In the end, I still went.

I went not because I had given in, but because I wanted to see just how rotten the man I had loved for eight years had become.

The private dining room was lively.

Sophia’s makeup was flawless, and the ring on her hand flashed under the lights.

She waved at me. “Lily, you’re here.”

A few of Michael’s friends immediately joined in the teasing.

“Lily’s here, Michael. Have you set the wedding date yet? When’s the big day?”

Michael sat beside Sophia and answered calmly, “We haven’t picked the date yet, but we’re taking the wedding photos tomorrow.”

Everyone congratulated him.

The conversation quickly shifted to market trends and the new racetrack that had just opened.

I sat quietly in the corner, as out of place as I had been every single moment of the past eight years.

Back when I tried to join in, Michael would always shut me out.

“This stuff is technical. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it.”

Thinking about it now, it was not that I did not understand. He had simply never intended to let me belong.

Then someone brought up the rings.

“Sophia, your ring… Why does it match Michael’s?”

“Isn’t that a custom piece from an Italian designer?”

Someone even looked deliberately in my direction, clearly waiting for a show.

Michael leaned back in his chair and said casually, “Sophia made a birthday wish this year. She insisted I wear it with her for a couple of days so she could see what it feels like to wear a ring and keep guys from hitting on her. It’s her birthday gift, so I humored her.”

Someone laughed and pressed further. “Lily doesn’t mind?”

Michael’s gaze fell on me, his eyes carrying a warning and a test.

I lifted my glass, took a sip of water, and said calmly, “I don’t mind.”

In that instant, his brows pulled even tighter.

He was about to speak when the cake was pushed in.

While cutting the cake, he instinctively picked out the slice with mango and snapped, “Who ordered this? Don’t you know Sophia is allergic to mango?”

Then he handed that slice to me without a second thought.

I did not take it.

His frown deepened.

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t mind? Don’t waste it. Eat it.”

I looked at him, and a chill spread through my chest.

“I’m allergic to mango too.”

His hand froze in midair.

The private dining room fell silent.

Someone laughed and tried to smooth things over.

“Michael, how do you even get that wrong? Don’t tell me you’ve got Lily’s birthday wrong too.”

Michael answered without thinking.

“Of course not. September third.”

The room burst into laughter again.

I could not laugh.

That was the birthday printed on my driver’s license. My real birthday was two months after that date.

I had corrected him so many times and told him the date had been recorded wrong.

Every time, he said he understood, but he had never once taken it to heart.

Sophia cut another slice of cake and handed it to me, her voice soft and syrupy.

“Don’t take it personally, Lily. Michael remembers what I can’t eat because we grew up together. Some instincts… you just can’t change.”

She sounded like she was apologizing, but the smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide.

I set down my fork and stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”

Sophia followed me into the restroom.

With no one else around, she did not even bother pretending anymore.

“Lily, you really can take a lot.”

She shoved her phone in front of my face. On the screen was that couple’s account.

“See this? Every time he kept me company, took care of me, remembered what I liked, and fulfilled my wishes over the years, it’s all here.”

“You’ve been with him for eight years. What did you get?”

I looked at the glaring photos and said nothing.

She stepped closer, lowering her voice as the malice in it became even more obvious.

“How pathetic. So what if you’re holding on to the fiancée title? You’re not the one in his heart.”

“If I were you, I would have left on my own a long time ago while I still had a little dignity.”

She stared at me, waiting to watch me fall apart.

But I only looked at her and said, “So what?”

“No matter how much you’ve done over the past eight years, the person Michael is going to marry now is me.”

Watching her expression change, I walked around her and left.

At the entrance, Michael was already waiting for me in the car.

He did not mention what had just happened, as if nothing had occurred.

Halfway through the drive, he turned onto a different route.

I reminded him, “This isn’t the way home.”

Michael held the steering wheel and said naturally, “Sophia drank a lot tonight. She’s definitely going to feel awful tomorrow. I’m going to buy her an electrolyte drink and bring her the cake she likes.”

I leaned back in my seat and stayed quiet for a long time before saying, “Michael, you treat her so much better than you treat me.”

The brakes screeched.

Michael stopped the car, his voice full of irritation.

“I’ve told you before. I see Sophia as family. Taking care of her is a habit. You’re the one I’m marrying in the end. Isn’t that enough?”

It was enough.

I closed my eyes. I did not even have the strength to argue anymore.

“It’s enough.”

When the car stopped downstairs, Michael did not even turn off the engine. Clearly, he was in a hurry to leave.

I unbuckled my seat belt, then suddenly turned to him and asked, “Michael, what would you do if I left you one day?”