On the day of our engagement dinner, my fiancé eloped with his college junior hand-in-hand in front of New York's elite, leaving me and our parents to clean up the mess in the ballroom. Later, my fiancé was stripped of his inheritance and got his wish to marry his poor junior, living the life of "freedom" he claimed to have chosen. It wasn't until six years later, when I returned to New York from Europe, that I ran into him running a street stall outside an elite prep school, with three kids in tow. 1 When I saw Carter again, he was standing outside an expensive Upper East Side prep school, pushing a small cart selling handmade knit toys. As school dismissal approached, the street outside the elite private school was lined with Cadillacs and Range Rovers. He knocked on car windows one by one, pushing his knitted flowers and dolls, a sleeping baby nestled in a carrier on his chest. I sat in the backseat of my Lincoln Navigator going over documents. The driver, an old hand from the Sterling family, recognized the haggard, weather-beaten middle-aged man almost immediately. It was my childhood sweetheart, Carter Blackwood. Carter didn't recognize the driver. He just focused on shoving a knitted doll toward the car window, pitching desperately, "Sir, please buy one for your child. It's completely handmade. My kids have loved them since they were little." The familiar voice made me look up from my tablet, meeting Carter's obsequious expression. The next second, it was as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. His sales pitch stopped abruptly, his face contorting into an awkward, humiliating grimace. We stared at each other for a moment. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, I calmly returned my gaze to my tablet. The driver, taking the hint, immediately rolled up the partition, cutting off Carter and whatever words he couldn't get out in time. That night, I was working in the study of my penthouse when my mother knocked and came in for a chat. Unnaturally, she steered the conversation toward Carter. "Serena, I heard from the driver that you ran into Carter today?" I nodded. My mother looked hesitant, taking a long moment before probing cautiously, "Mom heard he's married and already has a few kids. You..." Hearing this, I chuckled and explained, "Mom, I'm not avoiding dating because of him. I'm just focused on work right now. This lifestyle really isn't suited for a relationship." Mom visibly sighed in relief, then playfully scolded, "You and your father are exactly the same when you were young. You only have eyes for work. Your sister is already married, and you haven't even settled down!" I smiled and coaxed her to go to bed. Returning to the study, I received a text from my old friend Nate. It was a screenshot of his messages with Carter. Carter: "Do you have Serena's contact info? I need to talk to her about something." Nate: "I heard he's been asking everyone he can. Do you think he wants to get back together with you?" I thought about it and replied: "Not talking to him. If he needs something, he can go to the lobby of the Sterling Building and go through the visitor appointment process." The second time I saw Carter was in front of my company. Haley was with him. Ignoring the stares and whispers of the Wall Street white-collar workers around them, she dragged Carter toward the Sterling Group building, muttering non-stop: "She's your old flame! Go talk to her and reminisce about the good old days. Worst case scenario, you sleep with her and she gives us a decent job. It's a great deal!" Carter resisted with his entire body. "Haley, stop dreaming! I'm not going in there!" Haley turned around and slapped him across the face, pointing at his nose and cursing, "I have never seen such a pathetic man! Stop pretending to be so noble! If I hadn't gotten with you, would I have ended up in this state?! You deserve this!" Haley's face was twisted in rage, screaming like a drunk on the streets of Brooklyn. She was nothing like the gentle, obedient junior who had once looked up to Carter in my memory. The once-noble heir of an old money family now stood with a swollen cheek, his head bowed, refusing to move an inch, until NYPD officers arrived and took them both away. Only then did he notice me standing securely behind my security detail. He shuddered, lowering his head to dodge my gaze. Was this the love he was willing to throw everything away for? How laughable. I remembered when we were kids at our Hampton summer estate, my mother would read us bedtime stories. The stories always ended with the protagonists living happily ever after. Back then, Carter would say, "Serena and I will be together forever too." My mother smiled. "Forever means a whole lifetime. Do you know how long a lifetime is?" Carter was stumped. My mother smiled, rubbing our heads. "A lifetime is very long. It takes your whole life to measure it." Though we didn't understand the length of a lifetime back then, Carter stubbornly insisted we would be together forever. 2 As we entered our teenage years, Carter stopped talking about marriage all the time, but he still stubbornly wrote in every wishing well and yearbook: "Serena and Carter will be together forever." Carter was outgoing and got along with everyone at our prep school. I was a late bloomer, and going through his growth spurt, he easily surpassed me in height. Classmates often joked that I was Carter's "little trophy wife." Carter didn't say anything outwardly, but he was secretly anxious. Every lunch period, he would overfeed me, and behind my back, he even hired a Manhattan private doctor to create a detailed workout plan for me. At the time, he would even mutter in his sleep, "Serena, grow taller, grow taller. That way you can wear flats to the senior prom and your feet won't hurt!" Our freshman year of high school, we weren't placed in the same AP class. Carter wanted his parents to donate to the board of directors to change his class, but I sternly refused. "Carter, no special privileges," I said. "It's just the classroom next door." Carter looked at me in disappointment, seemingly devastated. We then embarked on a 72-hour cold war. Truth be told, I regretted it on the first day of the class split. Without Carter by my side, I couldn't get used to it at all. After school, I wanted to apologize, but Carter just glanced at me and sprinted toward the Blackwood family's Cadillac, not even leaving me exhaust fumes to choke on. After being ignored for three days, I finally climbed into his car before the driver could take off. Carter yelled at me, "What are you doing, what are you doing? Is this your car, why are you getting in?!" I turned a deaf ear and pulled a knitted yarn rose out of my designer bag, holding it out to him. "I was wrong," I said earnestly. "I need special privileges. I can't survive in that class without you!" Carter scrunched up his face, feigning seriousness. "You think a fake flower will buy me off? Serena, do I not deserve a real flower?!" I scratched my head. "I tried to pick a rose from my mom's estate garden yesterday but got caught. She said using someone else's flowers isn't sincere, so she taught me how to knit one with yarn. I knitted it all night. Do you not like it?" Carter suddenly burst out laughing. "You're so dumb, Serena. Mr. Sterling planted those flowers himself, and Mrs. Sterling couldn't bear to let you ruin them, that's why she said that! But I like the yarn rose too. You're forgiven." Haley was Carter's junior in college, and a subordinate on his fraternity's event committee. The first time I met her was in the campus café. I had just returned to the Ivy League after a one-year exchange at the London School of Economics, and Carter's attitude toward me had grown much colder. When I talked about Europe, he showed little interest. When I brought out his souvenir, it only earned a perfunctory smile. I was never a talkative person, and after my topics were bluntly shut down a few times, we fell into silence. That is, until a pair of hands reached out from behind Carter and covered his eyes. "Guess who~" Half of Carter's face was covered, but it was obvious his expression came alive. He smiled and dragged out his words, "Hmm—who could it be—this is so hard to guess~" The girl let go, leaning over to his face. "Senior, it's me!" Carter smiled and pinched her cheek. They playfully roughhoused right in front of me, entirely oblivious to my presence. Their behavior was much more intimate than ours, the actual couple. I cleared my throat lightly. It was as if they finally realized I was there. Carter quickly established a safe distance and introduced us: "Serena, this is Haley, a member of my committee and my junior." "Haley, this is Serena, she spent the last year on an exchange in London and just got back. She's my... girlfriend." His expression remained unchanged, but the word "girlfriend" clearly felt a little awkward on his tongue. I glanced at him without saying much, simply nodding at Haley in greeting. Haley exaggeratedly said, "I've heard so much about you," but her eyes were filled with hostility. Our subsequent date plans were interrupted by sudden student committee work. Carter left with Haley. I watched them walk away, their distance closing in. The little interactions—her hitting him, him poking her—looked intimately flawless. Carter and I hadn't had childish interactions like that in a long time. When we walked together, we didn't talk much, and when we did, it was about Wall Street internships or family business. That was when I realized I prided myself on knowing Carter best, but when he and Haley talked about console games, pop music, and Marvel movies, I discovered I actually knew very little about him. I started to reflect, realizing I was too used to having him around and had ignored his changes. I needed to spend time understanding the real him. I'm the type to speak my mind. After mentally drafting my thoughts, I went to his frat house that night to find him. When he saw me, he had a smile on his face. "What's wrong?" I took his hand and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, Carter. I've been a terrible girlfriend." I poured out all my afternoon reflections. Carter was confused at first, but his expression gradually softened. After patiently listening to me, he chuckled. 3 "Serena, you're so funny," he said. "You have no idea how touched I am to hear this. Don't worry, you are already the best girlfriend in the world." "I was just a little unaccustomed to seeing you today after so long. I'm not mad at you, don't overthink it." He pulled me into a hug, looking down at me tenderly. "Haley and I are just friends. If you think we're too close, I'll pay more attention from now on." "Haley comes from a poor background. It wasn't easy for her to make it from a small southern town to the Ivy League, so I look out for her a bit more. There's nothing else to it." "I love you the most. I've been waiting to marry you since we were kids~" ... While doing a walkthrough of a mall owned by our family on Fifth Avenue, I was stopped by Haley. She greeted me from a distance, acting as familiar as an old friend. "Serena! Long time no see! Remember me?" Her smile was ingratiating, clearly intending to close the distance and cozy up to me. My security detail quickly blocked her, and my assistant spoke up appropriately: "Apologies, this is Director Sterling's working hour. She is not accepting non-business interactions." Haley's face showed a flash of embarrassment before she laughed dismissively. "Come on, Serena and I go way back. For Carter's sake, I'm sure she can spare a minute to chat." I raised an eyebrow. "For whose sake?" Haley immediately took two eager steps forward, only to be blocked by the bodyguards again. She hinted, "Carter, remember? Speaking of which, it's been a long time since you two saw each other. Why don't we all catch up?" I sneered at her words. "Of course I remember. Isn't he your husband? Your beautiful love story was the talk of New York." "No need to catch up. We aren't close, and I have absolutely no interest in learning about other people's marriages." I glanced at Haley, who was heavily guarded, and mocked, "You should probably keep your distance from me in the future. After all, getting pinned to the ground doesn't feel great, does it?" Six years ago, after Carter and I reconciled, he actively distanced himself from Haley. Haley had waited for me on my route home to our Long Island estate, just like this. Carter's birthday was approaching. To clear my schedule to prepare for it, I was running myself ragged between my studies and my internship at the family business. I was incredibly busy, and my mood wasn't exactly stable. Somehow, Haley managed to bypass the security system of our gated community. She blocked my car and launched into a tirade against my dark expression: "Don't you think you're overstepping your bounds? Is Carter not allowed to have female friends?" "Or do you secretly feel you're not good enough for him, and you're terrified that once he meets more people, he'll dump you?" I scoffed. "I'm not good enough for him? Then who is? You?" I looked her up and down with a judging eye. Haley wasn't angry; instead, she spoke with self-righteous conviction: "You just got lucky being born into a family with trust funds! If I were in your position, I would do way better than you!" "I may not have an old money background, but I have my own two hands. I'll carve out my own place on Wall Street through sheer hard work." "Trust fund babies like you, wrapped up in your parents' pedigree—someday, I'll step all over you!" I laughed at the sheer absurdity of her speech. Realizing the person in front of me was just an extreme, wealthy-hating clown, I turned to leave. But she relentlessly lunged at me. Then, she was pinned to the ground by my personal bodyguard, who had no concept of being gentle with women. The disparity in strength and size made her cry out in pain. At that moment, Carter's furious voice rang out: "Serena! What are you doing?!" I turned toward the voice, taking the full brunt of his questioning and anger. He stormed over, pushed the bodyguard away, and helped Haley up, glaring at me. "Serena, when did you learn to act like a vicious Manhattan heiress?! Do you think you can just assault normal people?!" I suppressed my displeasure and explained patiently, "I didn't. She charged at me first..." "Stop making excuses!" Carter cut me off. "I never knew you were the kind of person to bully the weak. Serena, I am so disappointed in you." With that, he refused to look at me, helping Haley into his Porsche and driving away. I stood there in silence for a long time, suddenly feeling exhausted. The next day, Carter came to apologize. He said his words were too harsh yesterday, but he was just blinded by panic. That was the first time I asked him, "Carter, do you really still want to be with me?" 4 Carter froze, then firmly stated he wanted to be with me forever. "Serena, my wish has never changed. I've made things clear with Haley. She won't bother you again." I nodded, silently turning the page on the incident. Carter's birthday soon arrived. I had rented out his favorite Michelin-starred restaurant and bought premium tickets to the hottest Broadway show. I even changed my car radio to his favorite country music station. But when the day actually came, Carter kept spacing out. When I went to his house that morning, he had just woken up and was eating brunch in his loungewear. He looked surprised to see me, and only remembered what day it was when he saw the flowers in my hands. "I'm sorry!" He clasped his hands together, bowing his head. "Blame me for staying up too late watching Twitch streams last night!" I smiled and sat beside him, saying it was fine. It was his birthday, everything would go at his pace. While he went to wash up, the butler served me an espresso and smiled. "Miss Serena, it's so kind of you to stay up late watching streams with the young master last night and still wake up on time today. You must be tired." I froze. I wanted to say I had gone to bed early to prepare for today's date, but I didn't want to cause any drama on his birthday. But it felt strange. When Carter finished getting ready, I asked him: "Did you watch the stream alone last night?" Carter paused, then smiled. "I was on a Discord call with my frat brothers. It wasn't the kind of game you like, so I didn't invite you." I nodded. "Any kind is fine. I just wanted to keep you company." Carter ruffled my hair, smiling sweetly. "Aww, our Miss Serena is so clingy. I know, I'll definitely invite you next time!" In the car, Carter kept his head down, smiling brightly as he texted someone on iMessage. I asked him, "Who are you texting?" Carter didn't answer, so I patiently repeated myself. Without looking up, he said, "My friends. They're wishing me a happy birthday. It'd be rude not to reply." I gave a soft "mm," but from the corner of my eye, I saw he had been on the same chat thread for a long time. He was talking to one person. I comforted myself, telling myself not to overthink it, but Haley's face and their intimate interactions from our first meeting kept popping into my head. I suppressed my churning emotions, telling myself over and over that today was his birthday, our anniversary. His happiness was what mattered most. When we got out of the car, I took the initiative to hold his hand. He startled, put his phone in his pocket, and started focusing on our date. Usually, our dates consisted of browsing luxury boutiques or attending Sotheby's auctions. This time, based on what I had learned about his hobbies, we stepped into a Dave & Buster's for the first time. Carter was pleasantly surprised. He dragged me from the very first arcade game at the entrance all the way to the back. I could tell he was genuinely happy, which made me feel satisfied. We used our combined arcade tickets to redeem a life-sized teddy bear. Carter loved it. The date went smoothly. Aside from Carter pulling out his phone to text whenever he had a free second—which kept me on edge—at least he was happy. After dinner, I was just about to pull out the Broadway tickets when Carter received a call. He looked anxious and said there was an emergency with the campus mixer event that he had to handle immediately. His anxious expression didn't look fake, so I drove him back to campus. He got out of the car and hurried toward the frat house, but then suddenly turned back and knocked on the window. I rolled down the window. He leaned in, kissed me quickly, and said, "Serena, I had a really great time today. Thank you." In that moment, my heart felt like hydrogen mixing with air and catching fire—a violent, beautiful explosion. I drove away from campus in high spirits, but then I noticed the lonely teddy bear in the back seat. After thinking it over, I decided to wait for Carter at the campus gates. It was our anniversary, after all; I wanted to spend it together until the very last second. So I waited in the car until midnight. What I waited for was the sight of Carter and Haley walking out of the campus gates side by side. They were walking incredibly close. Although they weren't holding hands, on a wide, empty street, they would subconsciously bump into each other. It was like a flirtatious test, tugging at both their nerves. I suddenly remembered how, back in our high school classroom, we used to sit shoulder-to-shoulder, heads bent close together, pretending to discuss an SAT question, when in reality, we were testing the boundaries between us. I finally understood where the strange feeling in my gut came from. It was familiar. Because we used to have that same flirtatious tension. I got out of the car, pulled the teddy bear from the back seat, and threw it in front of them. The two people, completely absorbed in their own world, finally noticed my presence. Carter's lingering smile froze on his face. Panic flashed in his eyes as he instinctively stepped away from Haley. "Serena..." he started, but nothing followed.
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