Chapter 1

Henry Lawson paused for a moment and then smiled. “Alright. If you still like me when you turn twenty-two, I’ll think about it.”

At that moment, Yvette Wilson’s heart was pounding. From then on, she stayed by his side every day until she turned twenty-two.

She could not wait to see him and claim his promise. But at the door of the private room, she heard a baby crying.

She froze for a moment, then looked over carefully. Henry was holding a crying child and trying to calm the baby down.

The guys around him all covered their ears and looked completely tortured.

“Henry, that’s just too far! You brought a baby just to reject that girl and make her think you’re a dad?”

Yvette felt her heart go numb. Her mind went blank.

“What else was I supposed to do?” Henry said in his familiar lazy tone. “She turns twenty-two today. She’ll be here to claim that promise.”

“You really don’t like Yvette, do you? She’s actually very nice. She’s pretty, sweet, and completely smitten with you.”

“It’s not about whether I like her or not.” Henry’s voice grew serious. “You all know who has always been in my heart.”

The room went quiet for a moment, then everyone burst out laughing in understanding.

“Sophia! No wonder… You’re just overthinking. With a face like yours, who wouldn’t fall for you? How could Sophia say no? You just care too much.”

“I never knew how to say it all these years. I was afraid that if I told her my feelings, we would lose our friendship. And now with Yvette, it actually gave me a chance.”

Henry smiled as he said, “I told Sophia that there is a girl who keeps hanging around me, and I don’t know how to get rid of her. I want her to be my fake girlfriend for a while. Then, I’ll show up with her and the baby in front of Yvette and hold a wedding. That way, Yvette will give up, and Sophia and I can grow closer. When the fake wedding is over, I’ll confess to Sophia right then and there.”

When they heard Henry’s plan to kill two birds with one stone, everyone was impressed and started banging the table in approval.

Amid the laughter, no one noticed Yvette standing outside the private room.

The cake box slipped from her hands and hit the floor with a dull thud.

She no longer dared to open the door. Tears streamed down her face. She turned and ran away in a daze.

The rain was pouring heavily outside the club. Yvette ran as fast as she could. She let the water soak through the dress she had carefully chosen.

It turned out Henry had never liked her. It had all been one-sided.

She had fallen for him at first sight when she was fourteen.

That day after school, her brother, Yarden Wilson, had not come to pick her up, and a group of punks cornered her in the alley. Henry happened to pass by. He taught them a lesson and saved her.

She had cried until her eyes were swollen. Henry threw his coat over her shoulders and handed her two pieces of chocolate. He teased her with a faint smile.

“Little crybaby, look at you! Snot bubbles and all! Your brother’s still at basketball. Come on, I’ll take you home.”

That day, Yvette tasted the sweetest chocolate of her life and fell for someone for the first time.

Because of Yarden, she saw Henry almost every day. Her teenage crush grew wildly like summer vines.

She learned to make bento boxes and prepared a dozen for Yarden, just so Henry could eat her food.

She made an effort to learn his likes and dislikes, carefully picked out gifts, and always found a way to give them to him on holidays.

She gave up the opportunity to study abroad and stayed in Jamestown, all just to wait until she turned twenty-two.

She had waited for eight years. She thought she could finally be with him, and her wish would come true.

But today, Yvette realized that to Henry, her feelings were only a burden.

She did not know how far she had run before she finally calmed down. Her hands were shaking as she pulled out her phone and called Yarden.

“Yarden,” she said in a choked voice, “I’ve made up my mind. I want to study abroad. That friend you mentioned last time… I’m willing to meet him.”

Everyone in their circle knew that Yvette had been chasing Henry for years.

Every time Yarden saw her so eager, he always looked like he wanted to say something but could not.

He would hint at other guys and try to introduce them to her. He wanted her to completely give up on her feelings for Henry.

The friend abroad would be the eighteenth guy Yarden had tried to set her up with.

Yarden said this guy was tall, handsome and in no way worse off than Henry. Since she studied design, going abroad for a few years would be perfect.

Thinking back, Yarden had probably known all along that Henry’s heart belonged to someone else. He had only done this to help her stop before it hurt more.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “You… found out?”

Yvette closed her eyes. Rain mixed with her tears slid down her cheeks. “Does he really like Sophia that much?”

“Yes…”

“Then, I hope he gets what he wants.” She wiped her face. “I’ll do as he wishes. I’ll stop liking him.”

Back at home, Yvette opened her suitcase and started packing her clothes without thinking.

Her phone buzzed. The screen lit up with a message from Henry.

[Why aren’t you here yet?]

She stared at it for a long time. Then, a second message appeared.

[Yvette, I have a girlfriend now. We even have a child. I’m about to get married. Please stop chasing after me.]

Then, he sent two photos.

One showed a tiny baby’s foot. The other was an elegant wedding invitation.

Yvette stared at the screen for a long time. Finally, she typed her reply.

[Okay.]

After sending the message, she tossed her phone onto the bed. She pulled a metal box from deep in a drawer.

It was full of movie stubs, amusement park tickets, the basketball jersey she had secretly kept, and the stuffed toys he had given her.

All of these were memories from the past eight years. They were all tied to Henry.

She held the box, walked outside, and threw everything into the trash without hesitation.