Chapter 6

Kelly cooked dinner.

After she and Evan finished eating, he pressed himself against the window, staring up at the sky. “Mom, aren’t the fireworks from your studio going off tonight?”

Kelly was a fireworks designer. She ran her own studio under the Parsons Group.

Three months ago, she won the bid to design the New Year’s fireworks for the city’s central square.

She and her team spent three months on it, going through countless tests before finally creating the “Starlight for You” display.

It would debut tonight on New Year’s Eve.

Kelly walked over and crouched down in front of him. “Do you want to go watch the fireworks at the square?”

Evan nodded eagerly.

Right then, her phone rang. The screen flashed with the word “Honey.”

Kelly’s expression darkened slightly.

She answered.

After making sure she could hear him, Keith spoke softly, “Kelly, I’ll come pick you and Evan up to watch the fireworks. I’ll be there in about half an hour. Get ready. It’s cold tonight, so dress warmly.”

Kelly had no desire to go.

But beside her, Evan was already bouncing with excitement, his big, shining eyes full of anticipation.

She pressed her lips together. “Okay.”

The call ended.

Kelly bundled Evan into a thick puffer jacket and wrapped the cashmere scarf she’d knitted around his neck, until he looked like a tiny marshmallow all puffed up against the cold.

She put on her own white down coat as well.

Once they were ready, Evan could hardly wait. “Mom, I’ll go wait for Keith at the door!”

Kelly checked the time.

Keith would be there in about five minutes.

She picked up her bag, took Evan’s hand, and headed out.

The snow was still falling.

Evan crouched by the front gate, packing snow into little balls.

Time ticked by.

He was shivering now, pressed close against Kelly, his voice turning nasal with the cold. “Why isn’t Keith here yet?”

Kelly glanced at her phone.

Keith was already thirty minutes late.

She gently reassured Evan, then pulled her phone from her pocket. The cold bit instantly, turning her fingertips red as she dialed Keith.

He didn’t answer.

A few seconds later, he called back. “Kelly, I’m sorry. Something came up. I can’t get away right now. With the snow this heavy, I don’t want you and Evan freezing out there. You should head back and get some rest.”

Kelly parted her lips.

She wanted to ask why he hadn’t said so earlier and made them stand out here in the wind and snow for over half an hour.

But before she could speak, a bright, playful laugh rang clearly through the phone.

“Keith, just take a bite of my candied fruit. Come on!”

The call cut off.

Kelly drew in a sharp breath, the freezing air hitting her throat so hard it made her cough.

Evan sensed something was wrong.

He quickly wrapped his arms around her leg and looked up. “Mom, I don’t want to watch the fireworks anymore. Let’s just go home and sleep.”

Kelly pulled him into a hug while ordering a ride on her phone. “I’ll take you.”

She paid extra to get a car faster.

Twenty minutes later, Kelly and Evan arrived at the central square.

The New Year’s Eve crowd was a sea of lights and people.

Holding his hand, she guided him through the crowd and found a slightly raised viewing platform.

They had just steadied themselves when Kelly’s gaze drifted over the shifting crowd and landed on Keith and Maya.

This time, there was no shock and anger, only a quiet, steady calm, as if this was exactly how things were meant to be.

A man cheating within his marriage and a woman knowingly stepping into it.

Of course they would show up together like this, in places that made them look like any ordinary couple, pretending they weren’t exactly what they were.

Kelly quietly took out her phone.

The giant countdown clock in the square began to toll.

The crowd erupted in unison.

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!…”

“One! Happy New Year!”

Amid the deafening cheers, the first firework screamed into the night sky and burst open.

Golden sparks cascaded like rain, lighting up half the sky, and lighting up Kelly’s phone screen.

On her screen, couples everywhere were kissing in celebration.

And right at the center was Keith and Maya.

Kelly lowered her phone.

The opening fireworks faded, and the main show began—“Starlight for You.”

Bands of color spiraled upward, reaching their peak before blooming outward, weaving into a vast, glowing galaxy across the sky.

Gasps of awe rippled through the crowd.

Kelly smiled genuinely.

Her work was loved by so many.

That alone was enough.

When the fireworks ended, people began calling rides, heading off to the next stop of the night.

Kelly checked her ride.

She was number thirty-six in the queue.

She canceled the ride without hesitation.

Taking Evan’s hand, she made her way straight to Keith.

“What a coincidence.”

“Kelly.”

Keith quickly let go of Maya’s hand and smiled. “It’s freezing out here. Why did you still bring Evan?”

He stepped forward, wrapping both hands around hers, rubbing them as if to warm them before lifting them toward his lips.

Kelly quietly pulled her hand back, her gaze moving between him and Maya. “You two… came together for New Year’s?”

Keith’s expression stiffened for a second.

He reached out and lightly pinched her cheek. “It’s cold. I didn’t want you out here freezing. But I also didn’t want you to miss seeing your own fireworks.

“Maya’s good with filming, so I had her come and record the whole show for you. We’ll edit out anything unnecessary and send it to you tomorrow.”

She gave a faint, ambiguous smile, a small dimple appearing at the corner of her lips. “That’s all?”

Maya cut in quickly, “Kelly, you must be misunderstanding…”

Kelly turned her head, looking at her calmly. “Didn’t your parents teach you not to speak when no one asked you to?”

Maya’s face flushed.

Kelly let out a soft, almost thoughtful “Oh.”

“I forgot that your parents never cared much for you. I suppose you weren’t taught.”

“Enough.”

The patience drained from Keith’s face.

“Are you questioning me? Kelly, don’t you know how I treat you? Maya is like a sister to me. Taking my sister out to watch fireworks, whether it’s for you or not, isn’t that perfectly normal?

“Tomorrow’s the company’s listing day. I’ve been run off my feet lately. I’m exhausted, mentally and physically.

“And I still have to make time to comfort you, deal with this baseless jealousy of yours. Can you try seeing things from my side for once?

“Your stepfather’s waiting on my investment. Your brother’s counting on me to cover his rent. Evan’s about to go in for cochlear implant surgery.

“Kelly, if I didn’t love you, would I be dealing with all that baggage behind you? The fact that you’re questioning me today… it really hurts.”

It was the first time Kelly had seen Keith lash out like this.

A thought flashed through her mind: “when you’re mistaken, he stays calm; when you’re right, he loses his temper.”

Because nothing breaks faster than a guilty conscience.

Kelly stepped forward.

She lifted a hand and brushed a few snowflakes off his coat, almost absently.

Her voice was almost soft and hollow.

“Why would I doubt you? You said it yourself—you see her as a sister. If there were anything between you, wouldn’t that be incest? This is a civilized world. Only animals would do something like that.”