Tara couldn't explain how she survived the days following Selena's sudden departure.
She only remembered hearing the news directly from Lily, that Selena had been dismissed from the company and why. In her dismay, Tara searched all over the city for her, revisiting Selena's favorite restaurants, the shops she used to love, and even the jazz bars they'd once frequented together. And only then did Tara realize: the city was filled with Selena's traces, though Selena herself was nowhere to be found.
Eventually, she returned to Selena's cherished apartment. The place was covered in dust, empty, with not a single trace of her. After cleaning the place from top to bottom, Tara found she couldn't recall many of Selena's things. Iri, the cat, was still there, so perhaps she was the only one Selena had left behind.
The stories people told her didn't help much. Some said Selena had landed a better-paying job; others said she'd gone traveling alone to find peace.
Selena hadn't deleted her on social media, and Tara still sent her messages—always unanswered. Selena didn't post anything either.
Later, Tara left her job and co-founded a studio with a friend. As time passed, Tara became known simply as "Ms. Tara." Her past was now a distant memory, too faint and surreal to believe it had once been real.
On a chilly night at a quarter past eleven, in a city where winter nights were especially long, the streets were packed with late commuters. Office towers went dark one by one, leaving only the tenth floor of the LQ Building lit up.
Two interns, looking drained, put away their things and headed to the elevator.
"Hey, Nana, have you heard why Ms. Tara's sending herself all the way to Lanshui? Do you really think it's to 'find inspiration'?" one of them whispered, mimicking a deep, dramatic tone.
"Come on, who'd believe that? I heard that she's got an old flame out there who finally resurfaced. My guess is she's going to settle things once and for all."
"Oh my God, what kind of person would ditch someone like Ms. Tara?"
Ding—
The elevator doors slid open, and both interns froze upon seeing who was inside. Quickly, they silenced their gossip and lowered their heads in respect.
"Good evening, Ms. Tara."
Tara wore a light gray wool coat, her long, dark hair falling softly over her shoulders. She wore no makeup, save for a pair of thin, gold-rimmed glasses—a style she'd worn for years. Her dark eyes looked serene, yet distant, softened by her lashes but cool and restrained, accentuating the quiet elegance of her features.
"Good evening." She nodded, giving a polite smile as she glanced at the names on their badges. "Nana, Chen. Good work tonight."
The two interns, flustered, shook their heads, quickly saying it was no trouble at all. They were happy to work overtime, even while pressing themselves into the corner of the elevator.
After they left, the elevator continued downward until only Tara was left.
Under the white lights, her slender frame radiated elegance tinged with an unspoken loneliness.
The winter air hit her face the moment she exited the building, sharp and dry, and the stale chill of the parking garage forced a cough from her lips.
Lena, who had been leaning against Tara's car, heard her cough and frowned, walking over quickly.
"You're almost thirty, Tara. Do you still think you're in your twenties, dressing this light in the middle of winter?"
Tara chuckled, playing along, "I know. I guess I'm getting old; I can't take the cold like I used to."
The memory flickered in her mind—Selena, dressed like this too, always in skirts, always thin layers even when it was freezing. Did she ever get cold? she wondered.
As they walked, Lena paused, stepped back to take a better look at Tara, and said, "You know, the way you dress these days… you're starting to look more and more like…"
But her sentence trailed off, stopping herself as she gauged Tara's reaction. Tara, however, didn't seem hurt. She simply looked ahead, expression unchanging, and Lena let out a quiet sigh.
Maybe, after all this time, Tara was finally letting it go.
By the time they arrived at Tara's home, it was nearly midnight. Iri, her fluffy gray cat, ran straight to the door, skidding to a stop in front of Tara, belly up and purring for a scratch.
Tara smiled, crouching down to pet Iri's soft fur.
"Iri, I finally found your other mom," she whispered. "She's in Lanshui."
Iri meowed, batting playfully at her fingers, but Lena was watching Tara carefully, her expression darkening as realization struck.
"You're not serious," Lena said, reaching out to grab Tara's arm, "Tara, you can't go looking for her."
Tara only shook her head, untangling herself from Lena's grip. She scratched Iri's ears, then said, her voice thick, "Lena, you don't understand what she means to me. I need to do this. Nothing you say will change my mind."
Lena sighed, softened by the weight in Tara's voice. She hesitated before speaking again, her tone gentle. "If you were never going to let her go, you should've stopped her back then. But since you let her go, you need to let yourself heal. You're a shadow of who you used to be, Tara. Look at yourself," Lena said, resting a hand on Tara's thin shoulder, feeling the sharpness of her collarbone beneath the fabric.
Tara gave her a sad smile. The truth was, she never wanted to let Selena go; it was Selena who left, cutting all ties, no matter how Tara had begged her to stay. Now, after waiting five years, the hope she'd long buried flickered back to life.
Wait for me, Selena.
Selena had always been someone who followed her decisions through. The day she'd walked out of Tara's life, she did so completely, as if she'd never existed. She didn't go to the company Tara's mother had arranged; she couldn't bring herself to betray Tara like that. Instead, she vanished, changed her phone number, and slipped away into the world, spending her days drifting from place to place.
Everywhere she went, people asked about her downcast gaze and distant air. Once, in a remote village, an elderly woman took one look at her and said her eyes were "cursed by love."
Selena had only laughed, not bothering to deny it.
And as much as she tried, she could never quite let go of Tara. She even kept her old social media account, sometimes receiving Tara's messages but never responding, knowing it would break her resolve.
When loneliness began to consume her, she took a job in a small county called Lanshui. Though it was far from the bustling city, she found peace there. The people were warm, and she worked hard, quickly rising to become a supervisor.
It was a quiet evening in the office when a young coworker knocked on her door.
"Ms. Lane, you're still here? It's past nine!"
Selena looked up, smiling faintly. "I'm just wrapping up. You go on ahead."
The girl tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "You know tomorrow's New Year's Day, right? You're not working on the holiday, are you?"
Selena blinked, glancing at her calendar. New Year's. She felt a pang in her chest. Every New Year's since she left Tara, she'd tried to ignore the date, to forget.
The memories stirred. Was Tara happy? Had she and Thomas finally settled down? The thought of Thomas's smirk, the way he'd hugged Tara close with a glint of smug triumph in his eyes, was sharp and painful.
"Ms. Lane?"
Selena snapped out of it, forcing herself to smile. "Thank you. Happy New Year. I'll see you soon."
The girl gave her a grin and pointed out the window. "Take care—it's snowing out."
Selena looked out and saw the snowflakes drifting through the darkness, a hauntingly familiar sight.
That night had been snowing too.
The memories haunted her as she put on her coat and turned off the lights. She had no umbrella, and when she tried to hail a ride, there were no drivers available this late.
It was cold and bitter out, but she took a breath and started to walk, though her pace slowed. Maybe the cold will numb things.
A soft pop broke the silence, and Selena turned, startled.
In the falling snow, under the dim streetlight, was Tara.
Tara's hair was long and dark, streaked with snowflakes. She held an umbrella overhead, covering Selena but exposing herself, her lips parted in what seemed like a mixture of awe and relief.
Selena felt as if she were seeing a mirage, unsure if it was real.
Tara stood there, her voice a quiet murmur that drifted through the snow.
"Selena, it's a beautiful night for snow."
Her words were soft, and in the hush of the falling snow, Selena could finally believe it.