Chapter 1

The day before my birthday, the man I loved for nine years hugged me and cried.

"Did Olivi really disappear? Tomorrow is her birthday, and I promised her that I would accompany her..."

I held back my tears and shook my head, but Nathan grabbed my neck:

"Why can't Olivi come back, why do you want to occupy her body!"

Nathan never cared about my birthday.

Three years ago, I asked him to spend my birthday with me, but I had a car accident, and when I woke up, two years had passed.

A strange memory appeared in my mind, a person named Olivi, in my body, and in love with Nathan.

Now Nathan is by my side, but he just wants to wait for Olivi to come back.

I was discouraged and decided to participate in the "personality elimination surgery".

Use my disappearance to exchange Nathan's Olivi.

But after I left, he regretted it.

1

"Is there truly no possibility of her coming back?"

Nathan queried me once more.

This had become his constant refrain since I regained consciousness. I remained mute.

He wasn't seeking someone else. He was looking for my other self, who had emerged unexpectedly after I was hit by an automobile.

If she resurfaced, what would become of me? Would I disappear completely?

But wasn't it she who had initially usurped my place?

Despite my repeated responses, Nathan persisted. Every few days, he would seek confirmation again.

Nathan sat, gazing vacantly at the calendar, his eyes reflecting an indescribable emptiness and solitude.

"Tomorrow is Olivi White's birthday. It's..."

His voice faltered, leaving the sentence incomplete. I knew what he meant to say: it marked a year since Olivi White had vanished.

"Nathan, it's my birthday too."

Uttering those words drained me, yet they failed to elicit even a glance from him.

He merely mumbled a faint "hmm."

I had pursued Nathan for four years and been with him for five, but he had never spent an entire birthday with me. The day of the incident had been the first time he'd acknowledged my birthday. Even then, he departed before we could extinguish the candles.

"Nathan, couldn't you at least stay until we blow out the candles and have some cake? You promised to fulfill one of my birthday wishes!"

I clung to his clothing, my voice cracking with desperation. "I'll make my wish now—I wish for you to spend today with me!"

"I've told you, there's an urgent matter at the company. I need to fly to London, and the chauffeur is already waiting downstairs."

He detached my hands without hesitation, his tone tinged with annoyance. "Olivia, you should be reasonable."

Reasonable.

That word again.

Nathan had always instructed me to be reasonable.

When work overwhelmed him, preventing him from celebrating my birthday, he'd say, "Olivia, I'm inundated. You should be reasonable."

When his social obligations kept him from accompanying me to the hospital, he'd promise, "I'll visit as soon as I can. Be reasonable."

Even when we were together, he said, "Olivia, I chose to be with you because you're reasonable. Please remain that way."

But I didn't want to be reasonable. I just wanted him to stay, even if only long enough to share some cake before leaving.

My nose tingled, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Perhaps noticing my impending tears, Nathan softened his tone. He slid a card across the table to me. "If you don't like the gift, you can choose something else. There's no limit."

I kept my head lowered, saying nothing.

He scooped up a piece of cake and took a bite. "Satisfied now?"

"Be good, Olivi. I'll make it up to you when I return."

Nathan gently patted the top of my head. My tears gave way to a small, reluctant smile.

For the first time, he'd made a concession.

For the first time, he'd called me "Olivi" instead of "Olivia."

After Nathan's departure, I spotted something on the floor—his identification card, which had likely fallen out when he retrieved the other card.