Chapter 4

The next morning, I was woken by the sound of the door unlocking.

Lara walked in carrying a paper bag, her expression unusually gentle.

"You're awake? I bought you a small cake."

She pushed the box in front of me, her tone coaxing like talking to a child.

"Isn't this your favorite place?"

I looked down. Mango mousse.

My stomach immediately churned.

I'm allergic to mangoes. In severe cases, I have trouble breathing.

I stared at that piece of mango mousse, suddenly remembering many small, piercing moments.

Parker can't eat onions. She remembered.

Every time before ordering, she'd say first: "No onions in his portion."

Parker gets stomachaches from iced Americanos. She remembered.

On rainy days, she'd order him a hot latte in advance, with a note for less sugar.

Parker's flight lands at 1 AM. She remembered that too.

I'd seen the reminders on her phone more than once.

【Parker lands at 01:20, temperature drop, remind him to bring a jacket.】

These reminders were accurate down to the minute.

But the fact that I'm allergic to mangoes—after three years, she still forgot.

Seeing my terrible expression, Lara's movements paused, and a flash of embarrassment crossed her face.

"I... grabbed the wrong one."

She quickly pulled another box from her bag, rushing to make amends.

"Then look at this. I passed by the boutique today and got this for you."

"You said you liked this watch before."

The box opened to reveal a beautiful timepiece.

It really was the one I'd admired for a long time.

If it were before, I probably would have forgiven her with tears in my eyes.

But now, I only felt exhausted.

I pushed the box back flatly.

"Just leave it there."

Lara frowned: "Still sulking?"

I didn't respond. I picked up my phone.

As soon as the screen lit up, group messages popped up.

The group was still that familiar "Original Crew." Parker had posted a nine-grid photo set.

Men's shirts, women's short skirts, black lace lingerie scattered all over the floor.

The group instantly exploded.

"Holy shit, who was Parker with last night?"

"That's some intense action!"

"Details, details! How many rounds did you go?"

Parker replied leisurely:

"Seven or eight, at least."

"Nearly killed me."

"Some people act all refined normally, but when they get wild, they really know what they're doing."

A bunch of smirking emojis followed below.

Then he sent another line:

"@Lara Did you get home?"

"Does Mason like the watch you picked for him?"

I stared at that line of text, my fingers growing colder bit by bit.

So even the apology gift was chosen by Parker.

Beside me, Lara's phone vibrated almost simultaneously.

She glanced down, her face changing instantly, and reached out to grab my phone.

I pressed the screen dark first and looked up at her.

"I haven't even asked you yet. No need to rush to explain."

Lara's movement froze mid-air, her throat bobbing.

"Don't jump to conclusions."

"What happened between Parker and me is long in the past."

"After the baby's born, I'll take you on a trip. You've always wanted to see the Northern Lights in Iceland, right?"

"Besides, if I still had something with him, the baby would be gone by now. Would we have made it to today?"

She reached out to hold my hand, but I gently avoided it.

I looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"Yes, you're right."

Lara paused, thinking I'd been pacified, and her tone relaxed.

"See? That's better. Don't always get stuck in your head."

"Parker just loves to run his mouth. He posts whatever without thinking. Don't stoop to his level."

I nodded, my voice flat and waveless.

"For me, it doesn't matter anymore."

Lara frowned slightly, clearly taking this as me being petulant.

She glanced at the time and grabbed her car keys.

"Alright, stop being moody."

"I have something this afternoon. I'll come back later and have dinner with you."

The moment the door closed, the room became quiet again.

I looked at the mango mousse on the table, slowly picked up my phone, and sent the lawyer a message:

"We can proceed with the process now."