Chapter 1

News reports say that a super hurricane is expected to make landfall in Draville at 6:00 pm.

At 4:00 pm, my colleagues begin packing up one by one, getting ready to head home.

The subway and buses have already stopped running, so colleagues with cars offer rides to those without.

When they ask me if I need a ride, I politely turn them down with a smile. "Thanks, but I'm good. My boyfriend will pick me up."

They grin and tease me, saying how nice it is to have a boyfriend.

By 5:00 pm, the wind outside is getting stronger. I call Tommy Hart, but the call doesn't go through.

His last message in our chat is from an hour ago. "I'll be there soon."

I figure the roads must be congested, so it makes sense for Tommy to take longer to get here.

At 5:30 pm, it starts pouring outside. I'm the only one left in the office. The light bulb above me suddenly flickers. Then it goes out with a sharp pop.

In the dark, I call Tommy again. This time, the call goes through, but Ariel Hewitt's familiar voice comes through.

"Stella?"

I freeze in shock and ask, "Where's Tommy?"

"Tommy's driving. It's not a good time for him to talk now."

Chapter 1

Stella's POV

Over the phone, I asked, "Where are you?"

Ariel Hewitt replied, "We're on the way back to my house. Tommy said it was too dangerous for me to go back alone.

"Oh, right. He said he texted you half an hour ago and asked you to take a cab home yourself. Stella, you're already home, right?"

The wind howled outside the window, and my heart slowly sank.

Over the past three years, Tommy Hart seemed to care most about Ariel, his female colleague, and gave her all his attention.

And the last of my feelings for him finally disappeared.

"Yes. I'm home."

A home where Tommy no longer belonged.

…

Ariel clearly sighed in relief over the phone. "I'm glad you're home. We're almost at my place too.

"But the hurricane is about to make landfall. Tommy wants me to tell you that he might have to spend the night at my place."

I merely hum in response, sounding indifferent.

Then Tommy's voice came through the phone. Even though he was some distance away, I could still hear the warmth in his voice.

"Are you cold? Shall I turn up the AC?"

Ariel said with a chuckle, "Tommy, it's summer now!"

She was right. It was summer, but I felt cold all over. No matter what, I couldn't stop trembling.

I ended the call and stared at Tommy's chat. There was no message from him telling me to take a cab home.

Maybe he did message me, but it just didn't go through due to the poor signal. That proved that he hadn't checked our chat again after sending that text.

Back then, Tommy wasn't like this. When we first started dating, he was always on his phone, except when he was sleeping or in class. He would text me about every little thing, even when a dog on the street barked at him.

Whenever I texted him, he would reply to me immediately. He said he didn't want to miss any of my messages, and he was afraid that if something happened to me, he wouldn't know right away.

And now, he was worried about someone else.

A bitter ache settled within me. The howling wind outside seemed to tighten its grip on my heart, squeezing it over and over again.

At 6:00 pm, the hurricane made landfall, and I was stuck alone in the office. I walked into the break room and shut the door before messaging my parents, who lived in another city, to let them know that I was safe.

Mom and Dad asked, "You're with Tommy, right?"

I thought for a moment before replying, "Yes."

The screen went black, and the room fell into darkness again. It was so quiet that all I could hear was the wind and rain outside.

Just then, my phone screen lit up, and my heart skipped a beat. I grabbed it and checked my messages almost without thinking.

In the next moment, my hopes sank. It was just a government safety reminder message. The last line read, "Please stay home with your family. No matter how severe the hurricane is, we'll get through it together."

Everyone was posting on Instagram, talking about how intense the hurricane was while sharing photos of their dinner that night.

My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything yet. I rummaged through the break room and found a bag of cookies. I began nibbling on them while scrolling through everyone's food posts on Instagram.

As I scrolled, my finger froze on the screen when I saw a familiar profile picture.

"What am I going to do? My colleague's cooking is so good that it's ruined me for anything else!"

It was a photo showing a familiar spread of three dishes and a bowl of soup. They were Tommy's signature dishes.

In the frame, all I saw was his hand flashing a peace sign.

Tommy once said that, apart from his parents, I would be the only person he would ever cook for.

The only person, huh?

I liked the Instagram post and left a comment. "I suggest you ask him to be your boyfriend."

It wasn't long before Tommy sent me a message. "Stella, was that comment really necessary?"

Necessary?

What Tommy and Ariel did was far more ridiculous than anything I said.

Tommy had opened my chat, but he failed to realize that the other message had never gone through. He didn't even ask where I was.

My fingers tightened around my phone. Just as I was about to tell him that I hadn't gone home at all and was alone in the office, I heard a deafening blast from outside.

Chapter 2

I jumped in fright and looked outside through the gap in the break room's blinds. I realized that a large section of the floor-to-ceiling window had shattered, letting the howling wind in.

Something came flying through the broken window and slammed into the break room door. Frightened, I moved the couch to block the door.

My mind went blank. When I came to my senses, I had already called Tommy. The phone rang for almost half a minute before he finally answered.

Before I could even say a word, Tommy said anxiously, "Hold on, Stella. I'm a little busy right now…"

I fought back my fear and said, "Tommy, I'm at the office. The glass window outside just shattered. I'm scared…"

After a long time, he finally asked, "Which glass window? Is it the one in the living room? Then just stay in your room.

"Everything will be fine. I'll have someone fix it tomorrow…"

I could faintly hear the sound effects of a video game from the other end of the line.

The next moment, Ariel cheered loudly. "Oh, yeah! I won again!"

Tommy said helplessly but affectionately, "I get it. I lost. A bet's a bet. I'll treat you to dinner next time."

"Next time? I want you to treat me tomorrow!"

"Okay, okay…"

All the words I wanted to say suddenly caught in my throat.

At that moment, I finally realized that my seven-year relationship with Tommy had lost to Ariel, a female colleague he had only known for three years.

Three years ago, when Tommy first brought Ariel up to me, he sounded utterly helpless. She had joined the company on the same day as him, and the manager had assigned them to the same team.

Tommy said that Ariel had messed up the data, so he had to work overtime for two nights just to fix everything. He also said that she had accidentally spilled coffee on herself, ruining her favorite jacket.

For a long time, whenever he brought her up, he could only sigh.

Later, he brought me along to their department's team dinner, and that was the first time I met Ariel. She was a year younger than us, with a round face and slightly chubby cheeks.

Tommy introduced me, saying, "This is Stella Grimm."

Ariel said obediently, "Hello, Stella."

That day, the way Tommy looked at Ariel made me feel a little uncomfortable. Now I understood why. It was a look of affection.

Later, I wanted Tommy to come with me to an art exhibition over the weekend, but he said that Ariel's laptop had broken down and that he had to help her fix it. Seeing me fall silent, he explained that their group's documents were on her laptop.

One day, I told him there was a great thriller playing in theaters and asked if he'd like to watch it with me. He paused for a moment before saying that he had already gone to see it with Ariel.

The company had given out tickets, and the entire department had gone together. But later, I learned that the two of them had chosen seats in the far corner, away from everyone else in the department.

Later, Tommy started driving Ariel home on rainy days. He kept track of her period cycle so he could buy her favorite hot drinks for her. He knew she didn't like scallions or garlic and would tell the staff in advance.

Seeing all this, I asked him, "Tommy, do you have feelings for Ariel?"

He froze for a moment before letting out a chuckle, asking, "How could I possibly like that little dummy? As her colleague, I'm just helping her however I can."

Little dummy? What an affectionate nickname.

And everything Tommy had done for Ariel had already gone far beyond what was within his capacity as her colleague.

I had no idea when I drifted off, but I felt like I just had a long, exhausting dream.

When I woke up, it was already morning. The rain had already stopped, and people's voices filled the streets again.

Fortunately, that dream was finally over.

I went home to shower and get changed. As I stepped out of the bathroom, Tommy happened to walk in.

When he saw me, he sighed in relief and asked worriedly, "Was everything okay last night? The glass window…"

Tommy looked at the glass window in the living room and froze. It was perfectly intact.

I said flatly, "I had a nightmare."

Tommy nodded. Seeing that I was about to leave, he suddenly called out to me. He seemed hesitant, but he still spoke.

"Stella, can we postpone the dinner with your parents that's scheduled for next Wednesday…"

I glanced at him expressionlessly. "Why?"

Tommy tenderly explained, "Next Wednesday is the anniversary of Ariel's mother's death. Her father is overseas and can't come back. I feel bad for her having to go alone."

I dug my fingernails into my palms, forcing myself to stay calm.

"This is the fourth time you're canceling on them. In fact, my parents already bought their flight tickets—"

Tommy interrupted me, his voice tinged with reproach. "So you want me to just stand by and do nothing? Ariel and I are colleagues."

But Tommy and I were lovers. Still, I didn't say that out loud.

I didn't sleep well last night, so my temples began to throb. I rubbed them, saying flatly, "Mmm. Go ahead then."

Tommy's face lit up. "I knew you'd see where I was coming from. Don't worry. Next time, I'll pay your parents a visit at their home."

A familiar ringtone rang out. Tommy quickly took the call and walked toward the bedroom.

"Stella said yes. I'll go with you next Wednesday…"

Meanwhile, I sent Mom a text.

"Mom, you said you've never really thought much of Tommy, and you always wanted to introduce me to your friend's son. You said he was a fine young man. I'm up to meet him next Wednesday."

Chapter 3

By the time I arrived at the office, the repair workers were already in the middle of fixing the glass window.

My colleagues were still shaken. "Damn! It's a good thing we got off work early yesterday. Otherwise, it would've been really terrifying."

When they caught sight of me, my colleagues greeted me. "Stella, your boyfriend picked you up last night, right?"

I let out a chuckle and said, "No. He was busy driving his female colleague home."

The entire office fell silent, and someone asked cautiously, "So did you take a cab home yourself yesterday?"

"I spent the night in the break room."

Everyone's breath caught. After a long time, my colleagues patted my shoulder reassuringly. "Stella, you're really strong."

I didn't think there was anything wrong with telling them about what happened. After all, I wasn't the one who messed up.

When it was almost time to get off work, Tommy sent me a message. "I'm downstairs at your office."

My eyes flickered slightly. It had been almost a year since Tommy last picked me up from work.

Sometimes, he would promise to pick me up, but in the end, he would always bail on me because of Ariel.

When I got downstairs, his car was indeed waiting there, so I headed over. Just as I was about to reach for the passenger door handle, the car window rolled down, revealing Ariel's doll-like face.

"Hey, Stella."

In the driver's seat, Tommy explained, "Ariel said there's a new restaurant near your office that serves really good hot wings. I've already booked us a table. Want to join us?"

I looked at him, my voice soft yet flat as I said, "Tommy, I can't eat spicy food."

Tommy froze for a moment as a flicker of embarrassment crossed his face.

In the end, they left.

Tommy hadn't come to pick me up from work. He had only thought of me because my office happened to be on his way. He even forgot that I couldn't eat spicy food.

Back then, when he forgot to remind the chef not to make the food spicy, he would carefully pick out all peppers from my food one by one.

My eyes stung slightly, but the wind quickly dried my tears.

I was about to tell Tommy that I wanted to break up, but he suddenly told me something huge was happening this Saturday and asked me to be at a location early.

I froze. Our seventh anniversary fell on Saturday. So he did remember after all.

Even though I had no idea what he was up to, I decided that I would end things with him that day.

Tommy told me to be there by 10:00 am, but the roads were congested, so I arrived at 10:30 am.

As I walked toward the private room, memories flashed through my mind. For our past anniversaries, he had always racked his brain to plan all kinds of surprises.

He had used candles to lay out the date of when we first met. He had secretly learned to play guitar so he could sing a song I had briefly mentioned in passing. He had even put together a photo album filled with all our memories.

But for the past three years, every anniversary had been ruined.

Three years ago, Ariel had fallen ill. Tommy said we would have many more anniversaries together, and he felt sorry to leave her alone in the hospital.

Two years ago, Ariel claimed that someone was stalking her. Tommy left the half-cut cake behind and rushed over.

Last year, Ariel got drunk at a bar. Tommy said he was only going to take her home, but he didn't come back all night.

This time, I wasn't holding out much hope. I just wanted to eat with him without any interruptions and say what I wanted to say.

As soon as I opened the door, confetti burst into the air before falling on my face. Many people were inside the room, but they were all unfamiliar faces.

When they saw it was me, they froze in surprise.

"Huh? It's not Ariel."

"Didn't you say those footsteps sounded like hers?"

"Quick. Set everything up again. She'll be the next one for sure!"

I was rooted to the spot, looking dazed.

Tommy then pulled me aside and shoved a confetti popper into my hands. "Didn't I ask you to come by earlier? Hurry. When Ariel comes in later, just pop this."

After a long time, I finally found my voice. It was so absurd that I almost laughed.

I looked at Tommy and asked, "What's all these for?"

Chapter 4

Tommy's gaze stayed fixed on the doorway as he said, "I forgot to tell you. Ariel's last project was a huge success, so the manager's planning to promote her."

"So this is a celebration party for Ariel," I stated.

Tommy's attention was elsewhere. He didn't realize that my voice had already turned icy.

"That's right. Didn't you always complain that I never invited you when I hung out with my colleagues? That's why I invited you this time."

"Tommy, do you remember what day it is today?"

Tommy looked at me in bewilderment.

I nodded, smiled, and said, "Tommy, let's break up."

The confetti poppers went off.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Ariel!"

The explosion of confetti and the cheering drowned out my voice.

By then, Tommy had already rushed to Ariel's side and wrapped an arm around her.

The corner of my lips curled into a mocking smile, and I turned to leave.

I checked my phone and realized Mom had sent me a message half an hour ago. "Your dad and I have boarded the plane. I'm relieved you've finally figured things out."

The young man also happened to be in Draville. Mom said he already agreed to have dinner with us on Wednesday night.

I replied, "Sure." Then I hurried off to the airport.

The next day, I took my parents sightseeing around Draville. We had just finished visiting an attraction when I received a call from Tommy. He anxiously enquired about my whereabouts.

I didn't want to deal with him, but Tommy sounded so frantic, as if something serious had happened. In the end, I sent him my location.

Not long after, Tommy hurried over. To my surprise, Ariel was right on his heels.

When he saw my parents behind me, he froze for a moment before pulling me aside. He lowered his voice and questioned me.

"What's going on? Didn't I tell you I have to be with Ariel on Wednesday? I'm not free to have dinner with your parents."

I cast him an indifferent glance. "You may not be free, but does that mean I can't invite someone else to dinner?"

Tommy thought I was just saying that out of anger and didn't take it to heart. He took out his phone, tapped into a post, and pointed to one of the comments, asking, "Stella, you made that comment, didn't you?"

The post featured several photos taken in the private room from the previous day.

The first photo showed Tommy with his arm around Ariel's shoulders. The second showed him smearing cake on her face. In the third photo, their heads were pressed together closely.

Ariel had made that post, and the caption was, "Had a celebration with my colleague. What a wonderful day!"

There had clearly been other colleagues present at her celebration yesterday, yet she had only posted pictures of her and Tommy.

Ariel's little scheme was so obvious. I scoffed as my gaze fell on that comment.

"I'll be honest. This male colleague already has a girlfriend."

The person who had left that comment even attached a photo of Tommy and me. No wonder he thought I was the one who had posted it.

Tommy fixed his gaze on me. "Ariel's account is under attack. Everyone's cursing her in the comments. If this blows up, it could hurt her.

"Hurry up and reply to that post. Say you were the one who made that comment. Tell everyone you were there too, and we're all good friends."

"And what if I refuse?"

Tommy froze before saying in a low voice, "Stella, you weren't like this before."

He looked at me with a trace of disappointment. It was as if I were the one who had done something wrong. The truth was, he was the one in the wrong.

Before I could even say a single word, Ariel suddenly broke down in tears. "There is nothing between me and Tommy… If my manager comes across that post, my promotion will be ruined!"

Mom and Dad stood nearby. They had no idea what was going on and were looking over at us anxiously.

Tommy suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Stella, if you refuse to help me, I'll ask Mr. and Mrs. Grimm instead!"

With that, he turned toward them, but I called out to him coldly. I really didn't want them to worry about me anymore.

"I'll do it."

I went into the post and typed, "I made that comment earlier. I already ended things with the guy in the photo. Whatever they do has nothing to do with me."

Tommy frowned slightly. "Even if you were trying to clear things up, you didn't have to say stuff like that."

But now that the matter was already settled, he looked a little more relieved.

Tommy looked at me gratefully. "Stella, I knew you still had a good heart. As for tomorrow's dinner, I'll do my best to hurry back and spend time with Mr. and Mrs. Grimm."

I didn't utter a single word, and Tommy took my silence as agreement. He wrapped his arm around Ariel and left.

Dinner had been scheduled for 6:00 pm the next day.

At 7:00 pm, Tommy said he had just dropped Ariel off and would be rushing over. At 8:00 pm, he said she was having menstrual cramps. Since he had to buy her some medicine, he would be running late.

At 9:00 pm, I heard hurried footsteps outside the private room. The next moment, the door opened, and Tommy stepped inside carrying all kinds of gifts.

"Mr. and Mrs. Grimm, I'm sorry I'm late…"

But when Tommy saw what was happening inside the private room, the smile on his face instantly froze.