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.”

Dominic did not ask any further. He casually removed his coat and placed it on the sofa. His gaze fell on the cake on the table, and he paused, his eyes lingering there for a moment.

“Yesterday, the birthday wish you made was...” he began hesitantly.

Looking at the probing in his eyes, Valerie replied lightly, “Well, since no one knew it was my birthday, it was a bit awkward, so I just made a joke. I didn’t expect everyone to take it that way. Sorry about that.”

Dominic sighed in relief.

“So what was your real wish?”

“I hoped for my mom and dad to have good health and for all their dreams to come true.”

It was a simple and heartfelt wish.

Dominic felt a soft tug at his heart. He reached out to lightly rub her nose with his hand and gave her a small smile. “You’re so filial. Your wish will surely come true.”

Valerie agreed with the sentiment.

She would find success in marriage. She would stay by her parents’ side and care for them until they grew old.

For the next few days, Dominic seldom left the house. During this time, he noticed that many things had gone missing from the house and brought it up several times.

“Where did the couple-mugs you bought go?”

“They broke a few days ago.”

“That tie you gave me—where is it now?”

“I’m not sure. It probably got blown away when I hung it out to dry.”

These were trivial, insignificant items, and Dominic didn’t pay much attention to them.

Valerie always brushed off his questions with excuses, offering her reasons before quietly compiling a long list of must-try local foods and snacks to enjoy before leaving the city.

Over the years, she had adopted a strict vegetarian diet to maintain her figure, and she hadn’t truly indulged in a feast without restraint for a long time.

Her efforts to preserve her appearance hadn’t brought her the kind of love she had hoped for.

Dominic didn’t like her, no matter if she was beautiful or plain, overweight or slim, with makeup or without.

The beauty she had sacrificed her health to maintain amounted to nothing in his eyes—and even less in Camilla’s.

The birthday cake had awakened a suppressed hunger within her, and it brought clarity to her. She came to realize that happiness wasn’t only about romantic love.

Food, flowers, the care of friends, and the concern of family, were all essential pieces of life.

She shouldn’t let one thing blind her to the others.

Valerie began going out more often, and Dominic took note of this. He stopped her one afternoon as she prepared to leave.

“Heading out again? Where to this time?”

“West side of the city. Eating out.”

“Meeting someone? Do you want me to drive you?”

He asked her casually, his gaze drifting toward the unending downpour outside the window.

Valerie shook her head as she bent down to put on her shoes.

“Not meeting anyone. I want to try some Japanese food. No need to bother—you don’t have to drive me.”

Dominic looked at her in surprise.

He remembered that she ate very little at each meal to maintain her weight so why had she suddenly developed such an appetite recently?

But it would be good if she ate more. She was too thin.

At the thought, he realized he had nothing to do that afternoon. He stood, grabbed his coat, and walked over to her.

“Come with me. It’s raining outside. I’ll give you a ride.”

Valerie hadn’t expected him to say that. She paused, momentarily startled.

The rain continued to fall harder, and the streets were almost empty. The ground was slick, and Dominic gripped the steering wheel tightly, instructing Valerie to take his phone out and plug it in to charge.

She followed his instructions, and as soon as she connected the charger, the screen lit up with an unread message.

[Hey, Dom, bar gathering tonight. Are you coming? Cam’s here too.]

Valerie glanced at the message and was about to pretend she hadn’t seen it when she heard Dominic’s voice.

“Reject it. Just say I’m taking you to try Japanese food and we’re busy.”

She turned her head slightly and caught the fleeting displeasure that showed on his face.

Valerie understood. She quickly typed a reply, sent the message, and just as she did, the phone rang.

It was Camilla.

Dominic saw the caller ID, and the corner of his lips instinctively twitched, though he hesitated about whether to answer it.

After several seconds, he finally pulled up at the roadside and took the phone.

“I already told you—”

“Dom, a group of guys just asked for my contact info. They were touching and harassing me, and I was so angry that I threw a bottle at them. Now they’ve trapped me in the bar. Come get me, please.”