In the middle of the night, Evan finally came back with the smell of alcohol.

I was still awake but didn't want to get up and prepare hangover soup for him like before.

The sound of water came from the bathroom.

After a while, the bed sank, and he embraced me with the steam from the shower.

I closed my eyes and didn't turn around.

His words, "To the point where even our intimacy feels like my left hand touching my right," kept echoing in my mind, and I couldn't help but resist his approach.

Just when the breathing behind me gradually became steady.

His cell phone rang.

Evan groggily grabbed his phone and answered it.

In the silent night, I could clearly hear a woman's voice on the other end. "Evan, I'm drunk. Can you come and pick me up? There are so many people here. I'm a little scared."

Like countless nights in the past year, every time she got drunk, Yuga would call Evan.

And Evan, from the beginning of impatience and boredom, gradually became worried. "Where are you?" His voice instantly became sober, "Didn't I tell you, don't go out and drink late at night? It's dangerous, why don't you listen? You stay in a safe place and don't move, and I'll come pick you up." Evan lowered his voice and got up to get dressed.

It seemed that he was ready to go out and pick her up.

I finally couldn't pretend to sleep any more; I opened my eyes and looked at Evan, "Are you going out?'

Evan's buttoning action paused, "Zoe, she had a bit too much to drink, so I need to get her home safely. She's a girl, and being out alone after drinking isn't safe."

He leaned over and kissed my forehead, "Be good. You go to sleep first, and I'll take her home and come back."

I didn't say anything.

Suddenly, there was a 'ah' sound from the other end of the phone.

Then, the call was hung up.

Evan's face changed immediately, and his tone became urgent, "Zoe, I really have to go pick her up. Those places are full of mixed characters..."

I interrupted him, "Evan, I'll go with you."

He hesitated.

I repeated, "I'll go with you. You've been drinking, haven't you?" I smiled slightly, "You can't risk driving under the influence. I'll drive there."

Evan suddenly realized, "Yes, it's more convenient for you to drive."

I silently changed clothes and took the keys.

I drove to the bar where Yuga was.

Inside the bar, screams and music were coming one after another.

Evan pushed through the crowd and walked inside.

Finally, in the crowd, he found Yuga dancing intimately with someone else.

Evan walked over with a dark face and grabbed her hand, "Come with me."

"You're here," Yuga looked up at him with an indescribable coquettishness.

When her gaze met mine behind Evan, she swayed unsteadily.

Evan held onto her waist.

The man who had been dancing with Yuga noticed someone attempting to steal his companion's belongings and, awkwardly stepping in front of Evan, demanded, "Who are you?"

Evan stared at him indifferently and said, "Her boyfriend."

The man looked at Yuga obediently, snuggling in Evan's arms without any struggle, and then awkwardly let go.

This scene made my eyes water with emotion.

We helped Yuga to the place where I parked the car.

Evan opened the passenger door, let Yuga sit in, and reminded me, "When driving, roll down the window a bit."

Seeing me staring at him intently, Evan explained, "She gets a little carsick, and having the window open will make her feel more comfortable."

I clenched the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning pale, and said, "Got it."

Silence all the way.

We arrived at the underground parking lot of Yuga's apartment.

Evan held her gently while waiting for the elevator, his movements betraying practiced ease as though he had done so countless times before.

I suddenly couldn't stand it anymore.

Ms. Eaton", I looked at her firmly and said, "Can you please stop calling Evan in the future? After all, no one wants her boyfriend to be bothered by other women all the time. We're getting married soon."

Yuga's eyes suddenly opened.

After the shock, she bit her lip and looked at Evan pitifully, "Is it true? Are you really getting married?"

The atmosphere was silent.

After a while, Evan nodded, "It's true. I proposed to her, and we're also preparing for the wedding."

Yuga's face turned pale suddenly, choked, and said, "Okay, I understand. I'm sorry; thank you for your help tonight."

After speaking, the elevator arrived.

She stumbled and walked in, with a stubborn figure.

After she completely disappeared, Evan suddenly spoke, "Why did you provoke her?"

I looked back at him without flinching and said, "How did I provoke her?"

Evan grabbed a handful of hair, looking very anxious, "You clearly know that she likes me, and you said these things to her. Aren't you deliberately embarrassing her?"

I didn't understand; I just told her the truth; what did I do wrong?

"Evan," my throat tightened, "Are you...liking her? "

Evan was stunned momentarily, then denied, "How is that possible? What nonsense are you thinking again?"

"Is it really just my wild imagination?" I thought.

The grievances I had endured for a long time finally erupted at this moment, "Evan, is she only familiar with you? Does she not have any other friends? Why would she call a man with a girlfriend in the wee hours of the night? And you, what position are you worried about her? And just now, why did you say you are her boyfriend? If you are her boyfriend, then who am I to you? Can I also claim to be someone else's girlfriend?"

Without thinking, he blurted out, "Of course not."

Seeing my face full of mockery, Evan said, "How can it be the same? The situation just now was special; that was just an excuse for me to get rid of them quickly. Zoe, don't you understand me yet?"

"Is that so? Do I understand him?" If it were before, I would definitely confidently say that I understand him. "But now, do I really understand Evan in front of me?"

I didn't argue with Evan anymore; I just treated him indifferently.

On the one hand, I was not good at arguing; on the other hand, I hadn't figured out how to handle this relationship.

In the past, when I saw similar posts online, I always thought, "What else is there to consider? The girl should break up with that guy and find someone else. Why waste time on an unworthy relationship?"

But when things really happened to me, I realized that being carefree only existed in imagination.

Ten years, not ten days, not ten months, but a solid 40 seasons.

Even if we might break up, our connections remain strong.

In the end, Evan couldn't resist but yield to me first.

That day, I left work early and went home.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw candles arranged in the shape of a heart on the floor, and balloons stuck to the wall in the shape of flowers.

Evan walked out of the kitchen with something and was stunned when he saw me.

"Why did you come back so early today?" He spoke.

He gently set down what he held and approached to take my hand. He awkwardly scratched the back of his head with his other hand and shyly mumbled, "I meant to surprise you, Zoe. Please don't be angry with me. You have no idea how hard it's been for me these past days, with you ignoring me like that."

I was a bit dizzy, remembering our first argument.

I had forgotten why I was angry, but I remembered that I had said harsh words and would never forgive him unless he confessed to me in front of everyone.

When I made this request, I intended to make things difficult for him. Because, according to his personality, he would never do such a thing.

To my surprise, he had foolishly gone ahead and purchased a bunch of candles, rushing to the girls' dormitory to confess his feelings to me. But before I could even emerge, he was unceremoniously doused with a bucket of water by the dormitory supervisor.

Despite being reduced to a soggy mess, he still pleaded with me pathetically, "Zoe, please don't shut me out. If you do, I won't know how to go on."

At this moment, Evan in front of me overlapped with the young Evan from years ago.

"I promise you, I won't make you angry anymore. I will keep my distance from Yuga. No, not just her, but I will keep my distance from all females. I won't have any contact with her anymore. Please don't be angry with me, okay?"

His kiss landed on my forehead, and I didn't dodge it.

In the end, I softened.

Seeing Evan's happy expression, I also forced a smile.

"Evan, I hope you won't disappoint me again." I thought.

We made up.

I didn't know what Evan said to Yuga.

For a long time, Yuga didn't bother our lives anymore.

Everything seemed to have returned to its original state.

But I knew that some things had changed.

Evan occasionally stared at his phone and smoked more fiercely.

As for me, I used to be very determined to get married, but when Evan mentioned getting a marriage certificate, I instinctively refused, "Let's wait a little longer; I don't think I'm ready yet."

He raised an eyebrow after hearing my words, "Still need to prepare? I've been waiting for this day since the first day of our relationship."

"Is that so?" Looking at his smile, I couldn't tell if it was genuine or fake; I said, "Just consider me having premarital jitters."

[Honey, I made a reservation at the restaurant you've always wanted to go to. I'll pick you up later.] It was a message that Evan had just sent to my phone.

Today was a special day, the tenth anniversary of my relationship with Evan.

I stared at this message, feeling a mixture of sweetness and melancholy. It felt as though I were walking on air, yet unable to touch down in reality.

Evan came to pick me up in the evening, and we ate dinner.

During the interval of waiting for the traffic light, his phone rang.

After answering the phone, his face suddenly changed, then he hung up and started the car to turn around.

"What's wrong? Is it about the company..."

"Zoe," Evan interrupted me, his thin lips tightly pursed, "Yuga has committed suicide and is now in the hospital."

I was stunned, "How could this be..."

"I don't have time to explain, and I have to go to the hospital now," said Evan.

Seeing him in a state of confusion, I didn't say anything more.

We arrived at the hospital.

Yuga lost her former vitality, lying weakly on the sickbed with a pale face and thick bandages on her wrists.

When he saw Yuga, Evan shouted, "Are you crazy? Can you even commit suicide?"

Yuga's tears fell, "You were going to marry her, right? What does my life or death have to do with you?"

"Do you seriously believe I desire to be concerned with you...?" Evan said.

"I understand! It's all because of my father. I don't require you to remind me; I know this. Evan, having feelings for you is excruciating, yet I can't seem to shake you off; I truly can't. I've tried to distance myself from you, even going abroad for a while. But even with thousands of miles between us, you still occupy my thoughts," said Yuga.

Evan's lips pressed tight, pain etched in his eyes.

He probably didn't realize how anxious he looked.

I stood there and suddenly felt that everything in front of me was so absurd.

I just laughed out loud.

The people in the ward looked at me, Evan grabbed my hand and frowned, "Zoe, what are you laughing at?'

I shook off his shackles without saying a word and walked out of the ward.

After a while, Evan also came out.

I looked at him, "Evan, are you coming back with me? Our anniversary is not over yet. You promised me that you wouldn't care about her anymore."

"Come back with me; as long as you return with me, I will pretend nothing happened." I thought.

But Evan's tone was harsh, "What time is it, and you're still thinking about the anniversary?"

After speaking, he seemed to realize that his attitude was not good, and he softened his voice to coax me, "Zoe, I had said that I wouldn't care about her anymore, but now she committed suicide because of me; I can't just leave her alone. I know you're not comfortable in your heart, but for the sake of human life, be more generous, okay?"

"What does it have to do with me, whether she is alive or dead?" I said indifferently, "You want to stay and accompany her, right? Okay, I got it."

He grabbed my hand tightly, suppressing his anger, and said, "Zoe, don't throw a tantrum now."

I was about to speak when I heard Yuga's sobbing from the ward.

As soon as he let go, Evan said, "Listen, you go home first."

Then he walked into the ward without looking back.

In front of my eyes, everything was blurry.

In the following days, Evan did not come back. Instead, he sent me messages regularly to report his whereabouts.

It seemed that this could prove their innocence.

I was really being unreasonable.

The phone vibrated for a moment.

A friend request popped up, with the friend verification saying, [I am Yuga.]

I frowned; I really didn't know what we had to talk about.

I added her to the blacklist.