The candlelight flickered, and the red wine on the table reflected a bright light, but only her lonely figure was reflected.

Her heart felt hollowed out and she almost suffocated.

Just then, her best friend Yuanyuan called and asked her to help deliver her coat to the bar for an urgent matter.

Anna Collins agreed.

She wanted to go out for a walk, maybe it would make her feel better.

The lights in the bar were dazzling, the music blaring. Anna Collins squeezed through the crowd, clutching his jacket tightly in his hand.

She looked around for a while but couldn't find Yuanyuan. However, she saw a familiar figure deep in the crowd.

Tall, straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist , that's Ethan Grant .

She paused.

The person who said on the phone that he was working overtime at the company was actually in the bar at this moment.

What made her even more suffocated was that the figure was currently being held tightly by a woman.

The woman was wearing a burgundy dress, her eyes were red, and she was completely drunk and unconscious.

But even so, she still stubbornly put her arms around Ethan Grant 's waist, as if she wanted to embed him into her body.

Anna Collins 's heart trembled violently. She didn't need to go closer to clearly recognize the person , Clara .

Ethan Grant's face was grim, and his voice was filled with suppressed anger.

" Clara ! Stop it, let go!"

But no matter how many times he pushed her away, she still held on tightly, even harder.

Her eyes were blurred with tears, and she murmured vaguely: "Shi Ye, don't go... don't leave me..."

Ethan Grant 's expression changed from anger to helplessness, and finally to complete relaxation.

He no longer pushed away, but stood there stiffly, with his head lowered and an extremely complicated look in his eyes.

" Clara ..."

His voice was low and full of powerless surrender, "What exactly do you want me to do with you?"

At that moment, the love in his eyes was so clear that it was blinding.

Anna Collins 's hand loosened and the bag of his coat fell to the ground with a plop.

The surrounding noise suddenly became blurred, and all that remained in her ears was the dull pain of her heart.

Countless images flashed through my mind:

On a rainy day, he held an umbrella for her;

In the crowd, he took her hand;

At the graduation ceremony, he got down on one knee and proposed.

All these moments that she thought belonged to her collapsed at this moment.

It turned out that she had always been a substitute when Clara was absent.

It turned out that his tenderness towards her was just a fragment that was forced to be transferred.

No tears fell, she just stared at the scene blankly, but her heart seemed to be torn apart.

That night, Anna Collins finally understood clearly ,

Even though they had been married for three years, and even though she was Mrs. Zhou in name only, she had never truly owned Ethan Grant .

Not even a minute or a second.

Anna Collins did not move forward.

Her coat fell to the ground and she didn't even bend down to pick it up.

She felt like her legs were filled with lead and even her breathing became heavy.

The music in the bar was still deafening, and the lights flickered, shining on her face but unable to reveal any expression.

Her eyes were empty, as if she was looking at the couple hugging each other through a thick layer of glass.

Their world is passionate and lingering.

And she was just an unnecessary bystander.

Anna Collins turned around and walked out.

The laughter and noise of the crowd gradually faded away, and her pace quickened little by little, as if only by escaping could she maintain the last bit of dignity.

I pushed open the bar door and the rain poured down again.

A cool breeze mixed with rain blew in, hitting her face, chilling her to the bone.

Anna Collins did n't bring an umbrella.

She was too lazy to avoid it and just let the rain flow down her hair and eyelashes, soaking her skirt.

The street lights blurred into circles of halos in the rain, and the hustle and bustle of the city was swallowed up by the sound of rain, as if she was the only one left in the world.

She walked on the slippery sidewalk, the clatter of her heels drowned out by the sound of rain, leaving no trace of loneliness.

The scene just now kept flashing back in her mind:

The forbearance, compromise, and heartache in

Ethan Grant's eyes... every one of them clearly showed two words : Clara .

It turned out that she had been deceiving herself.

Three years of marriage was nothing more than her clinging to a little remnant left by others, which she called "happiness".

"Never before..."

She murmured softly, her voice drowned out by the sound of rain.

The pain in my heart is colder than the rain.

The rain completely washed away her makeup, so she didn't try to wipe it off.

Passersby occasionally cast curious glances at her, but she didn't care.

When she reached the corner of the street, she suddenly stopped and looked up at the gray sky.

The raindrops hit her eyes, like tears falling for her.

At this moment, she suddenly felt a clarity she had never felt before.

Perhaps, this marriage should have come to an end tonight.

She took a deep breath and her eyes gradually became firm.

He turned around and disappeared in the rain, his back was lonely, but with a hint of determination.

The night was dark and the rain had just stopped, but the air was still damp and cool.

Anna Collins sat alone at the small dining table.

On the table was the takeout she had ordered: a salad and a piece of cheesecake.

The cake was small, with a single candle with the number "24" stuck on it, standing there alone.

She lit the candle herself.

The flames danced, reflecting in her eyes, but could not illuminate the emptiness.

No blessings, no company, only a silent room.

The phone screen lit up again and again, all of which were messages from the work group or promotional advertisements.

No one remembered that today was her birthday.

She lowered her head and smiled softly.

The laughter was very light and self-deprecating.

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

The only sound in the air was the faint sound of burning candles. She silently made a wish:

"In the new year, Anna Collins , you must learn to stop relying on others."

After saying that, she opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and blew out the candle.

In an instant, the room fell into darkness.

The wind blew outside the window, and the remaining water droplets after the rain fell from the eaves, hitting the iron sheets with a crisp sound.

Anna Collins didn't turn on the light.

She leaned back in her chair, staring quietly out the window, as if she wanted to engrave this moment firmly in her memory.

This, she thought, was the starting point of her twenty-four years.

There were no surprises, no company, but at least she could celebrate for herself.

So, she picked up her fork and took a bite of the cheesecake.

The sweet taste spread in her mouth, but her throat felt dry and she could hardly swallow it.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she looked up and forced them back.

This year, she doesn't want to shed tears for anyone anymore.

Three days later, the classmates of the 21st class of the School of Computer Science and Engineering had a reunion.

The lights in the KTV box were dim, the floor was shaking slightly with the ferocious drumbeats, and the odor of alcohol mixed with perfume filled the air. A few boys sang off-tune, yet still managed to draw laughter.

Anna Collins pushed the door open, everyone's eyes froze for a moment.

On the sofa in the middle, Ethan Grant was surrounded by a group of people.

He leaned lazily, his temperament cold and noble. Even without saying a word, his presence could not be ignored.

His eyes swept through the crowd and almost instinctively stopped on the figure at the door.

Anna Collins wore a very simple light-colored dress, had no makeup on, and had a quiet temperament.

It doesn't fit in with the hustle and bustle here.

Ethan Grant's eyes darkened. He stood up, walked straight to her and sat down next to her.

This action made the air subtly freeze for a few seconds.

Someone whispered, "Tsk, it's better to sit next to her."

"Sure enough, you're reliable, Sister Ran ."

"If she hadn't gotten married, would she be sitting next to Shi Ye now?"

Whispers filled with sourness and sarcasm came one after another.

Anna Collins's expression remained unchanged. She just gently pulled the hem of her skirt and sat down, her posture upright and proper, as if she hadn't heard anything.

But her fingers curled imperceptibly on her knees.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became more lively.

"Come on, come on, tell us some funny stories from back then!" a boy said, "Who had a crush on whom? Tell us!"

Laughter and cheering mixed together.

A girl's eyes suddenly lit up, and she picked up her phone and said, "Don't tell me, I still have the records of the class group from that year! Do you want to see them?"

As soon as the words fell, someone immediately echoed: "Hurry up! Let's see whose little tricks were caught!"

The girl slid her fingertips, and suddenly she said "Huh?", and the corners of her lips curled up: "This one is amazing, 'I've liked someone for many years, will there be any result?'"

Anna Collins meaningfully .

The room suddenly became quiet.

Several burning gazes fell on Anna Collins .

Someone chuckled quietly: "Hey, isn't this Sister Ran ? She was all over the place back then."

"She's always on the basketball court, and you still say she's not her."

Anna Collins picked up the wine glass, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly, as if what he heard were not words he had written.

But at that moment, her heart seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, and her breathing became a little tight.

She remembered those words.

On a summer night when she was nineteen, in the dim dormitory, she snuggled up in her quilt and secretly sent the message.

At that time, her heart was filled with passionate, restrained and indescribable love.

But now, it is being exposed in front of everyone like a joke.

"Wait, there's more to it."

The girl seemed to think it wasn't lively enough and continued reading:

"'He probably won't like me, but I still can't bear to give up. Because what I like is the way he runs on the court, his unintentional gesture when he blocks the ball for me, and his sincere and gentle manner when he politely refuses others...'"

In an instant, the laughter stopped abruptly.

The girls looked at each other, and the boys stopped making noises.

Because these words are too sincere and too naked.

It doesn't seem like a farce, but more like a sincere confession.

The air was still for a few seconds, and everyone's eyes fell on Anna Collins again .

Ethan Grant 's hand suddenly tightened.

He slowly raised his eyes and looked at her.

She looked calm and quiet, as if she had nothing to do with all this.

But his heart suddenly shook.

It turned out that she really had...liked him.

It wasn't "clinging" as others speculated, nor was it "speculation" as the outside world said.

It is such a restrained, yet passionate and sincere secret love.

His breathing quickened slightly, and the wedding appeared in the depths of his mind.

Amidst everyone's strange looks, she walked up to him without hesitation.

At that time he was always wondering, why?

Now, everything has an answer.

An inexplicable sourness and panic surged in his chest. He even had the urge to ask her in public: "Is it true? You have liked me for so long?"

However, before he could finish his words, his cell phone vibrated, interrupting him.

Two words flashed on the screen: Clara .

His fingertips trembled and he picked up the phone.

A crying voice came from the other end: "Shi Ye, I'm downstairs in the club, and I'm blocked by a few thugs..."

The voice was trembling and helpless.

Ethan Grant's face darkened instantly. He pushed his chair away, stood up suddenly, and rushed out of the box.