By noon at work, I had arranged to meet an agent to view an apartment. As I stepped into the elevator, I ran into Vinny and Walter.

Vinny’s hair was loose and she was happily letting Walter tie it up for her.

As soon as I stepped in, Walter flashed a faux-innocent smile and said, “Joel, perfect timing! Take a look at Ms. Lark here—a grown woman acting like a little girl, making me do her hair.”

Before I could get a word in, Vinny pinched Walter’s cheek with a playful smirk, her tone teasing yet sharp. “You’re the one who messed up my hair first! You little rascal and now you’re trying to pin it on me?”

Leaving Walter’s cheek slightly reddened from her pinch, she turned to me with an air of mock generosity and said, “Joel, since we’ve bumped into each other, why don’t you join me for lunch?”

We had worked in the same office complex but at different companies for five years. Not once had Vinny ever asked me to lunch during a break.

Every day, Joel would post on social media about every lunch he shared with Vinny. Thinking back to that moment, I couldn’t help but smile.

“You two go ahead, I have something to take care of.”

Vinny, clearly caught off guard by my refusal, froze for a moment. But before she could react, the elevator jolted sharply, plunging us into darkness.

Panic set in and Vinny let out a startled cry. As I quickly switched on the flashlight on my phone, she wasted no time—she practically leaped into Walter’s arms.

After a few tense moments, the elevator resumed functioning.

When we reached the first floor, Vinny, looking a bit guilty, offered to drive me to my appointment.

Before I could reply, Walter suddenly complained of chest pains, saying he needed to go to the hospital.

Without hesitation, Vinny pushed past me, gently helping Walter as they hurried toward the hospital.

I quietly picked up my phone, now shattered from the fall and used a ride-sharing app to grab a car to head to the apartment viewing.

Later in the evening, Vinny personally delivered a luxurious lunch box to my desk.

Half an hour ago, I saw Walter post a new update:

“Loving someone is like raising a pig. The boss has prepared a whole feast just to fatten up poor me while I work late.”

The picture showed a lavish spread of food filling an entire table.

I muttered a thank you but didn’t open the lunch box.

Vinny gave me a pointed look. “Joel, why are you being so formal with me?”

I didn’t answer her directly. Instead, I just said, “If that’s all, I’ve got to go print some documents.”

When I returned after printing my resignation letter, Vinny had already left.

She had left a sticky note. It said I could come upstairs to see her after I finished my work.

I tore off the note, along with the dessert she had left for me and tossed them both in the trash.

I walked into my boss’s office and handed in my resignation.

He tried to convince me to stay for a while, but seeing I was determined, he finally accepted the resignation letter.

According to the plan, I would be able to leave after finishing my shifts this week.

That night, at 10 PM, Vinny called me while I was having dinner with colleagues.

One of my female coworkers mistakenly answered the phone.

When I finally took the call, Vinny’s tone was icy cold. “Joel, where the hell are you partying at this time of night?”

I calmly replied, “Outside.”

“I know you're out! ... Have you been drinking? Send me your location, I’ll come pick you up.”

Without waiting for a response, she hung up.

I had been drinking, of course.

And who would turn down a free ride from a "female driver"?

I sent her my location, but after waiting until the store closed, Vinny never showed up.

I opened Walter’s social media and, sure enough, saw his post about being sick and hooked up to an IV.

I took a taxi home, showered and went to bed.

Around 3 AM, a tired and disheveled Vinny shook me awake.

Looking down at me, she said, "Joel, I’m starving. Hurry up and make me a bowl of whatever you’ve got."

She wasn’t even a fan of what she was asking for.

I knew this wasn’t for her—it was for Walter.

I tried to push her hand away, but as I did, my fingers brushed against the scar on the back of her hand.

It was from the time the school auditorium caught fire. If Vinny hadn’t pulled me to safety, I wouldn’t have made it out.

A life saved in exchange for a late-night snack—it felt like I came out on top.

When she saw me silently changing and getting ready to leave, Vinny grabbed my arm.

For once, there was a hint of hesitation in her voice. "Maybe we should wait until morning to do this… I mean..."

I cut her off, asking casually, "Aside from food, is there anything else he wants?"

After a brief pause, Vinny let go of my arm, muttering, "No… that’s it."

The sky was just beginning to brighten as the woman stood at the doorway, holding a food thermos.

She said to me, “Joel, I have to travel abroad next week.

"This Saturday, I can squeeze some time to have dinner with your parents and discuss our wedding…”

Before she could finish, I cut her off decisively. “There's no need.”

Vinny was visibly startled. “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

I smiled and lied, “They’re out of town on vacation and won’t be back.”

She stared at me unblinkingly, as if there was more she wanted to say, but just then, her phone rang. Without hesitation, she closed the door and rushed to take the call.

Friday came. It was my last day at work.

As soon as I stepped out of the company, Vinny forcefully pulled me into her sports car without giving me a chance to resist.

At a fancy restaurant, Vinny was slicing a steak while casually asking which wine I’d prefer.

Absentmindedly scrolling through my phone, I replied indifferently, “Anything’s fine. You decide.”

My distracted demeanor made the woman angrily set down her knife and fork. She asked me, "Who are you chatting with so intently?"

"No one," I replied.

Despite my answer, she still grabbed my phone with a cold expression and began flipping through it.

After a moment, she looked at me with displeasure and asked, "When did you change your wallpaper?"

For years, my phone’s wallpaper had always been a photo of the two of us together. Now, it had been replaced by a picture of the husky my parents were raising.

Not in the mood to explain, I simply got up and headed to the restroom.

When I returned, Vinny was gone.

Suddenly, the lights in the entire room went out. A server appeared, slowly pushing a birthday cake in my direction.

The cake cart stopped at the table next to mine and lingered for a moment before my phone lit up. It was a birthday message from an unknown number.

As I walked out of the restaurant, I heard a familiar, soft and playful voice, “Ahhh~ Walter, you’re so strong! Push me higher, please!”

It was Vinny, sitting on the swing outside the restaurant, shrieking with excitement as she urged Walter to push her higher. But her greed got the better of her—after just a couple of swings, she tumbled straight into his arms.

Their eyes met and they smiled at each other, wrapped in an embrace that lingered far too long before they finally noticed my presence.

Vinny’s eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment and she stared at me blankly.

“Joel,” Walter said, laughing awkwardly, “Ms. Lark is so insistent—I’ve been pushing her for over ten minutes and she still keeps asking for more…”

Halfway through his sentence, Walter feigned surprise, raising his eyebrows while reluctantly prying Vinny’s hands off his neck.

“Listen, Joel, don’t misunderstand,” he stammered. “I was just worried Ms. Lark might fall, so I…”

Vinny affectionately ruffled Walter’s dark hair, her eyes soft and full of warmth as she gazed at him.

“Silly Walter. What’s there to explain? Joel isn’t the kind of boring man who gets jealous over nothing.”

After soothing Walter, she dropped all tenderness and frowned at me. “Already full? Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I turned and headed toward the Ferris wheel not far away. They say that if you make a wish on a Ferris wheel on your birthday, it will definitely come true.

As I walked away, Walter’s eyes gleamed with a mocking expression. He quickly pulled Vinny along to follow me.

“Ms. Lark, I’ve never been on a Ferris wheel before. It looks like so much fun…”

When the staff announced there were only two seats left, Vinny didn’t spare me a single glance. Smiling brightly, she took Walter’s hand and got on ahead of me.

Twenty minutes later. After returning to the ground, Vinny searched the entire mall but couldn’t find me anywhere.

At 8:00 PM, I walked out of the bedroom, luggage in hand. Sliding a note with the words 'Breakup' written on it under the key, I left without looking back.

***

At 11:00 PM, my phone rang. It was a call from Vinny. At the time, I was in the living room chatting with my parents and didn’t notice it.

An hour later, she called again. I turned off the screen, powered down my phone and went to sleep.

I slept until noon the next day. When I turned my phone back on, I was startled to see over a dozen missed calls. Feeling a strange hunch, I opened MeTalk.

There, I saw a series of rare, frantic messages from Vinny, who was usually indifferent toward me.

[What do the key and the note mean?]

[So I forgot your birthday and now you’re ignoring my calls and texts? Joel, are you out of your mind?]

"Joel, you have one hour to come home and apologize to me, or I will *never* forgive you!"

I checked the time of the last message—three hours ago.

Relief washed over me. With a flick of my finger, I deleted Vinny’s contact.

There was a knock at the door.

With my permission, my mother entered the room, carrying a glass of milk.

“Son, your stomach isn’t in the best shape. Drink this while it’s still warm,” she said gently.

I had returned home unexpectedly with my luggage the night before, but my parents hadn’t asked a single question. Instead, they simply cared for me, as they always had, without hesitation or judgment.

Looking at the strands of gray in my mother’s hair, I sniffled, holding back the sting in my nose.

"Mom, there’s something I want to discuss with you and Dad. I’ve found a place I really like. It’s not very big, but it’ll be perfect for the three of us to live in together."

With a warm smile, my mother said, “Then buy it. How much more do you need? Your dad and I will cover the rest.”

Even though I smiled and shook my head, assuring her that I had enough for the down payment, my ever-doting mother still transferred me thirty thousand dollars.

With that, I immediately arranged with the landlord to sign the contract next Monday.

That evening, my father not only cooked a table full of delicious dishes but also bought a cake to celebrate my missed birthday from the day before.

As I faced the glowing birthday candles, I clasped my hands together and made a heartfelt wish: May my parents stay healthy and may everything go well.

But not long after blowing out the candles, I received an unexpected message.