Chapter 4

Justin didn't return that night.

Late into the night, while scrolling through TikTok, Alyssa came across a video tagged in the same city she was in.

In the video, a man was leaning over, his slender, well-defined hands tucked under hospital bed sheets.

The caption contained one simple word. "Reunion".

Even though the man's face wasn't shown, Alyssa could recognize that it was Justin at a glance.

During the year they lived in the basement rental, she had snuggled against the embrace of those hands countless nights. Of course, she could recognize them now.

It seemed that… he and Claudia had reconciled.

Perhaps Alyssa had stared at the screen for too long, for her eyes stung slightly. She turned off the screen, pulled the blanket over her head, and fell into a deep sleep.

…

Early the next morning, Alyssa was woken by noises outside.

She came downstairs to find Justin and Claudia sitting in the living room. There were several suitcases placed beside them.

When he noticed her presence, Justin cleared his throat and explained, "Claudia just returned to the country and has nowhere to stay. She'll be living here for a while."

Claudia peeked out from behind him and asked somewhat apologetically, "Ms. Lambert, you won't mind me moving in, will you?"

Alyssa shook her head indifferently and went straight to the kitchen to make herself some toast for breakfast.

This villa was purchased after Justin's company gradually got on track, so it didn't matter to her who Justin wanted to bring home.

Besides, she would be leaving soon anyway.

Claudia carried her suitcase upstairs. The next instant, an exclamation came from upstairs.

Claudia came downstairs holding a watch and presented it to Justin.

"Justin, this is the birthday gift I gave you before. I never imagined it would still be here!"

Alyssa instinctively looked at the watch. She suddenly remembered the time when creditors were hounding Justin. He had taken everything of value—the villa, luxury cars, antique collections—and mortgaged them to the bank one by one.

When it came to this watch, his eyes betrayed his inner struggle. In the end, he took it back and simply said, "Let's keep this for now."

At that time, his gaze was filled with nostalgia and reluctance.

In the three years that followed, he would often take out the watch and stare at it blankly.

Alyssa had initially thought the watch was something his family had left him. Only today did she learn it was a gift from Claudia.

He had kept it only as a memento to remember her by.

In that moment, Alyssa finally realized how laughable it was that she believed she had a place in his heart over the past three years.

For three years, he had never forgotten Claudia. Even though she had abandoned him and gone abroad, he still couldn't let her go.

All it took was her showing up, a few tears, and a vague explanation for him to forget the painful past and forgive her.

Alyssa smiled sarcastically, turned, and went upstairs without glancing at the two of them again.

…

In the following days, Claudia made herself completely at home. Her presence could be felt in every corner of the villa.

She mentioned she didn't like the gray curtains, so Justin had someone replace them with the cream-white ones she preferred.

She said the paint on the walls was too dull, so Justin had them repainted in warm tones.

She said she wanted to see Juliet roses, so he had the freshest rose cuttings flown in from abroad and transplanted into the garden.

When they'd first bought this villa, Justin was always busy with work. Thus, Alyssa had handled all the furniture selection and interior design alone.

Now, she could only watch as the traces that belonged to her were erased little by little.

Vanishing along with them was the love she had for Justin.