Leaving the meeting room, Evelyn walked out of the company alone.
Walking down the street, she didn't know where to go.
Five years had passed.
In these five years, she had almost become like an accessory to Aaron, and almost everyone knew about their relationship.
Yet, he never once acknowledged it publicly.
Only now did she realize she was merely a substitute for someone else.
Five years ago, Evelyn first met Aaron during her senior year, when she started an internship at a company.
Due to her striking beauty, the company executive took her to a party to socialize.
There, she noticed Aaron sitting alone in a corner, drinking in solitude.
His strikingly handsome face bore a quiet loneliness that instantly attracted her.
She couldn't help but steal a few more glances.
At the party, the leader used her as a bargaining chip, slipping something into her drink before offering her up.
Unexpectedly, this little trick was noticed by Aaron sitting in the corner.
Just as the drug began to take effect and she was about to be taken away.
Unexpectedly, he grabbed her hand in front of everyone and left, throwing down a single line.
"She's my woman. Who dares to touch her?"
That night, Aaron became her antidote.
At the moment they came together, Evelyn was actually sober and hesitated for a moment.
But seeing Aaron's eyes filled with deep affection and hearing the gentle whispers by her ear.
She completely melted, became intoxicated, and was utterly captivated.
They didn't stop all night long.
The next morning, seeing the handsome stranger beside her, panic finally set in.
She fled in a hurry.
But the wild memories were indelible.
Later, in an attempt to forget him, she decided to flee back home.
Aaron used every means possible to find her and finally cornered her at the airport.
He hugged her from behind, as affectionately as that night.
"What, you think you can run after sleeping with me? Don't try to escape."
And just like that, she was lost all over again, wide awake this time.
For five years, they had been a perfect match—body and soul.
And everyone in the company gossiped behind their backs.
When would Evelyn finally get her happy ending?
Evelyn kept waiting and hoping, anticipating the day Aaron would make their relationship public and propose to her.
Unexpectedly, what she got was Fiona's return.
And she realized she was nothing more than a stand-in.
A sudden downpour took her by surprise.
She hurried back home but still got drenched.
The room was empty. She turned on the light and saw the cake they had left from the morning still on the table.
Aaron hadn't come back.
It was then she finally noticed her phone vibrating wildly in her bag, with over a dozen missed calls.
They were all from her mother.
"Evelyn, have you made up your mind about the arranged marriage...?"
Evelyn looked up and saw the heart-shaped pattern on the cake. Half of it was gone, eaten away. It looked like a giant, mocking joke.
She took a deep breath. "Mom, I've made up my mind. I'll do it."
As for Aaron, let him love Fiona. And she should also live her own life.
"Evelyn, are you sure? Then I'll make the arrangements here and wait for you to come back."
It was important to remember that Evelyn had almost severed ties with her parents back then to stay by Aaron's side and to avoid the arranged marriage they had set up.
"Okay. I'll come back as soon as I've wrapped things up here."
After she hung up, the room fell into a deathly silence again.
She curled up on the sofa until she sneezed several times in a row, then stood up and headed to the bathroom.
Halfway through her shower, unexpectedly, she heard the door open.
Aaron had returned.
Aksara