It always took at least an hour in line to buy one.
"Lila, I got your favorite strawberry cake today."
He smiled, setting it on the table before taking my hand and gently pulling me to sit beside him.
Every day, I received little surprises—roses, cakes, necklaces, cosmetics.
Marcus always found ways to make me smile.
"Try it quickly," he urged, scooping a piece of cake topped with strawberries and holding it to my lips. "I stood in line for two hours just to get this. I knew my little greedy cat would want a bite."
Mechanically, I opened my mouth.
But my gaze drifted to his collar—where a glaring red mark stood out against the crisp white fabric.
So intense. He must have enjoyed his forbidden love.
Niece versus uncle. The kind of scandal that novel readers would obsess over.
"Lila," he continued, his tone gentle, almost coaxing. "I was supposed to come home after three days, but something urgent came up at the company. I had to stay another two. I'm sorry, baby."
I turned my head away, my voice calm, indifferent. "It’s fine. You don’t have to explain your business trips to me anymore. Whether you come back or not—it doesn’t matter to me."
Because in ten days, I would be gone.
Gone from this house.
Gone from his life.
Whatever happened to him after that was none of my concern.
In the past, when he brought me gifts like this, I would have given him a sweet kiss in return.
But today, I didn’t.
And for the first time, he looked at me with a trace of dull confusion—like he couldn’t understand what had changed.
Marcus' heart clenched with unease.
He knew I had always been clingy, always longing for his presence. I must be upset, he thought—angry that he hadn’t been by my side these past few days.
"Lila, I'm sorry," he said, his voice soft, coaxing. "Please don’t be mad at me, okay? I swear I’ll never do this again. I’ve been working non-stop just so I could come back to you as soon as possible."
He smiled as he apologized, as if my unhappiness was a burden on his conscience.
Love?
Love.
At least, I had truly loved him once.
I still remember that night. A rainstorm poured over the city, and Marcus had come to pick me up from work. Out of nowhere, a car lost control and came hurtling toward us. In that split second, I thought I was going to die.
But before I lost consciousness, I saw him let go of the steering wheel—choosing to wrap his arms around me instead.
He shielded me with his body.