---- Chapter 8 Later, I heard from our former class monitor that Sophia had gone abroad. Finally, she was gone. She had been clinging to me so tightly that it became unbearable. While she stopped pestering me, others quickly took her place. Ever since that class reunion, countless former classmates had tried to add me on social media, some even proposing business collaborations. I had my assistant reject them all. What good could come from a bunch of fair-weather friends? Then, on my birthday, Catherine woke me up early. "Honey! Get up and get dressed! I'm taking you out for some fun!" I looked at her, my eyes full of affection. "So early? Don't you want to sleep in a bit?" She just smiled. "Why waste this beautiful ---- morning in bed?" Catherine took me to a rooftop garden restaurant. It turned out she had planned a surprise birthday party for me. From dawn to dusk, my entire day was filled with little surprises. Watching her smile, I felt incredibly lucky to have a wife as wonderful as Catherine. She was someone who stood by me when I needed comfort and cared for me when I needed support. Even our relationship had started with her confessing her feelings to me. I once asked her why she chose me as her husband, why she treated me so well. Her answer was firm-because I was worth it. She told me she had known me long before we officially met. She had seen me on the side of the road once, helping an elderly woman to sell apples and push her cart. "you know, of all the professors I could have ---- chosen, do you know why I picked Professor Warren? Because I wanted to be in the same lab as you. Because you were there. But then you got together with Sophia, so I just quietly wished you both the best from afar. Fortunately, fate was still on my side. I finally got to be with you." Thinking about it, I realized how blessed I was to have met her in this life. That night, we shared a beautiful, intimate moment. The next day, Sophia showed up at my office. She looked pale and frail, clearly worn down. The moment she saw me, she quickly stood up. "you're back? I thought you said you were leaving. Why are you here?" Hearing this, Sophia's eyes lit up. She must have misunderstood, thinking I still cared about her. Her happiness was painfully obvious.