[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603134E5B19-46":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},46,28,"Chapter 28: A Birthday Dinner of Regret","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her birthday was coming up. It felt like ages since anyone had bothered to celebrate it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her parents had always seen her as nothing more than a pawn for a future marriage. Birthdays? They probably couldn't even remember the date.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As a kid, birthdays weren't even a thing for her. The first time anyone threw her a party was in college, courtesy of her roommates.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That's when she learned people actually celebrated getting older.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But after marrying Dante, the celebrations vanished again. He never once gave a damn about her birthday.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His grandpa did remember, but he was always swamped. So for three years, he just had the butler drop off a gift.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">So when Dante mentioned it, she figured his grandpa had gotten her a gift, but probably wouldn't show up.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Still, a sharp pang hit her. Dante remembered too?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante just shook his head. \"Grandpa couldn't make it, but I've got his gift for you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Just give me the gift. I'll skip the dinner, Mr. Williams. I wanna enjoy my birthday, my way.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine's eyes turned icy. The ache in her chest made her pull back from that fleeting softness.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Celine, there's something else I need to tell you. It's about my parents. I'll tell you over dinner, okay?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sensing her pushback, Dante swallowed his own heartache and brought up the two people she could never say no to.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He knew it was a low blow, but if it could make her drop her guard even a smidge, if it could stop her from shutting him down completely, he'd try anything.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine eyed him suspiciously. What could he possibly have to say about his parents? They'd been gone for ages.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Dante, are you sure it's about your parents?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Absolutely. I wouldn't lie to you about this. So, the day after tomorrow, I'll pick you up after class, alright?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante met her gaze earnestly, his tone firm with sincerity. Reluctantly, Celine agreed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On Celine's birthday.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante led Celine to the front of his apartment building. As they were about to head inside, Celine stopped him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Dinner? Is there a restaurant here? If you need to change, I can wait downstairs.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante offered a helpless smile. \"Celine, I cooked your favorite dishes myself. It's just a meal. After we eat, I'll drive you back, okay?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He felt both relieved by her wariness and heartbroken by it. Now, in her eyes, he was just like everyone else. Even sharing a meal required such caution.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Let's go.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Stepping into his apartment, Celine's jaw dropped at the feast laid out on the dining table. She turned to him. \"You made all this?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Yep. Have a seat.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante pulled out a chair for her. Once she was settled, he poured her a glass of red wine, then moved to his own seat and continued.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"They're all your favorites. I learned from Mrs. Wilson back home. She's already taste-tested them, so you're good to go.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine picked up a Cajun-spiced shrimp. It was already peeled, its golden, crispy shell coated in a buttery herb crust and flecks of pepper.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She took a bite. The savory flavor exploded in her mouth—crispy outside, firm and springy inside. It was genuinely divine.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She then took a sip of the creamy seafood chowder Dante had served her. The milky broth was sweet and savory, with a subtle herbal aroma.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It had been so long since she'd tasted these flavors. Instantly, her appetite flared, a wave of nostalgia washing over her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Watching her devour the food, Dante finally let out a breath and started eating too.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A bittersweet ache and a flicker of warmth stirred within Celine. Dante, the sole heir to the Williams fortune, raised in opulence, doted on by everyone after losing his parents young. He was never the type to do this sort of thing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she was his wife, she'd handled every single detail of his life—his meals, his laundry, his outfits. Back then, he hadn't even offered a simple thank you.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Yet here was the proud, arrogant Dante Williams, willing to learn to cook just to please her. To get her to share a single meal, he hadn't hesitated to invoke his deceased parents, seeking her out, begging her again and again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Looking at the spread before her, she could almost picture him failing, getting hurt, over and over while mastering these dishes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It would be a lie to say she wasn't moved. The heartache was real, too.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Did she not love him? If not, how could she hate him so fiercely? How could her heart ache like this? It was all a tangled mess.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But this ache, this lingering love, wasn't nearly enough to erase the pain he had inflicted.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was her own person, first and foremost. How could she forget the hurt just because he was being nice now?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">How could she face the girl she used to be, who endured so much humiliation and torment?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She also didn't believe Dante could just forget their past and pretend everything was fine. If he truly loved her, how could he forget the pain he'd caused?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine's eyes began to well up, her nose prickling with emotion. Dante noticed her suddenly bow her head, frozen.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What's wrong?\" he asked.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The moment she looked up, he saw her reddened eyes. \"Celine, what is it? Please don't cry. Is the food bad? If it's not good, we don't have to eat it. I'll take you out.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine shook her head, the unshed tears in her eyes twisting his heart.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Dante,\" she whispered, her voice thick. \"If you knew it would end up like this... why did you treat me that way back then...\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272932864]