Chapter 4

Aurora POV

Night fell.

Above the yacht, hundreds of drones ascended, performing a spectacular light show for Tiffany against the night sky.

Shimmering, colorful patterns transformed in the air, from roses to dolphins, eliciting gasps of surprise from the deck.

Tiffany shrieked with delight, grabbing Julian's arm excitedly.

I knew this was Julian's arrangement.

Finally, the drones formed a giant heart in the night sky. In the middle of the heart was Tiffany's name.

The atmosphere on deck reached a climax, everyone started cheering and catcalling.

The light show hadn't even finished when Tiffany's phone rang. It was Mason Stone.

Her face lit up with a smile as she answered, speaking softly and sweetly into the phone.

She ignored Julian's movements beside her, disregarded him completely, and hurried off the yacht, holding up her skirt.

As soon as she left, the group of friends dispersed.

The smile Julian had prepared for her froze on his face, then vanished.

He irritably grabbed a champagne glass from the table and smashed it onto the deck.

He turned around, then noticed I was still standing there.

He immediately composed himself, quickly walked over, and pulled me into his embrace.

"Pretty, isn't it?" he asked, referring to the lights in the sky.

Over his shoulder, I looked at the fading pattern in the sky, softly hummed in agreement, then pushed him away with little strength.

"Make a wish," I said, looking up at the gradually dispersing drones, breaking the awkward silence.

Julian paused, then followed my suggestion, closing his eyes and pressing his palms together.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and looked at me. "I wish for Aurora and me to be together forever, to graduate smoothly, and to get married smoothly."

I mimicked his posture, closed my eyes, and made a silent wish:

I wished that after I left Julian, he and I would never cross paths again, for the rest of our lives..

"What did you wish for?"

"If I say it out loud, it won't come true."

The next day, I went to the university administration and signed the confidentiality agreement for the Pathfinder Project.

The day after that, I resigned from my part-time job at the translation company. Just before my shift ended, my supervisor handed me a Manila envelope and asked me to deliver an urgent package to an important client.

The address led to a mansion in the hills.

I took a bus for over an hour, then walked twenty minutes along a winding mountain road before finding the grand, carved iron gate. I tidied my sweat-dampened collar and pressed the doorbell.

A few seconds later, the heavy gate slid silently open.

It was Julian who opened the door.

He stood there in soft silk loungewear, his hair still damp. This version of him was a stranger, utterly different from the confident man he had been last night and from the guy who wore cheap T shirts every day.

When he saw me, his entire body froze.