"What am I supposed to think?" Owen let out a helpless laugh.
"Anjou is my wife. I married her for life. I never once thought about divorce, and I would never hurt her. Don't joke about that again. Besides, she's my wife now, and that makes her your sister-in-law." Alexander fixed his gaze on Owen as he spoke.
Owen hadn't expected Alexander to be so serious this time.
Even though the marriage was registered and the wedding was on the calendar, he still believed Alexander had only agreed to marry because of family pressure. He didn't think Alexander truly wanted to end his single life.
So Owen was shocked by Alexander's words.
"Alex, let's say, hypothetically, Anjou doesn't love you. What if she married you for some ulterior motive or reason? Would you still go through with it? Would you live like that for the rest of your life?"
"It doesn't matter. I have a whole lifetime ahead of me. I can always make her love me, can't I?" Alexander looked at Owen calmly, his tone steady but firm.
Owen smiled, raised his glass, and said, "I wish you all the best."
Alexander picked up his glass, clinked it against Owen's, and downed the drink.
Noah drove Anjou back to school.
Anjou didn't get out of the car right away. She took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Noah. I don't need half a year to give you an answer. I can tell you now. I can't wait for you for half a year because I don't have that identity or the right. I'm married."
Noah was stunned. He thought he had misheard. After a few seconds, he forced a smile and said, "Anjou, since when did you become such a joker?"
Anjou shook her head and continued, "I'm not joking. I've already registered my marriage. The wedding is scheduled for the end of the year."
"Anjou, don't make jokes like this." Noah's face darkened. He grabbed Anjou's hand. "You can reject me, but don't make up something like this."
"Noah, I'm not joking. I'm married." Anjou pulled her hand away from his and replied.
"Married? You don't even have a boyfriend. Who did you marry?" he said with a bitter smile.
"My husband is Alexander Sterling. Maybe you've heard of him," Anjou said slowly.
Noah froze instantly. He stared at Anjou as if looking at a stranger.
The car was dimly lit, with only the glow of the streetlights filtering in. But even in this light, he could still see her face.
Yet everything felt so unreal.
"Alexander Sterling? Of the Sterling Group?"
"Yes," Anjou nodded.
Noah suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping into the driver's seat.
"How did you meet him?"
"It doesn't matter how we met. We're married now. So I can't wait for you, and I don't have the right to. Don't put your hopes on me. I'm sorry," Anjou replied in a low voice.
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Maybe I came back too late," Noah said wistfully.
"Actually, about the mirror—" Anjou started to say something.
"Let's not bring others into what's between us, okay?" Noah cut her off directly.
"Sorry," Anjou apologized again.
She had said the wrong thing.
"Do you have anything else to say to me?"
"I'm sorry."
"Anything besides that?"
"Good luck," Anjou said seriously.
Noah suddenly felt like laughing, but his heart ached.
Before coming to school to find Anjou, he had searched for her for a long time. He had been very worried.
But no matter the outcome, he wanted to give it his all this time.
Anjou was about to graduate from university. Once she entered society, she would meet more people. Many things would become even more unpredictable.
So if he didn't speak up now, he might never get another chance.
But he never imagined he would be rejected for a reason like this.
It was over before it even began.
"Thank you. Let's go. I'll walk you back to your dorm."
"It's okay. I can go back by myself. Drive safely. Is your flight tomorrow? I might not be able to see you off. I wish you all the best."
"Thank you. I'd rather walk you back to the dorm before I leave. It's not too late."
Anjou finally gave in and got out of the car.
Noah walked with her into the university campus. "This was my dream university too," Noah said with emotion.
But it was just a passing thought.
"The university you're studying at now is much better."
In the world rankings, the university Noah attended was far ahead of theirs.
Noah turned to look at Anjou, smiled, and said nothing.
He walked her to the entrance of the girls' dormitory. "Go on in. I'll wait until you're inside before I leave."
"I wish you happiness, Noah," Anjou said seriously.
Noah smiled and nodded.
"I'm going in now. Bye."
Noah kept smiling but didn't nod this time.
Anjou looked away and turned toward the dormitory entrance.
At the corner, she turned her head and waved at Noah. Then her figure disappeared around the bend.
Noah stood still.
His vision blurred slightly. Even though there was a faint smile on his face, it was only because his expression had frozen in place.
There had been no promise between him and Anjou.
He hadn't even had time to say goodbye to her before he left.
After going abroad, everything had come at him all at once, overwhelming him.
In his second year abroad, he had to start working part-time just to survive.
It was only recently that things had started to stabilize, giving him a chance to breathe.
If he had called Anjou from the airport and she had answered, would he have asked her to wait for him?
If he had, would Anjou have waited for him instead of becoming someone else's wife?
But back then, he was like a leaf tossed in the wind and rain. Even if she had answered the call, he couldn't have said anything.
It seemed like everything was destined.
All his struggles were just futile efforts.
In the end, he had lost her—his youthful love and his dreams.
Anjou returned to the dormitory, feeling a little down.
If she said she wasn't sad, she would be lying to herself.
But things had come to this point, and she had no better choice.
"Anjou, we thought you were staying at home again tonight," Stella said, sitting on the bed and looking up at Anjou.
"No, I didn't go home tonight," Anjou replied.
"Did you go on a date tonight?" Stella continued, eager for gossip.
"No date. I just met up with an old classmate," Anjou answered.
"Male or female?"
"Male classmate. But it's not what you think."
"We didn't think anything," Stella and Emily exchanged glances and smiled.
Anjou laughed too and didn't bother to explain further.
"Is he handsome?" Emily asked.
"He's emigrating tomorrow. If you want me to introduce you, it might be a bit difficult."
"Come on, it's not like I'll never see him again. It's just a waste of time," Emily waved her hand in frustration.
Anjou laughed and said nothing more.
She got up, walked to the balcony, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. Then she turned off the light and climbed back into her upper bunk.
Lying in bed, she couldn't fall asleep. She picked up her phone, wanting to find someone to chat with, but she didn't know what to talk about or who to talk to.
In the end, she sent a short message to Alexander: "Are you coming back?"
She drifted off into a daze.