Chapter 1

I took a deep breath, turned off my phone, and looked at the man standing before me.

“Lennon York, I’m not messing around. I’m serious.”

Lennon pulled me into his arms.

“Be a bit more sensible. I promised Chloe Cole I’d fulfil that wish slip. I can’t go back on my word, can I?”

My heart ached like it was being torn apart.

For that plane ticket, I had worked day and night at the coffee shop. The unreasonable customers pushed me to the point of tears.

To save money, I even lived in a leaky rental apartment and could not bring myself to eat a proper meal. I lost thirty pounds in a single month.

Lennon had seen all of this.

Yet he still transferred every penny I had saved to Chloe.

A dense, bitter ache crept over my heart. I lowered my gaze.

“Lennon, let’s break up.”

Lennon’s breathing grew heavy.

“Leal Sawyer, don’t speak out of anger. It’s the same thing if we were to visit your mom again during the semester break.”

As he spoke, he tied on his apron.

“How about we have crayfish for dinner tonight?”

The aroma of the food wafted into my nose. I could not help but freeze in surprise.

In all these years, this was the first time he had ever prepared a meal.

I could not help but feel a small crack in my frozen-over heart.

However, in the very next second, footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Chloe wrapped her arms around me from behind.

“Leal! Lennon lost another round of ‘Truth or Dare’ yesterday, so I made him cook for me today. Hurry up! Let’s both try his cooking!”

My heart went completely cold.

It took me a while to realize that this meal was not meant to cheer me up.

It was because he had promised Chloe.

Lennon noticed she was drenched in sweat and handed her a cold drink.

“It’s hot outside. Have something cold to cool down. Don’t get heatstroke.”

Chloe gave me a meaningful look.

Only then did he realize what was going on, and he grabbed a cup for me, too.

I did not take it. My mouth felt bitter.

I had told him many times before that my doctor had advised me to avoid cold drinks.

However, even though he always acknowledged that, he would still bring me iced drinks the next time.

There was no other reason. He simply remembered that Chloe could not live without ice.

“Thanks, but my doctor has already advised me not to drink cold drinks. So, I can’t take that.”

Lennon froze for a moment. Before he could say anything, Chloe playfully punched him in the chest.

“I’m speechless. How can you be so forgetful? Don’t forget to plan our trip to see the auroras. I’m not Leal. I won’t let you off the hook that easily!”

Lennon smiled affectionately and agreed wholeheartedly.

At the dinner table, the two chatted nonstop about the auroras.

“I heard that 90 percent of the place’s surface is volcanic rock, and you can actually see volcanoes erupting. If we’re lucky, we might even see the midnight sun!”

I lowered my head, silently picking at my food. A bitter taste filled my mouth.

My phone vibrated. Neil Jerome had replied.

[Let’s go. I’ll book the flights. We’re leaving tomorrow.]