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.

Evelyn returned home and began packing the luggage she would take to Southport.

Meanwhile, Mason—who had said he would “be right back”—didn’t contact her for the entire afternoon.

It wasn’t until late at night that the landline in the living room finally rang.

Evelyn guessed it was Mason calling.

She glanced at the phone but didn’t feel like dealing with his excuses, so she let it ring unanswered.

Early the next morning, she was woken by a rapid knock on the door.

When she opened it, Mason was standing there, looking anxious.

“Evelyn, why didn’t you answer my call yesterday?”

There was a hint of grievance in his voice.

“I was too tired from packing and fell asleep.”

Mason’s gaze instinctively shifted past her shoulder, and only then did he notice the piles of packed luggage stacked in the middle of the living room.

A sudden unease rose in his chest.

He grabbed Evelyn’s arm and asked urgently, “You’re packing? Where are you going?”

Evelyn freed herself from his grip and replied calmly, “I’m going to Southport.”

Mason let out a breath of relief.

“So you’re going to visit your parents. When are you leaving? I’ll prepare some gifts for you to bring along. Give them my regards.”

“Tonight’s train.”

“Alright, I’ll drive you to the station. But come back soon, okay? I’ll miss you.”

The last sentence carried a faintly playful tone.

Evelyn smiled silently.

Once she left this time, she would never return to Westbridge again.

Mason didn’t think much of it and helped her close the door behind her.

“Perfect timing. There’s a high school reunion at noon today. Let’s go together.”

Evelyn didn’t refuse.

After she left for Southport, the chances of ever seeing her old classmates again would be slim. She decided to treat this reunion as a farewell.

Just as she was about to get into the car, she realized Anna was already sitting inside.

“We’re all old classmates, after all. Evelyn, you wouldn’t stop me from hitching a ride to the reunion, would you?”

Anna deliberately exposed the cut at the corner of her lip and glanced at her with a provocative smile.

Mason’s expression changed.

He quickly stepped in front of Evelyn, blocking her view as he explained, “Evelyn, don’t overthink it. Her foot hasn’t fully recovered yet. As her commanding officer, I…”

“I know,” Evelyn interrupted lightly. “You’re just giving her a ride as her commanding officer.”

She opened the passenger door and sat down. “Let’s go.”

Mason froze for a moment.

For some reason, even though that was exactly the explanation he had been about to give, hearing her say it so calmly stirred an uneasy feeling in his chest.

After the car started, Evelyn closed her eyes and pretended to rest.

Anna glanced at the woman in the passenger seat, a flash of jealousy crossing her eyes.

She cleared her throat and said with a smile, “I left an earring in the glove compartment last time. Could you take it out and pass it to me?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Mason’s grip tightened unconsciously on the steering wheel.

He glanced nervously at Evelyn beside him.

Evelyn opened the drawer.

Inside were three earrings.

Two pearl studs were hers.

And one tassel earring was identical to the one Anna was wearing.

When Mason first got his driver’s license, he had once looked at her with complete sincerity and promised, “Evelyn, from now on, the passenger seat will belong only to you.”

Now, clearly, there was a second person in that seat.

Evelyn’s face remained expressionless as she took out all three earrings.

She handed one to Anna, then slipped the other two into her bag. After she got out of the car, she would find a trash can and throw them away.

The unease in Mason’s chest grew stronger.

He wanted to say something, but when he saw Evelyn close her eyes again, looking unwilling to talk, he could only give up awkwardly.

When they arrived at the private room for the reunion, Evelyn and Mason immediately became the center of attention.

“Wow, after all these years, the two of you are still inseparable. The golden couple from our class really hasn’t changed at all.”

“Exactly! You two must already be married by now, right? Do you have kids yet?”

Before either of them could answer, Anna—who had been ignored by everyone—quickly spoke up.

“Don’t say things like that. Mason and Evelyn aren’t married. Right now, they’re not even together.”