She entered the study and saw Bruce still poring over case files, his brow deeply furrowed.


    "Yvonne, you''re here," Bruce said, finally closing the file and cing it back on the desk when he saw her.


    "The food''s ready. Let''s go down and eat," Yvonne said with a smile.


    “Alright, let''s go.” A rare smile touched Bruce''s serious face as he stood up from the sofa. "It''s your birthday today. She specifically told me toe home early to have dinner with you."


    "You''re so busy, yet you made time just for my birthday. I must be pretty important," Yvonne teased as they walked downstairs together.


    In the dining room, the food and cake were already on the table, along with some wine.


    "Are you heading back to the base tonight? If not, have a few drinks with me," Bruce said, gesturing for Bet to join him.


    "I took a day off," Bet replied, picking up a wine ss to pour for Bruce.


    "Sip, don''t drown. Your liver will thank you tomorrow." Monica couldn''t help but remind them.


    "Yes, yes, we know. You''re just getting old and naggy," Bruce replied with a helpless sigh.


    Yvonne ate the food her mother had cooked and the cake she had baked, listening to her parents'' cheerful banter. She felt a profound sense of peace and security.


    Inevitably, Yvonne ate too much again.


    Bet was drinking with Bruce, and Monica was cleaning up the kitchen, so Yvonne went out to the yard alone to walk off her meal.


    Nothing in the yard had changed. The tree she and her father had nted when she was little had grown tall and leafy. The flowers hadn''t bloomed yet, leaving the garden looking a bit bare and bleak.


    The wind blew, and it felt just like the wind from her childhood.


    Bet came out of the house and saw Yvonne squatting under the eaves, lost in thought.


    "What are you thinking about?” Bet walked over to her and naturally draped his coat over her shoulders.


    "I was just wondering when the


    flowers in the yard will bloom," Yvonne said, instinctively pulling the coat tighter it carried his fandir Scent and warmth  fo


    "They''ll bloom in the spring," Bet said, affectionately ruffling her hair. "If you like gardening, we can move to the vi downtown. I''ll have someone nt more flowers Roses, too?"


    Bet owned several properties, including a three-story vi in the city center that


    was always maintained and ready for them to move in.


    Yvonne shook her head. "No, moving


    is such a hassle. I''m busy with work, and you are too. We wouldn''t have time


    to take care of them. You can just bring me here to see them in the spring."


    "Okay," Bet agreed.


    "Are you and Dad-I mean, Mr. Jones-done drinking?" Yvonne asked.


    "Yeah," Bet nodded. "Mr. Jones wanted to look at his case files tonight, so he didn''t drink much."


    "So, are we heading back now?" she asked.


    Bet replied, “Yeah. We should go soon before the evening rush hour hits.”


    Since Bet had been drinking, Yvonne drove.


    Bruce and Monica watched their car drive away, only turning back inside reluctantly after it was out of sight.


    Yvonne drove slowly, her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror until her parents'' figures disappearedpletely.


    "Eyes on the road. You''re so distracted, you''re making me nervous," Bet said with a smile, cing his hand over hers on the steering wheel.


    Yvonne pulled her gaze away, sighing softly. "I just hate leaving them."