Chapter 60

Winter in the northern city always carried a bone-chilling dampness. The weather forecast had warned of snow for a week, but only freezing rain arrived. By morning, a thin layer of ice had formed on the roads.

Evelyn Langley tightened her down jacket and wrapped her cashmere scarf twice around her neck. She had deliberately chosen slip-resistant snow boots and double-checked her exam admission ticket and stationery before stepping out.

Sophia Laurent had sworn the night before that she would wear a qipao to see Evelyn off to the exam. But now, she was most likely still curled up in bed catching up on sleep. Evelyn scanned the crowd outside the exam hall and, as expected, didn’t spot her.

This kind of friendship—one that didn’t require constant maintenance—was the most comforting. Even if months passed without contact, they could still meet again without any awkwardness.

When the two-hour exam ended, the other candidates around her were either elated or anxious. Evelyn handed in her paper calmly, then opened her umbrella and stepped into the fine winter drizzle.

"Evelyn?"

A familiar voice made her pause. Isabella Evans stood under the eaves of the building, her black coat making her complexion appear even paler.

It had been half a year since their last encounter—the incident that had ended in the hospital. Isabella’s gaze fell on the stationery bag in Evelyn’s hand. "You really came for the grad school entrance exam?"

"Yeah." Evelyn lifted the edge of her umbrella slightly. "Something I’ve always wanted to finish."

Isabella hesitated. She knew Evelyn had only started preparing after the breakup, with barely enough time to make it seem like a joke. And she, more than anyone, understood just how fierce the competition was at Harvard.

"My brother—" The words died on her lips. Isabella remembered Margaret Evans’ complaints that morning—how Nathan had been suffering from stomach problems lately, practically turning the hospital into a second home.

This winter, no one in the Evans family had been doing well.

The slanting rain dampened the hem of Isabella’s coat. As she studied Evelyn’s composed profile, a sudden realization struck her—this time, there really was no going back.