---- Lacey was dressed up very youthfully today. She looked very much like a college student. Her activewear jacket was only zipped up halfway, revealing her black sports bra and refined collar bones underneath. A heart-shaped pendant hung from her clavicle, the diamonds on it sparkling brightly under the light and looking eerily like a set with the bracelet Madeline was wearing. Lacey thanked Madeline for the directions, but she still remained standing before her. "Are you living nearby too? We must be from the same neighborhood after all!" The Samoyed in her hand wouldn't stop sniffing around Madeline's feet as soon as it saw her. Madeline's smile remained on her face. "Possibly." She then stared at Lacey for a long while, a half- smile on her face, giving Lacey a curious once- over from head to toe. She wanted to know what sort of tricks this woman was up to. Lacey didn't seem like she wanted to move at all. She sat down on the stone bench next to Madeline ---- and asked, ''Are you out here jogging on your own? It's not safe for a woman to be jogging by herself. Why isn't your boyfriend with you?" As soon as the words were out, she pretended to have just thought of something and apologized. " Oops, sorry! I just meant that you look like someone who should have a boyfriend, seeing how pretty you are. That's why I..." Madeline didn't even bother exposing her. She replied in a low voice, "He's out on a business trip. What about you? Married? Or single?" After all, when dealing with a hypocrite, Madeline couldn't appear to be just like them. Otherwise, their topic would soon digress, and she wouldn't be able to get the answers she wanted to hear. All she had to do was to be straightforward and catch her off guard instead. Still, Madeline didn't know if her tactic would be effective in a situation like this. She was also testing the waters, trying to see how deep it went before throwing herself into it. ---- Lacey lowered her head and let out a melodious laugh. "I'm still single, but I do have a lover. Unfortunately, we aren't able to be together because of some circumstances, so I've been alone for the past few years." She then raised her head and looked at Madeline. " Do you get what I mean?" Madeline blinked. "I get it. So, are you still waiting for that lover of yours?" "Of course! I've always been waiting for him. I believe that he will return to me one day." Madeline looked at her. "What if he's already found himself a girlfriend? Maybe he isn't waiting for you anymore." "Tt won't happen," Lacey said confidently. " There's still a place for me in his heart. We've been together since our college days. We were in Jadesville back then, and we always went to church together with his friends. "After that, we would volunteer at the local shelter and care for the stray animals in need. We ---- also worked part-time together. We love each other very much. Had it not been for... for some issues to rise, I believe that we would never have separated for the past few years." Madeline felt her throat constricting. ''How are you so sure that he still loves you?" "Why wouldn't I be? He has been paving the path for my success ever since I came back home. He even rented a place for me to stay that's really close to his own home, just so that he could easily come and take care of me. If that's not love, what would that be? "T came from a very ordinary household, and my family isn't rich or famous. If it hadn't been for him, I would never have been able to overcome the many years of being alone in a foreign country and become the person I am today. "That's why I think that we were meant to be together," Lacey said lightly and happily, as if she was suddenly feeling a lot better after getting things off her chest. "Nobody will be able to keep us apart. We belong together. It's fate."