beside Adrian from the very beginning, supporting every dream he had dared to chase.

A soft vibration interrupted her thoughts.

She turned toward the living room.

Another phone lay beside Adrian’s briefcase.

She frowned.

Since when did he carry two phones?

Before she could think any further, the screen lit up.

Vanessa: I miss you already.

Elena’s heartbeat slowed.

Another message appeared before the first one faded.

Vanessa: Tomorrow, everything will finally be over.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the sofa.

A hundred explanations raced through her mind.

A client.

A business partner.

Someone with the wrong number.

She wanted to believe any of them.

Then Adrian’s voice drifted faintly from the study.

“…once the agreement is signed tomorrow, transfer the payment.”

The words were calm.

Businesslike.

Almost cold.

Elena’s breath caught in her throat.

Payment?

Agreement?

She looked toward the closed study door, the anniversary gift still waiting untouched on the dining table behind her.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, an uneasy feeling settled deep inside her chest.

She had spent the entire day believing tonight would save her marriage.

Standing alone in the silence of their apartment, she suddenly found herself wondering if she had been celebrating something that had already come to an end.