Even though she left late, Lucia still arrived at the restaurant before Vincent.

She ordered all his favorite dishes and waited in the private room for over an hour before he finally showed up, an apologetic look on his face.

"Lucia, I'm so sorry. A few of the old family guys ambushed me and held me up. You must be starving. Let's eat."

Vincent sat down and saw the table full of his favorite foods, a sweet smile spreading across his face.

"You're the best, Lucia. You always remember what I like. I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm so happy when I'm with you."

The food had been kept warm. He expertly picked up his fork, cut off the best piece of steak, and naturally placed it on Lucia's plate. "You eat first. Be careful, it's hot."

Throughout the meal, whenever Lucia's wine glass was empty, Vincent would stop what he was doing and refill it for her.

He helped her with her coat and made sure she was comfortable, insisting on doing everything for her.

In his own words: "You protect me in the big things, and I take care of you in the little things. We're a perfect match."

These were habits they had shared for seven years, but now, feeling Vincent's attentiveness, Lucia felt no joy at all.

In fact, every time he was thoughtful, the image of his texts with Scarlett flashed in her mind.

At the movie theater, Vincent didn't book a private screening, wanting them to have a date like a normal couple.

Lucia didn't care anymore, so she didn't object. She bought popcorn and a Coke and followed him inside.

They had bought seats in the couples' section. As they sat down, two girls next to them glanced over in surprise and started whispering.

"Oh my god, are they celebrities? He's so handsome and she's so elegant and beautiful. They look like they walked right out of a movie!"

"And they're so sweet together! When they walked over, he stayed half a step behind to protect her. And when she looked back at him, her eyes were so full of tenderness and love. It's so cute!"

Vincent heard them and a happy grin spread across his face. With the girls watching, he leaned over and gave Lucia a sudden kiss.

A muffled squeal of excitement came from the side. Vincent's eyes crinkled with laughter as he gently traced a finger across Lucia's palm.

"Lucia, they said we're sweet. I think so too. Every moment with you is the sweetest thing in the world."

Lucia met his sparkling eyes and reached up to stroke his hair, saying nothing.

The movie Vincent had chosen was a bit slow, with a three-and-a-half-hour runtime.

During the film, Lucia noticed that Vincent wasn't paying attention. He kept looking down at his phone, the screen lighting up and dimming in the dark theater, a constant, annoying distraction.

Perhaps sensing the shift in her mood, Vincent nervously traced her palm again.

"Lucia, it's... it's just work. They keep messaging me. Don't worry, I already told them I'm on a date with you this afternoon and to stop bothering me."

He said it was work, but Lucia knew. From the phone call that morning to the constant messages now, the one disturbing them wasn't his company. It was Scarlett.

But she didn't call him out on it. Under his anxious gaze, she simply ruffled his hair like she always did.

"It's fine. Let's watch the movie."

Vincent let out a breath of relief, as if he'd been pardoned. As Lucia turned back to the screen, he quickly typed a message on his phone.

"Don't message me again until tomorrow. Shut the fuck up!"

From the corner of her eye, Lucia saw the reply pop up instantly: a crying emoji.

It was followed by another message. "Vincent, you don't love me anymore. All you care about is being with that woman. You don't have me in your heart at all."

Vincent paused, hesitated for a few seconds, and didn't reply.

Lucia thought he might finally focus and spend this last anniversary with her.

But five or six minutes later, Vincent was fidgeting and picked up his phone again.

His fingers flew across the screen: "I'm really busy today. Be a good girl, baby. Daddy will make it up to you tomorrow."

Scarlett replied instantly.

"I love you, Daddy! I knew you loved me the most!"

Vincent's expression softened into a smile as he typed back: "Daddy loves you too. Be a good girl and wait for me tomorrow."

Then, he carefully looked up. Seeing Lucia sitting upright, her eyes fixed on the screen, he assumed she hadn't noticed a thing.

He thought he had gotten away with it.

But Lucia, who had seen everything, felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.