The air in the hospital room made Evelyn feel suffocated.

“I have something to take care of these next few days. Let the nurses look after you.”

She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to breathe.

With that, Evelyn hurried out of the room, ignoring the obvious disappointment on the man’s face.

After returning home and closing the bedroom door, all the strength left her body, and she slowly slid down to the floor.

With a soft click, a photograph slipped out of her bag.

It was a picture of her and Mason in their high school uniforms, standing beneath a camphor tree and smiling at each other.

The photo had been taken on the day they finished their college entrance exams.

Evelyn still remembered how the eighteen-year-old boy had held her hand, his crescent-shaped eyes filled only with her reflection.

“Evelyn, we’re going to be together forever. We’ll never be apart.”

But now, another woman lived in his heart.

And she would soon marry into a family in faraway Southport, leaving this city behind for good.

Evelyn stood up and began sorting through everything related to Mason.

The doll he gave her when she was three, the clay figurine he made for her with his own hands when she was nine, the first love letter he wrote when he confessed to her at sixteen, the matching rings they exchanged at eighteen…

But Mason had filled every moment of her life since childhood. No matter how much she tried to throw away, the memories between them never seemed to disappear completely.

She spent the entire afternoon packing, yet there was still so much left behind.

Evelyn stopped what she was doing and went out to contact a real estate agent to sell the house.

If she couldn’t throw everything away, then she would abandon it all together.

Over the next few days, she stayed busy handling the paperwork for the sale.

Mason’s presence seemed to be slowly fading from her mind.

She no longer waited by the door every day the way she used to when she was deeply in love, hoping to catch sight of him.

When messages were passed to her through others, she only gave brief replies.

That day, after finishing all the procedures for the house sale, she received a call from Mason.

“Evelyn, where are you? I was discharged from the infirmary today. I prepared a surprise for you.”

Evelyn pressed her lips together before telling him to come to her house.

More than twenty years of shared memories deserved a proper ending.

Soon, Mason arrived.

The moment he saw her, he blindfolded her with a strip of cloth and led her into a jeep, saying it was to keep the surprise intact.

When they arrived, she removed the cloth and realized they were at the same restaurant where he had officially confessed to her when he was sixteen.

A banner hung across the restaurant lobby that read: “Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Mason Hart & Evelyn Ward.”

Evelyn paused, then glanced at the calendar on the wall and remembered—it was their anniversary.

She lowered her eyes, showing no sign of surprise.

Perhaps it was fitting. The place where their relationship had begun would also be where it ended.

Mason didn’t notice anything unusual. With an arm around her shoulders, he led her inside.

“This is our first decade together. We have to celebrate it properly.”

He had reserved the entire restaurant.

In the corner, a record player softly played their song—the same one he had sung to her the day he confessed his feelings.

But…

Evelyn looked around.

The flowers used for decoration were red roses, which she had always disliked.

The photos on the display wall hung unevenly, some even fallen to the floor.

And though the table was meant for two, there was only a single place setting.

Was this careless arrangement really what he called a proper celebration?

Mason clearly noticed it too.

He called the restaurant manager over and demanded coldly, “Why is everything arranged like such a mess?”

Cold sweat broke out across the manager’s forehead as he answered nervously.

“Colonel Hart, everything was arranged according to the instructions from your aide. We also thought it seemed odd and asked several times, but your aide insisted we follow exactly what she said, so we…”

Mason’s expression darkened for a moment, though the anger in his eyes quickly faded.

He leaned closer to Evelyn and coaxed gently, “I’ll deduct three months of Anna’s allowance as punishment. Don’t be upset, alright, Evelyn? Today is our anniversary. Don’t let someone irrelevant ruin the mood.”

Mason had always had an excellent memory. There was no way he had forgotten that just a few days ago he had said he would transfer Anna away immediately if she made a mistake.

Yet he had suggested another form of punishment first, simply to keep her in the position of his aide and allow her to stay by his side.

Evelyn saw through his intentions clearly.

She didn’t expose him and only sat down calmly.

After all, from this day forward, however long Mason wanted Anna to remain by his side had nothing to do with her anymore.

Mason’s tense posture relaxed, and he signaled for the waiter to bring out the cake he had ordered.

The moment the cake was set on the table, Evelyn let out a quiet sigh in her heart.

It was a chestnut cake.

It seemed Anna had been determined not to let them celebrate this anniversary.

“I’m allergic to chestnuts.”

Mason, who had spent more than twenty years by her side, obviously knew that as well.

This time, he could no longer suppress his anger.

“I’m going to find Anna. I want to ask her exactly how she handled this!”

With that, he rose abruptly and stormed toward the door.

Watching his retreating figure, Evelyn hesitated for a moment before following after him.

At the stairwell, Evelyn saw Mason gripping Anna’s wrist, the anger on his face still lingering.

“Anna, did you deliberately sabotage my ten-year anniversary with Evelyn? I gave you countless instructions about the restaurant setup and even specifically reminded you that Evelyn is allergic to chestnuts. And what did you do?

“Not only did you make a complete mess of the decorations, you even ordered a chestnut cake. Do you realize that just for these mistakes alone, I could dismiss you immediately?”

Anna stumbled under the force of his grip, nearly losing her footing.

She shook his hand off and looked up at him, her eyes red.

“Yes! I did it on purpose!

“You expected me to personally plan an anniversary celebration for the man I love and another woman. Even if you fire me, I still couldn’t bring myself to do that!”

Seeing the tears gathering in her eyes, Mason’s anger quickly cooled, though his voice remained stern as he reprimanded her.

“That’s part of your duty as my aide. Besides, you already know that the person I love is Evelyn. You should have expected that you’d eventually have to watch the two of us together. You brought this on yourself.”

Anna’s voice broke.

“Yes, I brought it on myself. I chose to fall in love with you. I chose to give up my own dreams to enroll in the military academy with you. Even after graduation, I still couldn’t let go and insisted on staying by your side.

“I know you don’t love me. But Evelyn gave you up for the sake of her future, while I gave up my own future for you.

“I love you more than she does. Why can’t you give me just a little of the love you give her, even just a little…”

For a moment, Mason’s resolve wavered.

But the next second, he turned his head away, avoiding her gaze.

“Evelyn and I have been together since childhood. We’ve shared more than twenty years together. She’s the only one I love.”

It was unclear whether he was warning Anna or reminding himself.

Anna let out a bitter smile, endless sorrow in her eyes as she looked at him.

“I really envy Evelyn. She gets to have your love.

“And me? On my birthday, I can only stand here and watch you celebrate your ten-year anniversary with her. It feels like a knife twisting in my heart.”

“Today is your birthday?” Mason paused in surprise.

Looking at the pain written across Anna’s face, he spoke stiffly, “Fine. I can grant you one wish. After all, you’re still my subordinate.”

“I want a kiss. May I?”

A sudden spark lit up in Anna’s eyes. She bit her lip and looked at him cautiously.

Mason fell silent, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Seeing that Mason didn’t respond, Anna cautiously rose onto her toes and slowly leaned closer to his face.

Mason’s body stiffened.

Instinctively, he lifted his hand, but a few seconds later, he slowly lowered it again.

Seeing this, Anna broke into a genuine smile and lightly pressed a fleeting kiss to the corner of his lips.

Just as her lips were about to pull away, Mason’s hand clasped the back of her head, and he captured her red lips in a forceful kiss.

Anna quickly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and returning the kiss.

Even though Evelyn had already decided to let go of the more than twenty years she had shared with Mason, the scene before her still struck her heart like a heavy hammer.

The color drained from her face, and she nearly lost her balance.

So, this was what it felt like to watch the man she loved intimately kissing another woman.

Evelyn forced herself to watch the two of them lost in their kiss, letting the pain in her chest spread through her entire body.

If it hurt enough, eventually it would stop hurting.

Half an hour later, Mason finally returned to the restaurant, with Anna following behind him.

As if nothing had happened, he wrapped an arm around Evelyn in a coaxing manner and said gently, “Evelyn, I’ve already given her a harsh scolding. Now I’ve brought her here to apologize to you in person.”

Anna admitted her fault readily.

“I’m sorry, Miss Ward. This was entirely my negligence. I hope you can forgive me, considering that Colonel Hart has already ‘taught me a lesson.’”

She deliberately emphasized the words “taught me a lesson.”

Mason’s expression stiffened slightly before his face darkened, and he barked sharply, “Why are you still standing here after apologizing? Get out!”

The provocative look in Anna’s eyes froze instantly. She glanced at him with a wounded expression.

“Of course. Someone who made a mistake like me wouldn’t dare stay here and disturb your anniversary.”

With that, she turned and left, her eyes red.

Mason’s gaze unconsciously followed the direction she had gone. Only when he noticed Evelyn calmly watching him from the side did he force himself to pull his eyes back.

Putting on an indifferent expression, he said, “Let her go reflect on her mistakes. Now no one will disturb our anniversary. I’ll spend the whole day with you.”

Evelyn looked at him for a long time.

The man before her looked almost no different from the boy who had once confessed to her here ten years ago, his face flushed with nervousness.

Only the youthful innocence had faded, replaced by a hint of maturity and composure.

Yet in the same place, at the same moment, she could no longer overlap the two figures in her mind.

Ten years ago, his eyes held only her.

Now, another woman took a place in his heart.

Evelyn closed her eyes briefly and steadied herself, about to tell him that she had decided to marry into the Caldwell family in Southport.

Suddenly, a woman’s cry rang out from outside the door, her voice choked with tears.

It was Anna.

Mason shot to his feet at once, the anxiety and panic on his face impossible to hide.

He only threw out a hurried, “Evelyn, I’ll go see what happened. I’ll be right back,” before rushing out.

He left in such a hurry that he never heard the words Evelyn had spoken softly behind him.

“I’m getting married. But the groom isn’t you.”

Just then, the sound of a car engine starting came from outside.

Anna leaned against Mason’s arms, her gaze turning toward Evelyn as she gave her a triumphant smile, silently mouthing the words.

“Look. In Mason’s heart, I matter more than you.”

Through the window, Evelyn watched the familiar car outside gradually disappear into the distance and let out a self-mocking smile.

How could she not know? She had once experienced Mason’s wholehearted love herself.

It was only that she had already decided to give up on this relationship.

And she no longer cared who mattered more in his heart.