Silvia sat up abruptly, shaking off the remnants of sleep.
Kent, already attuned to her slightest movement, rose from the mattress as well.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice cool, eyes flicking over her with that familiar, distant coldness.
"I'm fine," Silvia replied quietly, her tone even and guarded.
After Kent left, Silvia lay back down, staring at the ceiling. The buzz from the wine earlier had faded completely, replaced by a dull emptiness. Maybe it was the alcohol, or just exhaustion, but she drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.
When she finally woke, sunlight was already streaming through the window. It was nearly nine in the morning.
She headed downstairs to pick up breakfast. As she waited in line at the café, she idly checked her phone—and there it was, Vianne’s newest post.
A photo of a lavish breakfast spread, plates brimming with fresh pastries, fruit, and coffee. The caption read: “Woke up to breakfast made just for me. Nothing feels better than being spoiled by someone who loves you.” Front and center was a heart-shaped fried egg—impossible to miss.
Shipley never ate breakfast. He didn’t have the habit, and certainly never made it—for anyone. But for Vianne, he’d made an exception.
Amazing, Silvia thought. Even the most stubborn people abandon their principles for the ones they truly love.
She was still lost in this thought when a voice startled her back to the present.
"Miss, your egg."
A young barista held out a hard-boiled egg to her, steam curling from the shell. Silvia accepted it, forcing a polite smile. "Thank you."
She paid for her breakfast and headed home, the egg warm in her hand. Suddenly, she let out a soft, rueful laugh.
A single egg.
Something so simple—something she could easily buy for herself—yet something she could never get from Shipley, no matter how much she’d wanted it.
Perhaps love really wasn’t so indispensable after all.
“My family isn’t here,” Silvia said, a trace of desperation coloring her voice.
“Then you’ll need to contact a friend or colleague. The forms are complicated—you can’t handle them alone,” the doctor said kindly.
“Okay, I’ll try to find someone,” she replied.
As the doctor walked away, Silvia scrolled through her contacts. Three years in Luminova City, and nearly every moment had revolved around one man. She hadn’t made any real friends.
Shipley’s name hovered at the top of her list, but she couldn’t bring herself to call him—not now.
That left only Kent.
But she and Kent weren’t close. They weren’t even friends.
Still, there was no one else.

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