#Choices of Flavor and Shadows from Three Years Ago
Drew finally looked up from the menu and called over the restaurant server standing near the glass pillar. He stared intently at his wife before asking, “What do you want to eat, Alea?”
Alea, who still felt out of place in the atmosphere of the upscale fine-dining restaurant, slowly shook her head. “I’ve never been here before. You order.”
Without hesitation, Drew listed a series of dishes. “Seared Scallop and Citrus Salad, Herb-Crusted Beef Tenderloin—but make sure my wife’s portion doesn’t have any mushrooms, and...” Drew paused, gazing attentively into Alea’s eyes. “You like chocolate, right?”
When Alea gave a small nod in surprise, Drew continued his order. “Dark Chocolate Mousse.”
He closed the menu and handed it back to the server. “Bring out all the best selections on the menu for my friends,” he added shortly before the server walked away.
Across the table, Julian, Kevin, and Ishara sat frozen, exchanging questioning glances. None of the dishes Drew had just ordered were the kind of food he liked.
Alea silently stared at her husband, her heart pounding with disbelief. How could Drew have memorized her favorite foods so precisely? He even knew she was allergic to mushrooms—something they had never specifically discussed at home.
Feeling stifled by Ishara’s sharp, probing gaze from where she sat not far away, Alea immediately searched for an excuse to escape for a while. She had to get out of this suffocating atmosphere.
“I... I’m going to the bathroom for a minute,” Alea said softly. “Oh, and I think I need to call the client who wants to order a flower arrangement for tomorrow. It’s important.”
Drew stopped his wife from moving. His fingers closed around Alea’s wrist, holding her back. “Is it really that important? Can’t it wait until later? Or do you need me to come with you?”
Alea quickly shook her head with a faint smile. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just be a minute.”
She then rose from her chair and walked toward the area outside near the hallway to the bathroom. But after she had taken only a few steps away, Ishara also got up, using the bathroom as an excuse.
At the main table, now occupied by only the three men, Julian immediately leaned forward and fixed Drew with a sharp look. “Bro, be honest... why did you suddenly bring Alea to this event? This was supposed to be our get-together with Ishara.”
Drew lifted his chin and answered in a cold, unconcerned tone. “Alea’s my wife. What’s wrong with bringing her? Or do you two have some other plan behind this event?”
Kevin let out a quiet snort, trying to cool things down. “No, don’t get the wrong idea. We’re not trying to do anything. This is a dinner after Ishara came back from overseas. We thought the two of you could reminisce and talk everything out properly.”
Drew narrowed his eyes, a warning flashing in his gaze as he looked at both of his friends. “Was this your idea, or hers?”
The table fell silent at once. No one dared answer until Julian finally let out a long sigh and said carefully, “Ishara and her husband have separated, Drew. She just got divorced because...”
“Whatever her reason for getting divorced, it has absolutely nothing to do with me,” Drew cut in quickly. “You only need to remember one thing: I’m married to Alea. And that fact can’t be changed by anything or anyone in this world.”
Meanwhile, near a relatively quiet corner of the hallway, Alea took out her phone and called Nia. She told her how she had gotten trapped in this awkward situation—having dinner with Drew, his two friends, and his former lover.
“Ale, don’t tell me Drew deliberately brought you there just to blow off Ishara? Or... is he using you to make Ishara jealous?” Nia guessed excitedly from the other end.
Alea fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. “Nia, no way. You’re reading too much into it. Who am I to make Ishara jealous? To Drew, I’m nobody—just the wife from a blind date.”
“Ugh, you’re too naive, Ale!” Nia exhaled. “Or... maybe Drew needs a shield to turn Ishara down gently, and that shield is you!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, why wouldn’t Drew want to get back together with Ishara now that she’s single?”
“Aleee... Why are you so dumb?” Nia clicked her tongue in frustration. “It’s simple. Drew doesn’t want to get back together with his ex. He brought you. That’s it. Just accept it and let your heart bloom. There’s nothing wrong with going out with the husband you love, right?”
They laughed together, until Nia ended the call first because her phone battery was running low.
Alea lowered her phone and thought over Nia’s words. But when she turned around to return to the table, Ishara was already standing directly in front of her, arms folded across her chest and wearing a condescending smile.
Alea gave her a polite, perfunctory smile. Without saying a word, she simply walked past Ishara and returned to the dining area.
Shortly before ten that night, the exhausting dinner finally came to an end. They walked together toward the restaurant lobby, where the cars were parked.
Just before Drew opened the car door for her, Ishara stepped closer and tossed out one last remark to draw everyone’s attention. “You’re not wearing the ruby bracelet I gave you yesterday, Alea?”
Alea stopped. But before she could answer, Drew spoke first. “I prefer white diamonds on my wife’s hand over a ruby from someone who’s too flashy.”
Ishara froze. Her breath caught, completely unable to imagine that Drew’s reaction would be so cruel. And immediately after delivering that devastating line, Drew clasped Alea’s hand tightly and guided her into the car, leaving Ishara standing alone beneath the dim streetlights.
Inside the car as it began gliding through the quiet city streets at night, Alea sat lost in thought. Her mind raced. Everything Drew had done that night had felt so protective and beneficial to her position as his wife—from holding her hand and ordering food without mushrooms and her favorite chocolate, to fiercely defending her over the bracelet Ishara had given her.
Yet beneath that false warmth, Alea’s memories were suddenly pulled back to a day three years ago, to the night of their rushed engagement after their families had arranged their blind date.
The memory replayed in her mind with perfect clarity. Drew’s flat voice from that time echoed in her ears. “We’ll live a normal life after we get married, Alea. As your husband, I’ll provide for all your needs. But remember this: there won’t be any feelings between us. This marriage will be loveless.”
Back then, Alea had only nodded obediently. She knew the risks all too well. And to this day, beside the man who treated her so sweetly in public, the bitter truth remained unchanged: from then until now, deep in his heart, Drew had never loved her.
Back then, she had even asked him outright, “If there’s no love in your heart, why did you choose me?”