Sara stuffed a puff into her mouth, and it exploded into a thick, gooey deliciousness. With that, a sense
of satisfaction arose in her heart.
Holding back the desire to have more of that creamy pleasure, Sara took a plate and filled it with
various delicacies. Once she was done putting enough food on her plate, she started eating with a fork.
While doing so, she looked around to see if there was anyone she knew.
Strangely enough, Ethan caught her eye. It took her by surprise that the food she had swallowed got
stuck in her throat. She coughed and gagged uncontrollably, so she quickly poured herself a glass of
juice.
While she was taking a huge swig of the drink, Ethan walked up to her.
It had been a long time since they last saw each other. Because of this, Sara stared at him in a daze as
she tried to recall a memory of him.
"Are you okay, Sara?" Ethan asked in a soft voice, an indescribable look in his eyes.
"I'm fine. Long time no see. How have you been?" Sara slowly took a step back and sat on the bench.
"I'm okay. A little lonely, but fine," Ethan answered while shaking his glass in an implicating manner.
However, Sara did not say anything further. She just continued eating with her head down. A deafening
silence fell between them. Although Ethan was a good man, she felt uncomfortable around him. After
all, she had turned him down before, making the atmosphere between them awkward and uneasy.
"Well..." Sara had no idea what to say.
Noticing that she could not carry on their conversation, Ethan smiled bitterly and decided to break the
silence himself. "To be honest, I've tried contacting you many times, but to no avail. When I said that I
could be your friend, I was lying to myself. Until now, I still can't speak out my feelings for you. Even as
a friend, I can only look at you from afar. By the way, I heard about you from the news."
Sara was astounded. It turned out that Ethan was an honest and straightforward man. Sadly, honesty
was not enough. The sequence of her life had already been determined from the start. No matter how
hard someone tried, nothing could be changed anymore.
Just as Ethan said, they could only be friends. Nothing more.
"Well, let bygones be bygones. I've always believed that you're a good person anyway. You'll definitely
meet someone else, a woman who's far better and more suitable for you than I am."
Sara got up and smiled at him. Then, she stuffed a slice of steak into her mouth, pretending to be at
ease.
"Yes, I know. I just want to know how you're doing and who you are with. Sara, how are you?" Ethan
asked, his eyes filled with sadness and longing.
If only he could, he would protect Sara at all costs. Unfortunately, he never had such a chance.
Sara paused for a moment and heaved a sigh. "I'm fine. Although I've been hurt a lot and suffered so
much, I still believe in love. Actually, I'm going to be married again soon. It's just a matter of time."
Ethan had heard about it for a long time. But for some reason, he still felt surprised when he heard it
from Sara herself.
"Are you... Does he treat you well?" Ethan's words were incoherent, and he was at a loss. All his life,
he had hoped that he could at least have a chance to be with Sara, but his hopes shattered in an
instant.
"Yes, he does. Actually, I never expected that he would treat me well one day. Now, I've been looking
forward to sharing my future with him." Judging from her smile, it was undeniable that she was on top
of the world.
Not wanting to spoil her moment, Ethan hid the disappointment in his eyes. Instead, he pretended to be
happy in front of her. "Really? Congratulations! I'm really happy for you. I wish you happiness."
Ethan tipped his glass, a gesture that denoted compliments, and drank it up.
"It was nice catching up with you. Unfortunately, I have to leave now. Bye, Sara." Ethan smiled, yet
tears were welling up in his eyes.
Sara noticed and thought to herself, 'Was that real, or was it only an illusion?' "Bye."
It was not until Ethan was far away that Sara finally felt relieved. Once he was gone, she continued
eating with her head down again.
"What's wrong, Sara? Who was that?" All of a sudden, Sara heard a familiar voice.
Surprised, she raised her head and stared at the woman in front of her. It was Bess.
"Nothing. He's just an old friend of mine." Sara rolled her eyes when she spoke. Honestly, she did not
have enough courage to look straight into Bess's scrutinizing eyes.
"Really? Are you sure? I don't think he wants to be just a friend. Sara, why don't I have a 'friend' just
like him?" With a helpless shrug, Bess deliberately looked for Ethan who had just left.
"You already have Noah, right? Didn't you say yourself that it should be quality over quantity? Bess, be
honest. Did you two have a fight again? Tell me,"
Sara asked with her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"No, we didn't fight again. Why did you even think that we did? I'm speechless." Bess sat beside Sara
and rested her head on the table.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Bess. Anyway, why did you suddenly become so sad and decadent? Are you mad?"
Sara put down her plate and gently nudged her friend on the shoulder.
"What? No, I'm not mad. Don't worry," Bess suddenly said as if she had just gotten out of a trance. She
then put down Sara's hand and said, "Eat. I know you're hungry."
Sara smiled happily and thought that Bess was really her best friend. Without a second thought, she
picked up her plate and continued eating as told.
Gazing at Sara, who was eating like a kitten, Bess smiled dotingly from the bottom of her heart.
"How's it going? Are you busy in the company? Also, how is Auntie?" With her fingers intertwined, Bess
put her hands on the table and looked at Sara with inquisitive eyes.
"Same old same old. Actually, I feel so much better now. I'm no longer as impulsive as before. I've
learned a lot. It's probably because of Jacob that I've made up my mind to settle down. He's changed."
To put it humbly, Sara attributed all the credit to Jacob. It was not entirely true, though. Nevertheless,
he was of great help to her. If it were not for him, she would not have been the person she was now.
Without him, Sara's life would have been different. Who knew how it would have been? Her life would
definitely be tragic and unfortunate.
Jacob might have been her karma, but at the same time, he saved her life.
Bess breathed a sigh of relief. She now somehow understood her friend. It is said that what cannot kill
you make you stronger. That seemed to be the case for Sara.
They loved and hated at the same time. But when it came to love, nobody could separate them.
"When will you two be married again? Noah mentioned to me that when Jacob told him that he wanted
to marry you again, you didn't respond. What's the matter?"
Bess propped her chin with both hands and gazed at Sara's expression carefully.
It seemed that time did not apply to Sara. She still looked the same as she was in the university, or
better yet, even younger.
"I don't know. My mom is still in the hospital. I feel like I don't have time to deal with that matter for the
time being. Besides, my father is not in a good mood. I don't want my parents to get upset. Jacob and I
can remarry at any time. It's just that I don't want my parents to get anxious, even just a bit,"
Sara replied noncommittally with a sigh.
"Well, I was just asking. I don't mean to push you. Besides, I won't have any objection to your
remarriage. You can do whatever you want. And if you don't want to remarry him, I won't say anything
about it either."
Bess paused for a second and took a sip of her drink.
"You're my friend. I want you to live a happy life. As for the others, I don't care about them. So, Sara, if
you make a decision to pursue happiness, I won't stop you."
Bess smiled at her dotingly. Such a smile of her was only meant for Sara.
Their friendship had never changed as time went by. Both of them clearly knew about this.
That was precisely the reason why the two of them had always been reliant on each other. What
friends can give is something that even a family and lover cannot offer.
Nobody can ever deny that fact.
Some people say that love is a must and that everyone will eventually marry. Well, at least most will.
Furthermore, friendships are only a luxury.
Many people are looking for a sincere friendship all their lives because most of the people they
encounter are hypocrites. As a result, they only live with a few true friends.
Perhaps Sara was fortunate that she had met her true friend for life. After all, that was something other
people had been searching for their whole lives. Sara found hers without even looking for it at
all.
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