Chapter 1

On my birthday, I scrolled through my phone and watched my boyfriend—supposedly away on a business trip—drop to one knee for my best friend in a street interview.

The crowd wanted their love story.

"So why do you like her, man?"

"She's pure."

Someone in the crowd couldn't leave it alone.

"What, you've been with someone who wasn't?"

Robert Dickerson went quiet for a beat.

"She'd barely turned eighteen before she was sleeping around."

The video erupted—boos and cheers tangled together, congratulations and curses in the same breath.

Congratulations for them. Curses for me.

Tears slid down my face as I touched the screen, tracing Robert's face in the video.

Then the door opened, and Robert walked in.

"Babe, I got your favorite cake—come here and give me a kiss!"

"Been working overtime for days. I'm dead on my feet. Let me wash up."

He kissed me, set the cake box down, and disappeared into the bathroom.

I touched my cheek. The tears had already dried.

I looked at the cake on the table.

The frosting was a mess, no discernible design, just kiwi slices tossed carelessly on top.

I read the bakery name on the box and opened the map on my phone.

The shop was less than two hundred meters from the seaside boardwalk where they'd done the proposal.

I almost laughed.

He used to cross the entire city and wait in line for five hours just to buy me an egg tart.

Now all that was left was this—grabbed on the way, without a second thought.

Robert came out of the bathroom, his voice tinged with apology.

"Why are you sitting here by yourself? I'm sorry I couldn't be here for your birthday."

"You know how it is. I'm at a critical point for the promotion. Business trips, overtime, can't avoid it. I'm doing all this for our future."

He opened the box, speared a piece of kiwi, and held it to my lips.

"Come on, I got you a cake and everything. Forgive me, hm?"

He leaned down to look at me, his gaze focused and tender.

The same look he'd had in the video.

"I'm allergic to kiwi."

My voice was flat, like I was commenting on the weather.

His body stiffened. Embarrassment crept across his face.

"Ha, right, I totally forgot. I'll go get a new one right now!"

He was already at the entryway, but his hands lingered over his shoes, taking far too long to put them on.

He was waiting for me to call him back.

I never liked making him waste his time on me.

But today, I said nothing.

He stalled for a long time, then came back, sighing as he stroked the top of my head.

"Gabriella, I know you're upset I wasn't here for your birthday. But could you grow up a little? I need you to work with me here."

Understanding.

Understand him proposing to someone else on my birthday, or understand the afterthought of a cake?

My throat clenched so tight I couldn't get a single word out.

Robert was quiet for a moment, then turned and walked into the study.

The apartment went completely silent.

So silent that the wind needling through the window gap became a thin, sharp laugh.

A few minutes later, my phone lit up with a transfer from Robert. Five thousand two hundred yuan.

I couldn't say when money had replaced apologies between us.

He no longer held me and spoke softly, no longer noticed the small things.

Robert came out of the study, something unreadable behind his eyes.

"If you don't like the cake, just leave it."

"Something urgent came up at the office. I have to go in."

"I'll bring you a new one tonight."

"Be good."

"What came up?"

I asked without thinking.

"I'm the general manager now, Gabriella. Stop questioning me. Stay home and quit making a scene."

Irritation flashed across his face. He shot me a look, and then he was out the door.

I sat frozen for a long time.

Then I picked up my phone and, before I knew what I was doing, tapped into the street-interview blogger's account.