Chapter 4

The day I signed the house sale contract and received the full payment, the weather was beautiful.

I transferred the money to a bank card, then went to school to complete my leave of absence and study abroad procedures.

That weekend, a mutual friend organized a bar gathering and invited me.

I knew Ethan and the others would be there.

To avoid raising suspicion, I agreed.

In the private room, everyone started playing Truth or Dare.

After a few rounds, Willow suddenly shook the dice in her hand and suggested with a smile: "Let's play King's Game! Whoever draws the king can order any two people to do anything!"

The suggestion immediately got everyone's approval, including Ethan and Lucas.

Sure enough, in the first round, Willow became the king.

She announced her command: "I order Number 2 and Number 5 to recreate the classic bow embrace from Titanic!"

After she spoke, everyone started checking their cards.

I opened my palm. Number 2.

And Ethan, frowning, revealed his Number 5 card.

The room erupted immediately with whistles and cheering.

"Anna, this is your chance!"

"Ethan, don't just stand there, give her a hug!"

I was pushed by the crowd onto the coffee table, not knowing what to do with my hands and feet.

Ethan was pushed in front of me, his face full of unwillingness.

Lucas was still laughing nearby: "Ethan, hurry up, don't keep everyone waiting. Anna, spread your arms."

I stiffly spread my arms and closed my eyes, not daring to look at Ethan's expression.

I didn't wait for an embrace. Instead, a strong force came from behind.

It was Willow. She hugged me from behind with a laugh, shouting to Ethan: "Ethan, look, isn't this the same?"

The moment she grabbed me, my foot slipped and I fell backward uncontrollably.

A loud bang. I crashed heavily to the ground, the back of my head hitting the hard corner of the coffee table. The pain made my vision go dark.

Drinks and fruit on the table tipped over from the impact, pouring ice-cold liquid all over me.

The world went silent for a second.

Then I heard Ethan's undisguised mocking laugh.

Ethan didn't even glance at me. He just said to someone nearby: "What a buzzkill."

Lucas only frowned slightly. "Anna, how could you be so careless? It's just a game."

Not one person came to help me up.

All their attention was focused on Willow, who had pushed me and now had red-rimmed eyes.

Ethan immediately pulled her to his side, comforting her gently: "It's okay, it's not your fault. She just didn't stand steady."

The sharp pain from the back of my head spread through me as I lay on the cold floor, soaking wet and utterly disheveled.

Without a word, I got up from the floor and walked out of that noisy room.

In that moment, I was only grateful I'd already sold the house and completed my study abroad procedures.

Only three days left until I could leave.

The third day was my birthday.

Perhaps because of the bar incident, Lucas sent a text: "Anna, happy birthday. Tonight at 7 PM, Cloud Summit Restaurant. I booked the best table for you. See you there."

Soon after, Ethan also sent a text: "Happy birthday. Willow didn't mean it last time, don't take it to heart. We'll celebrate together tonight."

Looking at these two messages, I felt nothing.

Consider it a final goodbye.

I replied "okay" to both.

That evening, I took a cab to the restaurant.

Still that window seat with a view overlooking half the city's nightscape.

This scene was identical to my previous life.

On this day in my previous life, at this very place, wearing the dress he gave me, they left before we even ordered, called away by Willow's phone call.

I waited from seven o'clock until the restaurant was about to close. They never came back.

Calls went unanswered. Messages unreturned.

The pitying looks from other diners, the hesitant inquiries from waiters, made me uncomfortable all over.

Until I saw a photo on a friend's social media.

In the photo, she wore a princess dress, holding a cake and smiling. Ethan and Lucas stood on either side of her, looking at her adoringly.

The caption read: "Grabbed two knights last minute to eat cake. Sure, it's not my birthday, but who says you can only eat cake on birthdays!"

So my birthday meant less than her impromptu celebration.