Chapter 1

At our ten-year college reunion, someone asked if I had a boyfriend.

Before I could reply, the door to the private room swung open.

Lucas came in late, tossed his car keys onto the table, and slid into the only empty seat next to me.

"Why are you asking Claire that?" He took the drink from the waiter, sounding relaxed. "Of course she's single."

The room went quiet for a moment.

Soon, some people couldn't help but laugh.

"Lucas really knows Claire."

"Of course. Everyone in college knew Claire had been trying to win Lucas's heart for all four years."

"I still remember when she waited outside the boys' dorm for two hours while it was pouring, only to hand Lucas his birthday gift."

"The story didn't end in college. They were together for seven years after graduation."

Someone winked at me. "Claire, you haven't shown up at any of the reunions these past few years. Don't tell me you're still waiting for Lucas."

Lucas leaned back in his chair, a faint smile playing at his lips, as if he'd already known the answer.

I glanced at Lucas.

Three years had passed, and he had changed a lot.

His suit was sharp, and there was a more ambitious spark in his eyes. I heard that watch on his wrist was a treat he bought himself after his company went public.

He looked exactly like he did in those business magazine photos.

The only thing that hadn't changed was that easy, unshakable confidence.

I pulled the napkin out from under Lucas's elbow.

"You've got it wrong," I said. "I'm married."

The laughter at the table died instantly.

Lucas's hand paused, glass still raised halfway to his lips.

Then, he let out a laugh. "Claire, three years apart, and you've learned to lie?"

I ignored him.

Ryan Carter, sitting across from me, looked genuinely shocked. "Wait, Claire, you're really married? When? How come none of us ever heard about it? Seriously, you didn't tell any of us about it?"

I nodded. "About six months ago."

The expressions of the people at the table suddenly turned subtle. Some of them instinctively looked over at Lucas.

But Lucas's smile kept getting wider.

"Alright." He rapped his knuckles on the table. "You guys actually buy that?

"If she really got married, there's no way we wouldn't have heard about it.

"Claire chased me for four years in college, then was with me for another seven after graduation. Trust me, I know her better than anyone here."

Then he turned his head and looked right at me. "Still mad at me, Claire?"

I frowned. "Lucas, we broke up three years ago."

"I know," he replied carelessly, as if those three years were a slightly longer spat between us. "That's why I'm back now."

A few knowing laughs immediately broke out around the table.

But I found the whole thing ridiculous.

Three years ago, it was the same story. Everyone, including Lucas himself, thought there was no way I'd ever leave him.

So even when Lucas and I were already planning our wedding, he could still turn around and tell me his company was going global and he needed a few more years for himself.

"What about us?" I asked him.

He was busy replying to work messages without looking up. "We'll get married in a couple of years. That's all. Claire, you're not going anywhere anyway."

Later, I found out that night, while he was out drinking with his friends, he'd said something else.

He said, "She's been with me for years. She can't leave me."

I didn't cry or make a scene.

The next day, I cleared out all my stuff from his place.

And finally, I shot him a text: [Lucas, we're done.]

He never replied.

A week later, Lucas went abroad.

Even now, he probably never believed I was serious about it.

Sophie Young, who was sitting beside me, tried to lighten the mood with a smile. "Claire, Lucas did screw up back then, but he's here now, isn't he?

"You two have been through so much together. How could you call it quits after all these years?"

Before I could say anything, Lucas had already set a glass of warm water next to me, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Don't drink too much," he said. "You know you have stomach issues."

I stared at the glass of water, not touching it.

Lucas always remembered my stomach issues.

Back in college, I skipped meals for a whole week to help him with his startup competition, and ended up with a bad case of gastritis.

He stayed with me all night at the hospital.

Back then, I thought that was love.

Now I thought about it again. Maybe it was simply something anyone close would do.

But when I was young, I treated every ordinary gesture as something extraordinary.

"No need," I said, sliding the glass back to him.

Lucas frowned slightly. "Still so stubborn? Claire, you're thirty-two. Let it go already."

I almost laughed at how ridiculous he was being. "Lucas, do you seriously think I've been waiting for you all this time?"

He didn't answer right away, but his expression said everything.

Ryan quickly jumped in to smooth things over. "Come on, it's our ten-year reunion. We finally managed to get everyone together. Let's not start digging up the past as soon as we walk in.

"Didn't Claire say she's married? Come on, spill. What's your husband like? What does he do?"

I was about to answer, but someone knocked on the door.

A waiter walked in, holding a paper bag. "Excuse me, is there a Ms. Claire Bennett here?" he asked.

I lifted my hand. "That's me."

The waiter handed me the paper bag. "A gentleman wanted me to pass this to you.

"He said you left your scarf at home, and there's some stomach meds in here. He told you not to drink on an empty stomach."