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…

Sinead finally relaxed when the doctor said it was just a flesh wound and that her bone was fine, and that the falling chandelier had pretty much missed her.

After they were done bandaging her hand, she went home.

As the day of the Green family's departure drew near, the living room was filled with suitcases of every size.

She rested for two days, then told a few close friends she was moving abroad.

They put together a farewell dinner just for her, and the mood at the table was heavy. Everyone was sad to see her go and kept telling her to stay in touch after she left.

It was nearly dawn by the time the gathering finally broke up.

After seeing everyone off, Sinead paid the bill and went back to the private room for her purse before heading out.

As she walked past the next room, a few familiar voices drifted out.

"Nelson, how does it feel to finally get the girl you've had a crush on for years?"

The door was half-open, and she could hear Nelson's amused tone clearly. "Feels like I would be fine with it even if I dropped dead right now."

Laughter exploded inside, mixed with a tease. "Then what about that little childhood friend of yours?"

After about ten seconds of silence, Nelson finally spoke lazily. "Her? She's pretty good in bed."

"We're so jealous, Nelson. None of us has a partner who comes to your every beck and call, then leaves when you wave her off, and you don't even have to own up to it."

The room then roared with laughter. Nelson only raised his eyebrow and said nothing.

"But now that you're engaged to Irene, what are you going to do with her?"

"End it cleanly, of course. Irene's the only one for me. I don't want anyone else."

He sounded so sure that the others started praising how devoted he was.

Sinead dug her nails into her palms so deeply that her knuckles went white. She had thought she was already over this, but hearing it with her own ears still felt like someone was tearing her heart open.

So… Their twenty years of friendship… All those years of late-night calls, holding hands, kissing, and sleeping together...

It all came down to one line.

Pretty good in bed.

She bit her lip hard to hold back the ache in her heart and then walked away on heavy feet.

It was raining outside. She lowered her head and stepped into the rain, but someone blocked her path. Irene stood there with four or five young women, shoulder to shoulder, staring straight at her.

Sinead stayed silent. Just as she raised a hand to hail a cab, Irene grabbed her. "I knew there was something off between you two. Now, I finally understand. So, this is how cheap you are, throwing yourself at my boyfriend and sleeping with him for so long."

The hatred in her voice made Sinead's face go a shade paler.

Sinead wanted to explain, but Irene did not give her the chance as she looked her over with open contempt. "I will let what happened before slide, but now that Nelson and I are engaged, you're still coming looking for him… Do you really like being a homewrecker that much?"

Sinead's heart skipped a beat as she drew a deep breath. "I'm not a homewrecker, and I didn't come to see Nelson today..."

Before she could finish, Irene cut her off with a glance at the young woman beside her. "Drag her inside and go find a few beggars."

The young woman understood at once. They closed in on Sinead, shoving and pushing her up the stairs. "What are you doing?!"

Fear jolted through her. She struggled with everything she had, but there were too many of them. They forced her into the innermost private room and locked the door.

Before long, one of the young women came back with a beggar in tow.

Irene clapped her hands as she let out a cold laugh and stepped aside. "This woman is quite desperate. She'll let you have her for free. You had better make sure she's satisfied."

As Irene laughed, she had someone else close the door.

In the cramped room, the ragged man lunged at her, his eyes gleaming.

Sinead clawed at him again and again, fighting as hard as she could, but it did not help. He was far stronger than she was, and her dress was ripped open, revealing the skin underneath. He pressed his mouth against her, and a foul sewer stench spread through the room.

Filled with rage and terror, Sinead's hand wrapped around an ashtray, and she swung it hard at the man's head without thinking.

With a heavy thud, he crumpled to the floor.

Barely believing she had gotten away, Sinead grabbed her phone and ran out, only to run straight into Irene in the hallway. She had not gone far at all.

Seeing her escape, Irene's expression changed, and she grabbed Sinead's hand again. "How did you get out?!"

Irene was about to drag Sinead back into the room when she caught sight of a figure from the corner of her eye. In an instant, her expression shifted. She let herself fall backward and tumbled down the stairs.

Nelson happened to come out just then and saw it. Shock shot through his eyes as he rushed over and scooped Irene into his arms.

Seeing the blue and purple marks on Irene, he immediately turned on Sinead in a blaze of fury. "Sinead! Why did you push Irene?!"

When Sinead saw Nelson accuse her without even trying to tell right from wrong, the hurt and grievance in her chest peaked.

Even so, she forced herself to stay calm and tried to explain what had happened. "She was the one who got someone to try to rape me first! That fall down the stairs was her own act! If you don't believe me, go to the private room! That beggar is still..."

Hearing this, Irene panicked too. She started crying as she tried to explain. "That's not true, Nelson. She cursed me and called me a homewrecker, saying I was getting between you and your childhood sweetheart! That's why… That's why she pushed me down the stairs. I didn't do anything! Why is she smearing my reputation like this?!"

Between the two of them, Nelson believed Irene without question.

He pulled her into his arms, and all his anger turned on Sinead, his voice cold as ice. "How could Irene possibly do anything like that? You're the one who was being completely unreasonable and pushed her down the stairs! How could you twist the truth and accuse her?! You've been clinging to me since you were just a kid, and I only stayed with you for the sake of our families. Since you don't know your place, then get out."

Sinead's heart went completely cold in those few sentences.

She stared straight at him and spoke each word clearly and with conviction. "Fine. I'll do what you want. We're done!"

That mercilessly cold tone only made the anger in Nelson's chest burn even hotter. He refused to back down and threw out a harsh line in return as he watched her staggering as she left. "Don't ever let me see you again."

From that moment on, Sinead knew it was good riddance forever. So, she did not slow down for even a moment, and she left without looking back.

-

After a night's rest, Sinead got up and tore off the calendar's last page.

She was about to head to the garage with her suitcase when she heard Jackson and Liana call out to her. "Sinead, Kenny and Opal invited our whole family to have one last lunch together. Put your things away and come over now."

Although Sinead really did not want to go, she knew that no matter how badly things had blown up between her and Nelson, it had nothing to do with her parents or Nelson's parents. After hesitating for a few seconds, she agreed.

Fortunately, Nelson was not at home for the gathering that day.

Kenny and Opal kept calling him, wanting him to come back, but even after calling more than a dozen times in a row, no one answered.

Seeing that all the dishes were already on the table, Sinead thought for a moment, then said softly, "He's probably with Irene right now. It's just a meal, so it's not a big deal if he misses it. Let's not disturb their date."

They still had a plane to catch, and they really couldn't wait any longer. Only then did Kenny and Opal put down their phones and have everyone sit at the table.

They ate that meal with heavy hearts as the two families talked about the past the whole time. Sinead listened quietly, keeping her head down as she ate, speaking very little.

After they finished eating, everyone went out to the yard and took a big group photo as a keepsake.

At one in the afternoon, the Green family departed with their luggage while Kenny and Opal went along to see them off. When they reached the airport, Kenny and Opal made several more calls to Nelson, but there was still no response.

The couple sighed and looked at their old friends with regret on their faces, their tone full of apology. "Nelson has been busy with his engagement these days and still doesn't know you're moving away permanently. When he comes back later and sees the house empty, he's going to be devastated."

Sinead shook her head lightly, her voice flat. "He won't."

The other four looked over when they heard this, their faces full of surprise. "Why?"

Just then, the boarding announcement started playing over the loudspeakers. Sinead did not answer as she simply said goodbye to Kenny and Opal politely.

Jackson and Liana also reached into their bag, took out a gift, and handed it to them. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to attend the two kids' wedding. Kenny, remember to pass on a message for us, that we wish them a happy marriage."

The families were quite emotional when it was time to separate.

Sinead stood off to the side alone as she pulled out her phone. Then, she blocked and deleted all of Nelson's contacts.

After she was done, she waved to Kenny and Opal before holding her parents by their arms and turning to walk toward the departure gate.

She did not look back again.