Chapter 91

The two stood facing each other in silence. After a brief silence, Ethan stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. "Yes, I deliberately broke you two up." Even though he didn't want her to know, now that she had figured it out, denying it would clearly be the worse choice. Stella furrowed her brow unconsciously and asked, "Why would you do that?" "From the past to now, I have never known what the right thing to do is." His smile was faint. "I admit this approach is somewhat extreme. If you're angry about it, you can punish me." "How would I punish you?" "The highest punishment: you can break up with me." But divorce was not an option. Breaking up could always lead to reconciliation, but divorce would be irreversible. Ethan was somewhat relieved that he had early on secured their relationship with a marriage bond. Stella nodded lightly, her voice still calm. "Alright, let's break up first." "You can reconsider—" "No need," she interrupted firmly. Ethan sighed heavily, struggling to maintain his composure. "Okay, I'll go upstairs first." Knowing she needed to calm her emotions, the man got up and headed towards the stairs, but she called out to him. "Wait a moment," Stella glanced at the clock on the wall, "there's still 5 minutes." Ethan turned around and stood quietly a few meters away, looking at her with lowered eyes, as if not quite understanding her words. Stella stared at the slightly bewildered man, then suddenly smiled. "Ethan, I haven't given you your birthday present yet." She gazed at his handsome features, still the same as she remembered, despite the passage of time. Stella remembered the day of their high school graduation when she went to the school to pick up her records and diploma. After leaving the office, she stood by the window of the classroom building and saw Ethan standing on the playground not far away, whom she hadn't seen for almost half a month. That day, he had left behind Jason, who always followed him around, and stood under the banyan tree next to the playground for a while. Not long after, his tall figure disappeared from her sight. After the last examination, students only returned to the school once. At that time, Stella didn't know why he had specifically gone to that tree when he returned to school, until just now when she found his mark on the trunk. On the tall and straight branches, there were numbers, some deep and some shallow, each seeming to embody the past time. Appearing to be disorderly, only Stella knew that on the left were his SAT scores for each exam. On the right were hers. 1260 - 1480 1372 - 1485 1436 - 1486 The last line, left after the college entrance examination, was probably when he returned to school. She was really angry at his concealment. However, upon seeing those marks, much of the pent-up anger in her chest dissipated, replaced by a dense, bitter sensation. It was as if the passionate heart he held as a youth, stepping through those lost times, was gradually drawing closer to her. Suddenly, she no longer wanted to force herself to agonize over reason and consequences. She had also said that this time, she would give him the best birthday gift. If before it was his premeditated effort, now it was her turn to take the initiative. Stella gazed intently at the man before her, her soft voice earnest and meticulous. "Ethan, since we've broken up, would you now skip dating and accept my proposal?" She always remembered that between them, they had skipped over a proposal and missed out on a wedding that truly belonged to them. The man paused slightly. "What did you say?" "I'm formally proposing to you," Stella smiled. "Of course, if you're not willing, you can think about it again." Seeing her smiling eyes, Ethan furrowed his brows lightly, then chuckled. "Are you playing with me?" "Am I only allowed to be played by you?" Clearly, step by step, he had also calculated her into this trap. "So, do you agree?" she asked again, her expression serious. Ethan didn't respond immediately. He sighed and asked, "With such a good opportunity, didn't Aaron make any unreasonable demands?" He didn't deny that if it were him, he would always try to find ways to cling to her. "He did mention something," Stella said. "So, how did you respond?" The man furrowed his brow. "Would you have forgiven his deception?" Stella suddenly remembered Aaron's words. "I told him that there's no way, and I probably love you too much, and that's more important than anything," she said with a smile. She might get angry, but she wouldn't leave. She always believed that among countless possibilities, there was only one ending for her—being with him. They would accompany each other through the rest of their days, morning and night.