We ate our noodles in silence after trading sarcastic remarks. It felt like we were strangers, even though our past was anything but ordinary. Watching Daniel leave money on the table before he walked out, I thought that might be the last time we crossed paths. But life's entanglements are rarely so simple—they seem to follow a script you can't rewrite.
The next day, I happened to have a day off.
When I got up, I saw the $38,000 dress from Lucas lying neatly on the bedside table. He must have placed it there.
I understood his intention and didn't overthink it—I put it on. Wearing this dress to Daniel and Chloe's wedding might sting Chloe's ego, but the pain she inflicted on me had been far worse than a fleeting moment of annoyance. Lucas was right; being soft-hearted wasn't a virtue.