Just as Kenny and Opal were about to speak, Sinead answered first. "No one. You misheard."

The two elders looked at her in surprise.

Nelson did not notice his parents' strange looks and pulled Sinead out to the car. "Since you're here and done talking, come with me somewhere."

They rode in silence the whole way.

When the car finally stopped, Sinead realized he had brought her to a luxury store. He told the staff to bring out a huge pile of clothes, shoes, and bags, and had her try them on one by one.

She frowned, baffled. "Why am I trying all of these on?"

Nelson pushed her into the fitting room, his tone clear that it was not up for discussion. "Just try them."

Sinead was about to refuse, but the staff had already closed the door and started unboxing everything.

Every time she finished trying on one outfit, Nelson would take a picture, and then she would be pushed back into the fitting room again.

Sinead tried on more than a hundred outfits over and over until she was exhausted and the high heels had rubbed her feet sore to the point of bleeding.

Finally, she could not hold back anymore. She shoved the staff away, hobbled over to Nelson, and spoke in a low voice. "I don't need you to buy all this to make up for what you did..."

"Wrap up everything except that burgundy evening gown and send it to Ms. Irene Thompson at the Mount Zion villa," Nelson said. When Sinead heard what he had said, she couldn't finish what she was about to say.

She watched him swipe the card without hesitation and asked in a hoarse voice, "You asked me to try all these things on just so you could give them to your girlfriend?"

Nelson nodded nonchalantly, his lips forming a faint smile.

"That's right. I want to give my girlfriend some presents, but I'm afraid they won't suit her taste. You two are about the same size. If you model them for me, things should go fine. Later on, you'll come with me to the dessert shop, jewelry store, and cosmetics stores upstairs. You can try all of them for me. I only want the best things for Irene."

Listening to him map out all of this without asking her, Sinead could no longer suppress the anger in her heart. "Nelson Lane! I'm not your tool for pleasing your girlfriend!"

Nelson had never seen Sinead lose her temper like this. He looked up in shock and saw her eyes bright red.

"Do you know I've never treated you as some kind of buddy? When I hug you, when I kiss you, and even when I sleep with you, I'm serious! You don't have to like me, but you can't treat me like this!" Sinead's voice was trembling as she sobbed.

Nelson froze, feeling a whirlwind of emotions inside. He wanted to explain, but Sinead had already turned and walked away. His gaze flickered slightly as he watched her disappear into the crowd. However, he recovered quickly enough in the next second.

Back home, Sinead took out her suitcase and began to pack.

At the dining table, she kept hearing Jackson and Liana mention Nelson from time to time. "I heard Nelson booked Globe Studios for three days to celebrate Irene's birthday. The roses were even air shipped in from Western Evria. He's really putting his heart into this."

"A few days ago, he even took her back to the family residence to meet his grandfather. He paid out of his own pocket for several sets of antiques and said they were from Irene. The old man was overjoyed and kept praising her."

Whenever the Lane family was mentioned, Sinead stayed silent.

From time to time, faint ripples still stirred in her heart, but there was no pain anymore. She shut everything else out and turned down every invitation to gatherings and dinners where she might run into Nelson.

On a few late nights, Nelson got drunk and messaged her to come pick him up, pretending nothing was wrong between them, but she never went.

When people in their circle drank too much, they would sometimes bring this up, curiosity in their voices. "Nelson, what's going on with that childhood friend of yours? Why isn't she following you around lately?"

Nelson did not take it seriously at all, and his tone was indifferent. "She's just throwing a tantrum. Ignore it, she'll be fine after a while."

But after a long while, there was still no sign of Sinead. In the end, she stopped replying to his messages altogether.

On the day before Nelson's birthday, he finally could not stay calm and sent her an electronic invitation for the party.

This time, Sinead finally replied.

Two words.

[Not going.]

Early next morning, as soon as Sinead came downstairs, she ran into Nelson. He was sitting on the sofa with a dark expression on his face, his voice hard and cold. "Sinead!"

She could tell from his tone that he was in a very bad mood. She still had no intention of calming him down, though, and her attitude was anything but warm. "Oh. Morning. I'm just about to go out on a date with my boyfriend, so I won't be keeping you company. Make yourself at home."

The anger Nelson had been holding back for days finally snapped. He rose to his feet and grabbed her wrist, his eyes stormy. "Since when did you get a boyfriend?"

Sinead did not answer, and there was no fear on her face.

His temper flared, his grip tightening without him noticing. "Are you a mute now? Say something!"

Sinead tried to pull her wrist free, the skin already red under his fingers as her tone remained cold. "How's that your business? Aren't you being a little too intrusive?"

Just as the fight was about to blow up, Liana came downstairs and quickly pulled them apart. "Oh, she's just sulking. She's swamped with work right now, so how could she find the time to date anyone? If she's going to fall in love, that can wait till later. You two grew up together, so there's nothing you can't talk about. Stop arguing, alright?"

With Sinead's mother there, they both calmed down and sat down.

After Liana left, Nelson realized he had gone a little too far. Once he had cooled off, he thought back over what had just happened and frowned. Had Liana just said Sinead was too busy right now? What was going on? What was she so busy with that it had to wait until later?

He had no idea, so he asked Sinead. "So… You were lying to me just now?"

Sinead glanced at him and went to sit in the corner. "Do you need something?"

Seeing her dodge the question, Nelson knew she was trying to mess with him. He let out a slow sigh and moved on to what really bothered him. "It's my birthday tomorrow. Why aren't you coming?"

"I'm busy, and I can't find the time," Sinead said nonchalantly.

Her coldness made Nelson's anger surge again, and he raised his voice. "What are you so busy with? What could be more important than my birthday? You used to be more eager than anyone else to celebrate with me."

Sinead took a sip of water, her voice still calm. "Things are different now. You already have a girlfriend. You should be saying that to Irene, not me. I'm just an outsider."

For some reason, Nelson felt a sharp pang of discomfort when he heard the word 'outsider'. He crossed one leg over the other and laced his fingers together. "I don't care. You have to come this year. Do you remember a few years ago, you promised me three wishes? First, you'd knit me a scarf. Second, you'd climb that snowy mountain with me. You've already done both. Now, I'm using the third wish. You have to come to my birthday."

This time, Sinead did not snap back at him. Instead, she lowered her head. Her silence made Nelson feel even more stifled, and his voice turned colder. "Have you forgotten why you agreed to those three wishes in the first place?"

Of course, she remembered.

Three years ago, they had gone to the seaside, and they had been caught in the rising tide. She had gotten a cramp in her leg and had been swept out into the deep waters.

Nelson had jumped in after her without a second thought, dragging her back to shore. By the time they had made it to safety, he was so exhausted that he had almost drowned himself. She had cried herself almost unconscious at his bedside and had even thought about wanting to die with him.

When he finally woke up, he had gently wiped away her tears, his tone soft. "You're crying so much, someone might think I'm really dead."

"Despite how much I care about you, you're still talking like that!" Sinead was so angry that she had hit him once, and he had begged for mercy while trying to comfort her.

"Alright, alright… If you really care about me that much, then grant me three wishes…"

Sinead became quiet again as she reminisced about the past. The room stayed quiet for a long time before she finally gave him an answer. "Alright. After I fulfill the third wish..."

A phone's ringing cut her off.

Nelson picked up the call as he stood up and walked out. "So long as you agree, that's enough. You have to come tomorrow."

Watching him disappear through the doorway, Sinead finished the rest of her sentence. "Then we can stop contacting each other."

The next day.

Halfway through the birthday party, Nelson and Irene announced the date for their wedding. Only then did Sinead realize that today was not just Nelson's birthday, but it was also their engagement party.

Thunderous applause filled the hall as everyone offered their congratulations.

Sinead sat alone in a corner as she watched them kiss with faces glowing with happiness, and she felt nothing at all.

When it was time for the toasts, Irene walked over with her arm around Nelson's, smiling as she raised her glass. "Ms. Green, since you and Nelson are so close, will you be my bridesmaid on the day of our marriage?"

"Sorry, I already have plans for that day. I can't make it to the wedding," Sinead said.

Sinead's clean refusal made Nelson's expression change on the spot. He gave her a cold look, his tone especially stiff. "Doesn't matter if she comes or not, as long as the gift shows up."

Sinead gave a small nod, her voice light. "Don't worry. With our history, I'll definitely send a big gift."

Her tone was sincere, almost as if she were truly giving them her blessing.

Thinking of what he had heard in the store a few days earlier, something complicated flickered through Nelson's eyes.

Just then, a joyful tune played by the piano began, and Nelson led Irene onto the dance floor since he didn't know what else to say.

The spotlight followed their graceful figures as they danced, light as butterflies dancing through the crowd.

Watching how affectionate they were, the guests around them murmured in envy and praised them endlessly.

"They really are a perfect match for each other, but getting engaged after just over a month... Isn't that a little rushed?"

"What do you know? Nelson has liked Irene for years. Now that he has finally won her over, of course, he wants to make it official as soon as he can."

Sinead leaned back against the sofa and watched in silence, her thoughts in chaos.

Nelson had been the one to teach her ballroom dancing. Back then, they had no rhythm together as she kept stepping on his feet in high heels.

He never got mad. Instead, he had simply leaned in with a wicked grin and murmured in her ear, "Every time you step on me, you owe me a kiss."

That day, Sinead had learned how to dance.

By the end, his feet were painted in bruises, and her lips were swollen from his kisses.

She had thought he liked her too, that she already stood where a girlfriend should be in his heart. But after Irene came back, Sinead finally saw how ridiculous her assumptions had been as she watched with her own eyes how he had bent over backward to please another woman.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, someone came over and bowed with his hand extended, asking her for a dance. She didn't want to, but the man kept insisting. With everyone else already on the floor, coupled with the fact that she did not want to spoil the mood, she agreed in the end.

The two strangers matched each other surprisingly well, their steps slow and smooth to the gentle music. The warmth of the man's palm seemed to carry a quiet spell, and she relaxed and let herself enjoy the dance little by little.

It was the first time Nelson had seen Sinead smile that night.

His expression darkened at once.

His eyes, filled with clear displeasure, drifted to her repeatedly to the point he missed several beats during the dance. Noticing his distraction, Irene glanced sideways at him, something flickering in her gaze.

When the music shifted, everyone on the floor switched partners.

Sinead froze for a moment when she suddenly realized that the hand taking hers belonged to Nelson, and she lowered her eyes. They had only just completed a spin when everything went wrong.

The crystal chandelier overhead came loose and crashed down with a sharp snap.

Nelson instinctively let go of Sinead's hand and lunged toward Irene, wrapping her in his arms and pulling her out of the danger zone.

Sinead barely managed to steady herself as she was left where she stood, and the falling chandelier barely skimmed past her shoulder and sliced a long gash across her hand.

Blood flowed out immediately, soaking her white dress a vivid, scarlet red.

It felt like fire in her every nerve. She could not help but let out a cry as her face grew paler.

In just a few steps away, Nelson held Irene close, comforting her as he escorted her out.

He did not even look at Sinead even once…