Chapter 1

After seven years together, my boyfriend, Alex Carter, finally agreed to come home and meet my parents for the holidays.

But at the last minute, he backed out, claiming he had to work overtime.

To make up for it and leave a good impression on my parents, Alex ordered a ton of gifts online.

But I noticed he had bought two of everything.

Alex said the other set was for his parents.

Since he couldn't be with them for the holiday, Alex figured he could at least make it up to them with some gifts.

I felt guilty for being suspicious, so I secretly added a shawl and a bottle of fine wine to the order.

However, I later discovered the shawl and wine at my uncle Ryan White's house.

*****

"Bella, look. Your aunt's shawl is the same as mine," Mom called out, waving me over.

I leaned in for a closer look.

"Wow, it really is. Even the pattern's the same. But this shawl isn't cheap. How did Aunt Mary decide to treat herself this time?" I asked.

My aunt is usually really careful with money.

She would think forever before dropping several hundred bucks on a down jacket, not to mention a shawl that cost over one grand.

Ryan, holding his wine glass, said, "Come on, you know she'd never spend that much on herself. Lily's boyfriend went all out for her this year, bought her the shawl and all that other stuff."

He pointed at the pile of gifts in the living room, looking absolutely delighted.

"Well, isn't that something. This shawl was bought by Bella's boyfriend, too. Bella, look, this whole pile is just like the one at your place," Mom said, pointing at the gifts.

I glanced at the familiar gift boxes in the corner, even the gift bags were exactly the same.

Even the wine Ryan was holding was the exact bottle I picked out myself.

My heart skipped a beat.

Seriously, what were the odds?

Mary said, giving Ryan a playful nudge, "Kids these days don't really know what to buy; they just grab whatever the supermarket recommends.

"Stop bragging about that wine and get things ready. The kids will be here soon."

Turned out Lily's boyfriend was coming over soon.

Mary turned to me and asked, "So, when are you bringing your boyfriend home?"

"Probably after Christmas. He's been swamped lately," I replied.

My nerves finally relaxed.

Right, that must be it.

Maybe they just saw the same post online and bought the same stuff.

That shawl was the most popular one from that brand.

And Alex was stuck working overtime Christmas, no way he was the same guy.

"Being busy is a good thing. Only someone who's got real drive deserves our Bella," Mary said with a smile, gently touching my cheek.

Then she leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Go ask Lily for me, will you? You two have always been tight since you were kids, and she never tells us anything."

As soon as Lily saw me, she started spilling everything.

Lily said, "We're in an online relationship.

"He's so great. Though long-distance, he always sends flowers and gifts, making every moment special. And he even set up a shared payment account for me, just in case I ever run out of money.

"One time, I was feeling insecure and wanted to break up. He traveled all night just to see me, and stayed with me for several days."

I found myself totally lost in their romance.

It made me think of how Alex and I had to do the whole long-distance thing after college; sometimes we would go a month or two without seeing each other, so every moment together felt extra special.

Every time we argued, Alex would ride all night just to show up at my door first thing in the morning.

Seeing him with a scruffy beard and his hair sticking up like a bird's nest, I just couldn't stay mad at him.

That was why I pushed myself so hard at work, just so I could finally have a say and move to Alex's city.

Lily noticed the smile on my face and gave me a playful poke.

"Bella, you've been dating for so many years; haven't you ever thought about getting married?" Lily asked.

"Of course. We're actually planning to tie the knot this year..." I replied.

"Babe, when are you getting here?" Lily answered the video call right in front of me, not caring at all.

"Sweetie, don't worry. I just got off the plane," her boyfriend replied, his voice so gentle and familiar that it made my heart skip a beat.

Not caring who was around, I glanced at the screen and saw the face I had been longing for day and night.