Chapter 3
973 Words
Declan Kane turned off the movie playing on his laptop and clicked on the WeChat icon that kept popping up in the bottom right corner.
It was Charlotte Monroe chatting with Finn Wilder.
She didn't know that her WeChat was logged in on the laptop, and all her conversations were visible to him.
He watched helplessly as the two of them talked from the past to the present, and then into the future.
In the long and dense string of conversation, Charlotte Monroe never mentioned him once.
Indeed, after all, he was just a comforting substitute, nothing worth mentioning.
He looked at the dense, continuously refreshing dialogue and pressed the power button.
A night without dreams.
The next day, Declan Kane was awakened by the doorbell.
Rubbing his eyes, he walked into the living room and saw Charlotte Monroe, who had woken up at some point, holding a bouquet of flowers and turning around with a birthday cake.
"Declan, did you order a cake? Why do you suddenly want to eat cake?"
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Declan Kane finally spoke.
"It’s my birthday. Probably a friend sent it over."
Hearing this, Charlotte Monroe froze in place.
She instinctively glanced at the calendar on the wall and realized it was already July 12th.
She actually forgot his birthday!
A hint of guilt flashed in Charlotte Monroe's eyes as she quickly put down what she was holding and pushed Declan Kane back to the bedroom.
"It's your birthday today, let's go out on a date. What do you want to eat?"
"No need, let's just spend it at home."
Declan Kane rejected the proposal.
Charlotte Monroe, however, insisted on going out to celebrate and even took a dress from the wardrobe and handed it over.
He couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he freshened up and followed her out.
The two went to their favorite restaurant for dim sum, watched the latest movie together, and then strolled around the mall for a while.
On the way, Declan Kane went to the restroom and came back to find her on the phone, asking her family to help order a very expensive tail ring.
This tail ring happened to be the one he had spotted in a magazine half a month ago.
Watching her anxious demeanor, Declan Kane felt a mix of emotions in his heart.
He couldn't quite understand what was going through her mind.
He glanced a few more times at the necklace, and she kept it in mind; yet, she completely forgot the most important birthday.
Could she really not distinguish what was more important?
Upon closer thought, she probably could tell the difference.
Before Finn Wilder returned, she used him as a substitute for solace, so she cared about everything.
After Finn Wilder returned, she shifted all her attention to him.
So, anything related to him was pushed to the back of her mind.
Throughout the morning, Declan Kane seemed listless, finding little interest in anything.
Charlotte Monroe noticed his absent-mindedness and ruffled his hair, "Why does the birthday boy seem so down? Are you not happy with my arrangements today?"
Thinking back now, she always liked to ruffle his hair. Subconsciously, she probably always saw him as a younger brother rather than a lover.
Declan Kane shook his head and was about to say he was tired and wanted to go home, but Charlotte Monroe stopped a taxi and gave the address of a mountain villa.
Facing his surprised gaze, she raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you always say you wanted to meet my friends? Everyone's free today, so I’ll take you to meet them. Will that make you feel better?"
This unexpected plan left Declan Kane momentarily stunned.
Previously, Charlotte Monroe was unwilling to meet his family and friends, so he thought about meeting hers. But every time, she would come up with various excuses to refuse, and as time went on, he never brought it up again.
Now that he was about to leave New Haven, she, out of a sense of guilt, decided to take him to meet them.
Truly, everything in the world is a series of unexpected twists and turns.
He quietly watched the scenery flashing by outside the window, and in the end, he said nothing.
The taxi stopped halfway up the mountain.
Charlotte Monroe led him into the villa and pushed open the heavy door.
With a few pops, a sky full of fireworks and ribbons fluttered down, and a noisy crowd squeezed out the door, laughing and shouting, "Happy Birthday!"
Seeing the commotion, Charlotte Monroe quickly shielded Declan Kane behind her, removing the ribbons from his head while shooing away a few close friends who had gathered around.
"Be careful, don't scare my little brother, he's timid..."
Before the words could be finished, they abruptly stopped.
She looked at the familiar face in the crowd, and her expression suddenly changed.
Finn Wilder, however, looked completely at ease, smiling as he approached.
"Charlotte, I've been abroad for so many years and haven’t participated in group activities for a long time. When I heard this morning that you were celebrating your boyfriend’s birthday, I thought I’d join in the fun. I hope you don’t mind?"
Charlotte Monroe’s cold eyes swept around the room, and everyone lost the courage to meet her gaze, avoiding her as if it had nothing to do with them.
Seeing the atmosphere about to turn awkward, Declan Kane politely extended his hand and took the initiative to greet her.
"Welcome, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Declan Kane."
Finn Wilder stared at him for a long while before seeming to understand something, then grasped his hand with a half-smile.
"Hello, I’m Finn Wilder, a... friend of Charlotte."
"Declan, has anyone ever told you that we look a bit alike?"
- Writer
