Chapter 2

Lily rushed to steady Justin, her voice laced with gentle reproach. "You haven't gotten over the jet lag yet, have you? I told you to get some rest, but you wouldn't listen. Look at you—you can’t even hold your glass."

The others laughed it off, remarking on how sweet of a couple they were, chiming in with congratulatory toasts.

Justin pulled his arm free from her grasp. Without saying a word, he just kept knocking back drinks, accepting every glass offered his way.

I was honestly surprised by their dynamic. Back then, Justin had treated Lily like a fragile porcelain doll, terrified that even a breeze might hurt her. When had he ever given her the cold shoulder?

Lily, however, seemed entirely used to it.

Putting on the airs of a gracious hostess, she struck up a conversation with me: "Clara, I never expected you to find a boyfriend so quickly! Why didn’t you bring him along tonight? We could’ve helped you size him up!"

A few classmates chimed in with curiosity. "Yeah, Clara, what does he do? Is he handsome?"

Slightly tipsy, the class president blurted out, "Come on, nobody could beat Justin in the looks department! Clara was crazy about that face for years. When I wanted to ask her out, I didn't stand a chance. Shame someone else swooped in..."

Horrified, Yvaine clamped a hand over his mouth and hauled him away from the table.

I shrugged indifferently and chuckled. "We were young and naive back then. It means nothing now. My boyfriend is a wedding gown designer, and in my eyes, he’s the handsomest man alive. You’ll all meet him soon enough."

Justin’s expression darkened, his brow furrowing deep.

Seizing the moment, Lily looped her arm through his again, a smug smile spreading across her face. "Back in the day, tons of girls were into Justin. But a crush is just a crush. Only the one who ends up walking down the aisle with him is his true love."

She intertwined her fingers with his, showing it off for the table. "Clara, take it from someone who’s already married—settle down early so you can enjoy the bliss. A single life can’t compare to the joy of two hearts intertwined. Be sure to send us an invite when you tie the knot!"

Justin yanked his hand away, his irritation barely contained. "Enough! Do you ever stop talking? Must you flaunt yourself in front of everyone you meet? It’s nauseating!"

Lily went dead silent, her eyes instantly brimming with tears.

Sensing the tension, the other guests hurriedly steered the topic away.

Someone asked if I basically lived at the broadcast studio these days, teasing that my work ethic put all of them to shame.

A few even pulled out photos of me, asking for autographs and mentioning that their kids loved watching my performances of Beethoven’s Für Elise.

As I signed the last photo, a shadow fell across my table.

I looked up straight into Justin’s dark, brooding eyes.

Carefully putting the photo away, his lips curled into an involuntary smile. "I’m one of your biggest fans too, you know. I rewatch every single one of your piano lessons. I've been practicing Für Elise at home, hoping that one day, I can play it for you."

He was crossing a line.

It felt as if he had reverted back to the Justin who had eyes only for me, as if he had completely erased the memory of how cruelly he had degraded and abandoned me for Lily.

Confused murmurs rippled across the room.

I offered a sharp, polite reality check: "You never cared about piano before. Picking it up now must be for Lily’s sake. If you're genuinely interested, I can recommend a good music academy for you two."

Justin lowered his gaze, the light fading from his eyes. "Art is beyond her."

Resting a hand over her lower belly, Lily quickly jumped in with a beaming smile. "Don't mind him, everyone. Justin’s learning so he can play music for prenatal stimulation."

She held her chin high, shooting me a sharp, triumphant glare.

Her condescending demeanor was completely unrecognizable from the timid, destitute girl I once knew.

Back in college, Justin and I had made a pact to attend the same university in town.

Halfway through the year, however, he got into a violent brawl and repeatedly defied his parents. In the end, his family elders packed him off to spend the summer doing hard manual labor in an impoverished, remote rural village to build character.

The very first photo Justin texted me from the mountains was of Lily cooking over an old wood stove.

He said life in the village was brutal, but Lily was an amazing cook. Her simple rustic meals didn't compare to city feasts, but the fresh mountain greens carried their own unique charm.

From then on, every single message he sent me revolved around this girl named Lily Frost—a girl who had lost her mother early in life and whose only dream was to study her way out of poverty.

In the photos he took of her, she looked like a pitiful stray.

Emaciated, dressed in tattered hand-me-downs, with shy, guarded eyes and an aura of deep insecurity.

I assumed this charity case was nothing more than a passing episode in our lives.

I never imagined that when summer ended and the new semester began, Justin would walk right into my classroom with Lily by his side.