“Are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you want some water first?” Mei asked, her hand reaching out to brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. Watching Liam’s pale face dripped with sweat, she couldn’t help but frown, an anxious expression appearing on her face.

  However, Liam stayed stubbornly silent, as if he didn’t hear her question. He stared at her face, his gaze lingering on the delicate curve of her cheekbones and the way her eyeshes cast shadows on her skin. The only thing missing was a mole at the corner of her eye.

  Seeing him in a daze, Mei sighed. Unaware of the turmoil in his mind, she assumed he was just feeling under the weather and comforted him. “Liam, don’t hide things from me. What’s wrong? Tell me, please.”

  Hearing a gentle voice, softer than he had imagined, speaking kindly, instead of feeling happy, a frown involuntarily formed on his face. He knew it was his beloved Mei speaking to him, yet he didn’t feel like hearing what she had to say.

  A knot of discomfort tightened in his chest, as if something felt wrong.

  When Jun was all he could remember in his dreams and nightmares, the image of Mei somehow felt less vivid, less interesting. In fact, the spark he once felt for Mei had dwindled to a trickle, leaving him strangely indifferent. The thrill was gone, repced by a dull ache. When did it happen?

  Liam massaged his temples, ignoring the throbbing pain. “I’m so sorry for making you worry. I’m just… feeling a little exhausted. Perhaps from all the problems that kept coming up in the company.”

  Mei’s heart ached for him instantly. “How about we take a break for the rest of the day? It’s pointless to force yourself to work when you’re feeling ill. I’ll inform your secretary, and I can accompany you while you rest too.”

  “No, that’s not necessary.”

  Liam suddenly paused, realising his reply had been rather quick. Feeling guilty that he might have hurt her feelings, he expined, “I can’t keep putting things off, so I’ll just get ready for work now.”

  “Remember to keep the lights on for now… okay?” Liam said that before going to the bathroom to wash up.

  “…”

  As the bathroom door closed, Mei fell silent. She looked down, thinking about what she had done wrong. Being deeply in love with him, she could keenly sense the man had changed. She knew he loved her, yet for some reason, he was also gradually acting distant and alienated towards her. Why?

  She lifted her head, looking at the bright mps on her bedroom ceiling. For a moment, she felt overwhelmed by the harsh light, as if a fiery sun was pressing down on her, impossible to ignore.

  For days, or even weeks, Liam would crash at her house after getting drunk. He would leave the lights on in every room, and then stare at her quietly, like a desperate attempt to remember her before his alcohol-induced haze consumed him entirely.

  At first, she was overjoyed.

  Afterwards, she grew weary.

  But she knew, beneath the surface of his peculiar habit, a deep, silent longing was clearly visible through his actions.

  Without a doubt, Jun’s absence bothered him more than he had realised.

  Mei’s legs gave way, and she slumped to the ground, sobbing uncontrolbly. Didn’t he love her? Otherwise, why date another woman who was so alike?

  Liam left the bathroom, his face still pale, but a little less haggard than before. When he noticed Mei was sobbing quietly, curled in a ball, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He walked over, extending his hand to help her up. When she turned to face him, her lips pressed into a thin line, looking at him with an aggrieved expression.

  For a second, he thought he saw Jun, and he quickly pulled her into an embrace, his arms wrapping around her tightly. He had a thousand things to confess to her, but the moment he felt her unnaturally stiff back, a wave of crity returned to his mind, exposing his mistake. In the end, he unconsciously let go of her before leaving the house without turning back.

  He didn’t even leave a single word of comfort.

  Witnessing everything, Mei’s heart turned cold. The tears on her lips tasted bitter, just like the hope in her heart.

  But she refused to give up.

  …

  Liam drove to his company and took a private elevator straight to his office. When he sat at his desk, instead of the relief he was expecting, it only made him feel drained. He felt unmotivated and unenthusiastic about working, but he had no other choice because it was his responsibility. To distract himself, he threw himself into his work, but this only made his secretaries worried about him more.

  Seeing how fatigued and despondent her boss looked, Lay felt a pang of guilt. Even though she didn’t know precisely what troubled him, but as his secretary for the longest time, she could sense he had difficulties he was unwilling to share. Looking down at the lunch box, she hoped the meal would stimute his appetite, helping him to feel at least a little better. She set the lunch box down on his desk quietly before departing.

  Liam stared at the lunch box and reluctantly opened it. When he saw the array of his favourite dishes, including the famous key lime pie, he felt his spirits rise. He took a bite of the dessert; the unfamiliar texture and intense bitterness made his stomach churn violently, and he barely made it to the restroom before vomiting everything.

  When he was done, he looked in the mirror and recoiled at how terrible he had looked. His face was armingly pale, while the dark circles under his eyes made him look gaunt and exhausted. At that moment, a lump formed in his throat and he felt an urge to cry.

  He pulled out his phone from his pocket, his thumb scrolling through the messages and call logs, but there were none from Jun. Whenever he was gone for long hours, Jun would check up on him with worried messages, urging him to take a break and eat a healthy meal. Then she would order him a delivery or send him a carefully prepared meal without fail. And the key lime pie she got him would always be wonderfully sweet and delicious.

  But now… it’s gone.

  In a daze, Liam quickly adjusted his attire and then left the restroom, looking much more presentable than before.

  On his way back, he overheard his secretaries gossiping in the pantry, unaware of his presence.

  “Hey, rather than focusing on our boss, why don’t we talk about Mr Grey instead? Have you noticed how considerate he is these days? It’s unbelievable.”

  “I know, right? Although he cims he didn’t have a girlfriend, we all know he did. Otherwise, why would a strict man suddenly get so easygoing? It’s terrifying.”

  “I must say, I admire the woman he’s with. Rarely does he think of others. But now? It was like his second nature.”

  “That’s true.” One secretary sighed. “He must have done something incredibly great in his past life to deserve such a wonderful girlfriend.”

  “Yeah, with his previous attitude, it wouldn’t surprise me if he ended up single.”

  Doubt flickered across Liam’s face as he narrowed his eyes. Knowing each other for years, Xavier had never mentioned another woman beside Mei and Jun. When did that change?

  Did Jun become his girlfriend? But that was impossible.

  Even though he had let her down by abandoning her at their wedding, he was confident of her deep affection for him and didn’t think she would retaliate by finding another partner.

  At most, she would postpone their wedding.

  Once he expined to her, she would surely understand his reasoning, and then they would reconcile. However, the only problem was that she remained unreachable. Fortunately, it wasn’t a complete loss of contact since he could still see her social media updates about her exciting travels from around the world.

  Liam revealed a faint smile.

  Xavier might have tempted Jun on that day, but he would never capture her heart — because only he could.

  Just then, Xavier walked by Liam, smiling and engrossed in his phone. When he noticed Liam, his smile froze before it was quickly repced by a polite smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He gave him a quick nod before walking away.

  Liam didn’t find his aloof attitude strange, but the silver ring on Xavier’s finger caught his attention. He became stunned for a second. Since when did Xavier get married?

  Liam suddenly had a bad feeling. He hid his discomfort and called out to Xavier. When he got Xavier’s attention, he walked up and pyfully patted his shoulder like good friends do. He smiled and joked. Under the guise of humour, he asked, “We’ve been friends for many years. Why wasn’t I invited to your wedding?”

  In that instant, the truth or falsehood of the rumours about Xavier hinged on his answer.

  Xavier immediately picked up on the subtle change in Liam’s attitude, as if he was unusually interested in his reply. A shrewd look fshed in his eyes as he knew what Liam was after. Naturally, he refused to satisfy the other man’s curiosity. With a smirk, he gave an ambiguous answer.

  “You were invited, but you didn’t turn up.”

  Liam became shocked. He couldn’t have missed such an important wedding, could he? But maybe he did, considering how preoccupied he was with his work these few weeks. Regardless, as a friend, he should still offer his heartfelt congratutions, and perhaps even a small, thoughtful gift to show his support and well wishes.

  “Before I forget, didn’t you just get back from vacation? Is she a lover from overseas?”

  “Well… she isn’t.” Xavier said, but didn’t further eborate. “But I think you’ll like the souvenirs we got for you. I will pass them to you some other time.”

  “Oh?” Liam was genuinely surprised by his generosity. “Then I’ll thank you in advance.”

  Xavier chuckled, and he said nothing more.

  …

  After parting ways, Liam returned to his office to complete some more work before going home. Driving back to his apartment, he noticed the lights were on. Excitement seized him for a moment and when he rushed inside, he found that no one was home.

  Liam’s smile froze, and he slowly slumped against the wall, his keys hitting the ground with a dull thud. Looking up at the ceiling where the orange night lights cast a warm glow, his heart remained cold.

  When Jun was around, she would always ensure a home-cooked meal was waiting for him, even if he returned home te. She would even thoughtfully choose and install each and every night light, so he would never have to come home to darkness. Furthermore, she willingly cared for his mother and maintained a tidy house without needing to be asked. And to help him through difficult times at work, she would go as far as asking her dad for assistance. As such, he never had to face hardship alone.

  It was then he realised how much he had taken her for granted.

  Although Mei stirred old feelings of first love within him, Jun was the only one he saw walking down a lifetime with.

  With a groan, Liam gradually got up. He went into his bedroom, opening his wardrobe to change, only to find several articles of clothing missing. Immediately, he felt something was wrong. Ever since Jun remained unreachable, she hadn’t been to his home, so he had been keeping her clothes aside, staying untouched.

  But now, her clothes are gone.

  Liam quickly gnced at Jun’s vanity table, where her favourite makeup and perfume usually were at, but there were none left. He dashed into the living room, finally surprised by how spotless it was, as if someone had swept everything away. Everything she owned — her bags, shoes, and all of her belongings disappeared without a trace.

  Liam instantly felt his world was falling apart. He frantically rushed out of his apartment, convinced Jun hadn’t left long ago. He wandered aimlessly, going through all the pces nearby, but there were still no signs of her. In the end, he understood it was just him making excuses.

  She was really gone.

  Gripping his phone, Liam wept, his tears mixing with the rain. Even when someone had pushed him aside, knocking him into a filthy puddle, he no longer cared. For he finally realised the meaning of regret.

  Overwhelmed by his emotions, he didn’t notice he was hyperventiting.

  Just as his vision was about to turn bck, a figure with an umbrel appeared.

  When the figure stood before him, Liam feebly lifted his gaze, only to meet a pair of cold blue eyes. There was no affection nor hatred in her gaze, as if he meant nothing to her anymore.

  Then he plunged into utter darkness.