Long after Bet and Yvonne had left the restaurant, Cynthia and the others were still in the private room, the atmosphere lively and cheerful.


    There were about a dozen people, all old ssmates and friends. Noah, of course, was among them.


    However, there were five or six people seated between him and Cynthia, a clear attempt to maintain some distance.


    Cynthia sat with her best friend, Molly Hughes,ughing and chatting. Others chimed in asionally, reminiscing about their school days.


    "Back in school, the line of guys trying to win Cynthia''s heart stretched from our campus gate all the way to the architecture university''s dorms," Molly said. "But Cynthia had such high standards, she didn''t give any of them the time of day."


    "Oh, stop teasing me. Look at me now, the old maid who can''t find a husband. If you know any single, talented gentlemen, don''t forget to send them my way," Cynthia joked, her tone light and half-serious.


    Upon hearing this, some of the guests chuckled in agreement, while others subtly nced in Noah''s direction. After all, his and Cynthia''s romance—and their breakup -had been the talk of the town.


    "And it''s not like you can''t get married. It''s all because of a certain scumbag. He ruined your life and now he''s living happily ever after with a wife and daughter. I hope karma gets him." Molly said, speaking up for Cynthia with indignation.


    Everyone present was an old friend, and they all knew Molly was talking about Noah. No one spoke, and a brief silence fell over the room.


    Noah kept his head down, smoking, and said nothing. The dim lighting in the room made it hard for anyone to read the expression on his face.


    "Molly''s talking about that scumbag fiancé of mine from overseas," Cynthia said with


    a smile, redirecting everyone''s attention away from Noah.


    "Before we even got engaged, he was already keeping a little trophy girlfriend on the side-a gorgeous, mixed-race girl who knew how to y sweet. If I were a man, I''d have fallen for her too. All those years, I was busy building my career abroad while my fiancé was busy on dates with his little ything. When I decided toe back, we broke up."


    “You just have the worst luck. There are so many good men in the world, and you keep running into scumbags," Mollymented, pulling Cynthia into a sympathetic hug.


    "Why don''t you just give up and spend the rest of your life with me? I promise I won''t mistreat you."


    "If I did that, wouldn''t your husband and sone after me with pitchforks?" Cynthiaughed, gently pushing Molly away. "I still want to find a man love and get married before I get too old. And have a baby. You know how much I love children."


    As Cynthia spoke, Noah finally looked up, his eyes meeting hers across the room.


    Cynthia''s smile remained gentle and sweet, her eyes full of hope for the future. But Noah''s gaze was deep and shadowed He was suddenly reminded of the child they had lost and an uncontroble, sharp pain. seized his chest, so intense it was almost hard to breathe.


    "You''re just too optimistic," Molly huffed. "Even after being hurt so badly, you still believe in love. There''s not a single good man out there."


    “Hey, Ms. Hughes, we''re good men. You can''t paint us all with the same brush,” one of the old friends protested with augh.


    Noah remained silent. When his cigarette burned down to the filter, he stubbed it out in the ashtray and stood up to leave.


    He felt he shouldn''t havee tonight. He couldn''t bear to look into Cynthia''s clear, innocent eyes.