After burning everything, Valerie didn’t return to her apartment immediately. Instead, she sat on a bench outside for what felt like an eternity.

By the time she returned, Dominic was already asleep. But his phone, resting on the bedside table, vibrated incessantly.

She walked over to silence it but accidentally opened his WhatsApp messages.

The screen flooded with chat logs between him and Camilla.

[What a coincidence] one message read. [I didn’t expect to end up on your flight this time. The carefree rebel has become a calm and composed pilot! I’m impressed.]

Dominic’s reply had been delayed, but it came nonetheless: [Do you really not know why I became a pilot?]

Camilla responded with a playful sticker and replied: [Could it be… because of me? Just because I once said I liked boys in pilot uniforms?]

Dominic’s reply consisted of a single word—a word sharp enough to shatter Valerie’s heart entirely.

[Yes.]

Her eyes reddened and tears slipped down her cheeks before she could stop them. She hastily wiped them away and exited the chat.

As she did, her gaze fell upon the bold, unmistakable pinned conversation at the top of his list.

It was Camilla’s.

Directly below it was her own chat window. It bore a label too—Do Not Disturb.

Love and indifference, separated by just one word, felt like a chasm as vast as heaven and earth.

But it didn’t matter anymore. She had already let go.

He had finally reunited with the one he loved, and Valerie was ready to embark on a new chapter of her life.

Both had gotten what they wished for—a perfect resolution for both.

The next morning, Valerie woke to the sound of her alarm, only to find that Dominic had already left.

He hadn’t mentioned where he was going, but she knew—he was meeting Camilla.

After all, the night before, Camilla had casually mentioned craving croissants at a cafe near their alma mater. Dominic had immediately booked a table through an app.

Valerie pushed the thought aside. She had her own plans to follow.

After breakfast, she applied light makeup, grabbed her bag, and headed to her workplace. By midday, she had completed her resignation formalities.

At lunch, she met with a few of her university roommates for a farewell meal.

The women all knew about her decade-long unrequited love. When they heard she planned to break up with Dominic and return home to explore other romantic prospects, they couldn’t help but sigh over the years she had wasted.

“Are you really just going to leave without saying a word? Don’t you feel wronged? Won’t you tell him everything—all the ways you’ve silently loved him over the years?”

“Exactly! You like him so much. Are you sure you don’t want to fight for him one last time? If you tell him, he might stop you. Ten years—no heart, no matter how cold, could remain unmoved.”

“Honestly, Dominic was a jerk in this whole thing, but the truth is, you’re the one who’s been with him for many years. That other girl has been abroad for ages. Maybe she’s just a youthful obsession to him now.”

Valerie knew their words came from a place of concern and regret.

But her decision was final. She wasn’t interested in empty gestures or futile efforts. With a soft shake of her head, she dismissed their suggestions.

“He doesn’t love me. Telling him would be meaningless. It’s better to end things cleanly and leave with dignity.”

Seeing her resolute stance, her friends had no choice but to wish her well in finding someone better.

The group talked for over an hour before finally parting ways.

After finishing her last glass of wine, Valerie returned home, still feeling energized.

Taking advantage of the good weather, she began clearing out everything she had accumulated over the years.

Couple-themed clothes and mugs, a cabinet overflowing with plushies, the razor in the bathroom, the array of cosmetics crowding her vanity—one by one, all the items she had carefully chosen and brought into her life were now tossed into the trash.

The once-cozy bedroom, kitchen, and living room were gradually emptied, left desolate and cold.

But Valerie understood that once she left, these vacant spaces would soon be filled with new belongings.

They would all belong to someone else: Camilla, the new mistress of the house.

For the next few days, Dominic didn’t return home, nor did he send a single message.

Valerie didn’t care where he had gone. She continued packing her belongings at a steady pace, undisturbed.

On Friday, her birthday, Valerie went out to order a cake and bought herself a bouquet of fresh flowers.

She had just arranged the flowers in a vase when her phone buzzed with a call from Dominic.

“Hey, I’m outside your office. Your coworkers told me you resigned. What happened?”

A flicker of surprise crossed her face.

In all their years together, Dominic had never come to pick her up from work.

Although she couldn’t fathom what had prompted the sudden change, she had no intention of revealing the true reason for her resignation.

“I’ve just been feeling too exhausted lately. I thought I’d take some time off to rest.”

He didn’t press her further. Instead, he told her that he would pick her up to take her out.

Half an hour later, they met at her doorstep. Valerie climbed into the car.

She didn’t ask where he was taking her, nor did she inquire about his absence over the past few days.

Instead, she quietly gazed out the window at the passing scenery, maintaining a silence that stretched unbroken throughout the drive.

When the car came to a halt, Dominic didn’t wait for Valerie and walked ahead into the venue.

Following closely behind, Valerie stepped inside and immediately realized it was a birthday party. However, she was not the guest of honor.

Standing in the spotlight at the center of the stage, surrounded by admirers, was Camilla. In an instant, Valerie understood that she was the true protagonist of this event.

Draped in an exquisite haute couture gown, Camilla exuded elegance. A custom diamond necklace accentuated her long, graceful neck, while her pearl earrings glittered under the chandelier light. It was impossible to look away.

Valerie’s gaze lingered on the jewelry for a long time.

She knew the pieces all too well not because she had worn them but because they had been sitting in Dominic’s display case for ages.

In her naivety, before she knew the truth, she had assumed those items were gifts he had prepared for her. For years, she had anticipated their arrival with quiet hope.

But as time passed, year after year, those gifts never materialized. Eventually, she stopped waiting, letting her yearning fade into the background.

Now, seeing Camilla adorned with them, the truth became painfully clear—those treasures had always been meant for someone else.

Noticing her gaze, Camilla lifted the hem of her gown and gracefully approached, her lips forming a gentle smile.

“Dom, is this the woman you’ve been seeing these past few years? The one you promised to introduce me to?”

Her tone was warm but her words were laced with subtle condescension.

“She’s beautiful. No wonder she managed to capture the heart of our school’s most sought-after bachelor.”

So that was it—Camilla had asked to meet her. No wonder Dominic had uncharacteristically, brought her along that night.

Realizing his intentions, Valerie let out a quiet, bitter laugh, mocking herself for expecting otherwise.

A few of Dominic’s friends noticed the situation and sauntered over, their voices brimming with indignation as they spoke up for him.

“That’s right. Dom’s been nothing but devoted and obedient! Hopefully, some people will stop with these bizarre tests and start keeping their promises.

“These days, finding someone who truly cares is rare. When you have that, you hold on to it. Mess it up, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

The group voiced their support for Dominic assuming Valerie wouldn’t catch the veiled jabs.

She didn’t react, as they had expected, her face betraying no emotion. Instead, she casually found a seat and quietly played the part of the clueless, ornamental girlfriend.

All evening, Valerie stayed rooted in her seat, silently observing Dominic as he lingered beside Camilla.

The man who usually despised socializing now stood by Camilla’s side, chatting with her circle of affluent friends.

The man who showed no interest in anything remembered Camilla’s likes and dislikes, even stepping in to shield her from drinks she didn’t want.

The man who never got jealous in her presence now darkened with displeasure just because Camilla shook hands with another man.

In just a few short hours, Valerie witnessed what Dominic looked like when he cared for someone deeply, in a way he couldn’t hide.

After six years together, she finally saw how he acted when he was in love.

As the centerpiece of the evening, Camilla had her birthday song sung to her, and the crowd eagerly gathered to present her with gifts.

Dominic waited until the end to give his, producing the deed to an estate. Warmth softened his usually impassive expression as he spoke.

“Camilla, you once mentioned wanting a cozy home. So, I’m giving you this, hoping it will fulfill your dream.”

His friends immediately cheered and egged him on, their excitement spilling over into laughter and teasing.

“You wouldn’t believe it—every single room in that estate was designed by Dom himself. It took six years to finish the renovations!”

“I heard the garden in the back is filled with lavender and tulips. Now, whose favorite flowers could those possibly be?”

“A cozy home, if you ask me, needs a man of the house to truly feel warm and complete. Don’t you all agree?”

Camilla’s cheeks flushed crimson amid the teasing remarks. She clasped her hands together in a great show of preparing to make a wish. Only then did the laughter fade into silence.

In the quiet that followed, Valerie’s phone chimed with a few soft notifications.

It was a voice message from her father. She intended to convert it into text but accidentally hit play instead.

“Happy birthday, Valerie! It’s almost midnight. Did you have your cake yet?”

The attention previously fixed on Camilla shifted sharply to Valerie. Every pair of eyes was now filled with shock.

Even Dominic froze for a few seconds, turning to look at her with a faint frown on his face.

“Is it your birthday today, Valerie?”

Valerie’s face remained calm, devoid of emotion, as she gave a small, quiet nod.

In previous years, Dominic would at least ask about the date in advance and prepare a gift.

But this year, with Camilla’s birthday coinciding with hers, it was as if Valerie had completely slipped his mind—a fact that, in hindsight, didn’t seem surprising.

No one had anticipated such a coincidence. The room fell into an awkward silence, with everyone exchanging uneasy glances.

It was Camilla who eventually smoothed things over. She gently took Valerie’s hand and led her toward the cake, lighting a single candle herself.

“Well, since it’s such a lucky coincidence, let’s celebrate together. Make a wish, Valerie.”

Valerie didn’t refuse. She closed her eyes and made her wish in silence.

When she opened them again, Dominic, perhaps trying to dispel the lingering awkwardness, casually asked, “What did you wish for? Is there any gift you’d like?”

Valerie looked at him for a moment, her gaze calm yet distant. Then, in a steady voice, she answered.

“I wished that I’d get married this year.”

When the words left her lips, the entire hall fell silent.

Camilla broke the stillness with a laugh. She turned toward Dominic, her voice light.

“Well Dom, it seems your girlfriend is quite eager for you to fulfill her wish this year. You’d better hurry up. And when it happens, don’t forget to invite me to the wedding banquet.”

Dominic’s stunned expression darkened as the weight of her words sank in.

Valerie noticed his rising anger and instinctively moved to explain herself, but he cut her off sharply.

“Do you think this is funny, Camilla? What will it take for you to stop? Do you really want to push me to my breaking point?”

His accusations, tinged with anger, weren’t directed at Valerie. They were aimed squarely at Camilla.

The frustration in his tone and the emotions flickering across his face—grief, indignation, and helplessness—made his feelings all too clear.

He wasn’t angry about the moment. He was furious at Camilla’s feigned ignorance and the way she trampled over his unspoken emotions yet again.

The atmosphere in the hall had gone ice-cold.

In a fit of rage, Dominic kicked over a chair, grabbed his car keys, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

What had started as a celebratory birthday party had now ended in utter disarray.

As the remaining guests began murmuring to each other, shrugging off the tension, and trickling out of the venue, Valerie lowered her gaze.

She grabbed her purse and quietly excused herself.

When she stepped back into the corridor, the guests were gone, but the faint echoes of a heated argument reverberated from the far end of the hallway.

“You’ve gone too far today, Camilla! Do you have any idea how hard Dom prepared for your birthday party? Why did you have to ruin his efforts and say those things to provoke him in front of everyone?”

“Was I not telling the truth? His girlfriend wants to get married. If it’s not him, who else would it be?”

“Damn it! Do you think this is funny? Dom has always loved you! Ever since you rejected him back then, you shattered him so completely that he turned into some reckless, aimless playboy.

“And then, the moment you beckoned him back, he came running to you again! But when you said he lacked loyalty, he went and found this rebound girlfriend just to please you. What more do you want? His sincerity doesn’t deserve to be trampled on like this!”

“So what? I’ve never seen someone so infatuated like him before. I just wanted to see how far he’d go for me. He’s doing it willingly—why are you so worked up about it?”

It was Camilla arguing with one of Dominic’s closest friends.

Valerie hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on their private conversation, but she couldn’t stop her thoughts from wandering. If Dominic overheard those words, what kind of expression would he wear?

Would it break his heart?

Would he ache as she did when she discovered the truth, a pain so deep she felt like dying?

Between her and Dominic, he always held the reins. As long as he showed even a shred of care, her emotions would spiral in response.

But between Dominic and Camilla, he was the powerless one. A single careless word from her, a mere hint of her indifference, and he would crumble completely.

After all, betrayal will never go unpunished.

Valerie turned away and descended the stairs from the far side of the hall, choosing a quieter path.

Back home, Valerie picked up the cake that had been left by the door and gave herself a quiet birthday celebration.

It was a six-inch cake, but she ate half before heading to bed.

The next day, she was startled awake by a knock at the door. Rubbing her eyes, she shuffled over to answer it.

It was Dominic.

After just one night apart, his expression still carried traces of lingering anger, his face shadowed with frustration. Yet, when his gaze met hers, he forced a strained smile and pulled a diamond bracelet from his pocket.

“Happy birthday. This is your gift. I drank too much yesterday and forgot to give it to you.”

Valerie took one glance at the bracelet and instantly recognized it—it was the matching set to the diamond necklace Camilla had worn the night before.

She couldn’t help but think that he was merely repurposing something Camilla didn’t like, passing it off to her as a convenient solution to avoid the effort of picking out a gift.

Wasn’t that a fair assumption?

Dominic mistook her silence for dissatisfaction. He quickly added, “You don’t like it? Then just buy whatever you want and put it on my card.”

Valerie shook her head, reached out to take the bracelet, and casually set it down on the entryway table.

“It’s fine. I like it. No need for anything else.”