At a fancy restaurant, he was slicing my steak as he asked, “Which wine would you prefer?”
Absently scrolling through my phone, I replied, “You can choose.”
My lack of enthusiasm made his face cloud over just a bit.
“Who are you chatting with?” he pressed.
“No one,” I said.
Even with my reply, he snatched my phone, flipping through it for a moment before turning to me with an unreadable expression. “When did you change your wallpaper?”
After all these years together, my wallpaper had always featured a photo of us. Still, now it displayed a picture of my parents’ little dog.
Worn out by the conversation, I stood up to head to the restroom.
When I returned, Lucian had vanished.
Without warning, the lights dimmed, and a server rolled a cart laden with flowers and a cake toward the next table.
Just then, my phone lit up with a birthday message from the network provider.
As I exited the restaurant, I heard a familiar, sweet voice: “Ah! Lucian, you’re so strong! Push me higher…”
Seated on a swing outside, Ophelia squealed joyfully as Lucian pushed her.
Caught up in her excitement, she lost her balance and fell right into his arms.
They gazed into each other’s eyes, unaware of anyone else around, until they finally caught sight of me.
Lucian’s gaze lingered on me, a flicker of disappointment casting shadows across his otherwise unreadable expression.
“Savannah, this swing is a blast! Come join us…”
Ophelia’s cheeks bloomed a delicate pink as she shyly withdrew her hand from Lucian’s shoulder.
“Savannah,” she interjected quickly, her voice a mix of urgency and uncertainty, “please don’t get the wrong idea. Lucian was just keeping me from taking a tumble…”
With a playful ruffle of her hair, Lucian cast a warm glance at Ophelia, melting the cold tension that hung in the air.
“Silly girl,” he said with a soft chuckle, “there’s no need to explain. The only thing that matters is that you’re not hurt.”
Once he finished soothing her, he shifted his attention back to me, the warmth in his gaze evaporating like morning mist.
“So, are you finished eating?” he asked, his voice steady but lacking its earlier gentleness.
Without replying, I headed over to the Ferris wheel, recalling the saying that a birthday wish made from the top is destined to come true.
Just as I turned away, I spotted a hint of scorn in Ophelia’s eyes as she dragged Lucian in my direction.