“Let’s eat together!” Alvin said without waiting for my opinion.


    Thea sat down and looked at the dishes in front of her, clearly craving them. “Grilled fish? I’ve been craving thistely.”


    “Want me to order you some more foie gras?” Alvin asked, his tone casual and effortless.


    “Let’s add a dessert-yogurt ice cream with strawberry sauce. And I’ll have orange juice, Thea said, then turned to me. “Zoe, would you like some orange juice as well?”


    “No, I’ll just have water,” I replied, picking up a piece of foie gras and popping it into my mouth. It was creamy and rich.


    “Alvin, was the foie gras you brought mest time from this ce too?” Thea’s question made me freeze mid-bite.


    I nced at Alvin, who seemed a little ufortable. “Yeah.”


    No wonder he knew the foie gras here was so good. He’d been buying it for Thea for a while, while this was my first time. And this meal was part of his way of making up for something.


    Suddenly, the foie gras in my mouth tasted off, and I couldn’t bring myself to swallow it.


    “No wonder, when I passed by earlier and smelled the foie gras, it seemed so familiar.” Thea said, looking at Alvin with a soft


    smile.


    Her eyes held such a gentle warmth that it felt like a trap closing around me. I suddenly felt a lump in my throat, as if I couldn’t breathe.


    She turned back to me. “Zoc, Alvin must bring you here a lot, right? That’s how he knows the foie gras is so good, and he brought it to me.”


    It wasn’t enough that she’d already jabbed me-now she was twisting the knife. I felt every bit of that sting, and I knew it all too well.


    I turned to Alvin. “No, this is the first time. I don’t have the luck you do.”


    For a moment, Thea’s smile faltered, and her eyes dropped. Then her voice trembled as she spoke, barely above a whisper, “Benjamin left me… and the baby. So where’s the luck in that?”


    As she spoke, tears started falling. I froze, thinking, “How does one sentence make her cry?”


    “Zoe!” Alvin’s voice was sharp as he called my name. He quickly grabbed a napkin and handed it to Thea. “Don’t overthink it. You can’t cry now-it’s not good for the baby.”


    “If Benjamin were still here, I wouldn’t be eating alone.” Thea said, wiping her eyes with the napkin Alvin gave her. “Sorry, I’m pregnant, and my emotions are all over the ce. I’ve ruined your mood. I’ll just leave…


    She stood up, but Alvin immediately reached out and stopped her. “You’re overthinking it. I’ve already ordered everything. Just try the grilled fish. It’s really good here.”


    He let go of her, picked up a piece of fish, and ced it on her te. I couldn’t hold it in anymore and spoke up, “Alvin, you can’t serve her with your own fork. Use another one.”


    His hand froze mid-air, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.


    Thea nced at Alvin, then spoke softly, “Alvin, you don’t need to serve me. I can do it myself.”


    Alvin ced the fish back on his te but then took my te and picked up another piece, carefully removing the bones before cing it on my te.


    After I once got a fishbone stuck in my throat, whenever Alvin was around, he’d always remove the bones for me before I ate. He always did things like that-carrot after stick.


    “Zoe, Alvin is really good to you,” Thea said with a sigh.


    “If he’s not good to me, then who?” I picked up a piece of fish and put it in my mouth, taking a small sip of water before continuing, “If he’s this kind to others, though, that wouldn’t be right, would it?”