Laura spent the whole night awake, her mind constantly replaying the past, bit by bit.
She remembered that it all started when she was eighteen. Every year, her birthday wish was the same: she hoped that she and Darren would be together forever, growing old together.
Back then, Darren would sit at the table, watching her with eyes that carried emotions she couldn’t understand, remaining silent.
Until one day, Darren finally spoke up. "Laura, do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
Later, he discovered that Laura made the same wish every birthday and his gaze grew more and more disdainful. But he didn’t say another word.
The next evening, Laura looked at the room she had tidied up and suddenly realized how foolish and pitiful she had been.
There were very few things left in the house that belonged to her. Most of it consisted of the gifts Darren had casually given her over the years, or anything related to him. Laura cleaned up once more, letting the memories fade as she put everything away.
Just as she finished tidying up, the door was knocked on.
Quickly wiping away her tears, Laura glanced at the research applications she had gathered on the table and said, "Come in."