Rowan was surprised: "Officer Caleb?"

Caleb stood outside, looking somewhat awkward: "I left my coat at your shop. When I finished handling the case and went back, the place was already closed. I apologize for the late-night intrusion, but I have my house keys in the pocket..."

The washing machine rumbled as it spun.

Rowan felt a bit embarrassed; had she known, she wouldn't have washed it.

"I saw the clothes were completely soaked, so I planned to wash them and take them to the police station for you. They're already in the machine now."

As she finished, she paused and asked, "Our neighborhood security is very strict. Without the owner’s consent, not even a mosquito can get in. How did you get in, Officer Caleb?"

Caleb replied flatly: "Perhaps, because I’m a police officer."

Rowan nodded: "It’ll be done soon. Do you want to come in and wait?"

Caleb looked at his watch: "How much longer? I’ll wait outside."

Rowan felt a slight pang in her heart, only then realizing how absurd her invitation had just been.

She must have been crazy to invite a man she’d only met twice into her home late at night.

She turned back to check the time on the washing machine display.

It still needed thirty minutes.

She had just walked to the door to tell Caleb the time.

Her phone in her hand suddenly vibrated with a buzz.

She rushed to answer, but her fingertip slipped, accidentally hitting speakerphone.

Uncle Lewis’s voice came through from the other end.

"Rowan, you and Xiao have been dating for two years now. When do you plan to settle things? Uncle Lewis is waiting to drink a toast at your wedding!"

Rowan cast a cautious glance at Caleb.

"Uncle Lewis, I’ll call you back in a bit. I’m in the middle of something right now."

After hanging up, the two remained speechless as they looked at each other.

Caleb was a guest and wasn't willing to enter, so Rowan could only accompany him at the door.

That night.

After Caleb got his coat back, he invited his colleague, Liu Lin, to a street-side stall for barbecue.

"Boss, bring us a dozen beers!"

Liu Lin cracked a bottle cap open with his teeth: "Yo, what’s up with our Captain Caleb? I thought you never drank."

He filled Caleb’s glass and draped an arm over his shoulder: "What’s on your mind? Tell me."

Caleb remained silent, just drinking cup after cup.

Beer bottles were scattered across the ground, piling up on the table.

Caleb suddenly looked up and said seriously: "She seems to have a boyfriend..."

Liu Lin was stunned for a moment before realizing who "she" was.

"Captain, Ms. Rowan has lost her memory. You should both forget the past; just think of it as getting to know her all over again."

"If you stay trapped in the past, you’ll never get out."

"Captain, I can tell that Ms. Rowan still has feelings for you," Liu Lin paused, then continued, "Otherwise, why would she come back to Riverside?"

Caleb’s grip on his glass tightened, and a few drops of wine spilled onto the back of his hand, icy and piercing.

He looked out the window, where white snowflakes danced across the sky.

It was February in Riverside, and it was actually snowing again.

He remembered a time when he used a joke to tell the truth: "Rowan, I like snow, and your avatar is a snowflake. Do you think we might reunite on a snowy day after a long time apart, and then get together?"

He liked snow because on a snowy day, Rowan—wearing a pink dress, smiling with two small dimples—had moved in next door as his neighbor.

From that day on, his desolate chest had begun to sprout greenery.

Caleb sipped his wine, but its heat couldn't suppress the sourness in his heart.

"She came back to Riverside, but not because of me."

It was because of the man on the phone.

Chapter 17

Liu Lin was stunned.

Not because of him? Then who else could it be?

He had seen the way Rowan looked at Caleb—full of regret, a love she couldn't reach, wanting to get close but not daring to.

The next instant, he heard Caleb say:

"She did like me once, but that was ten years ago."

"Ten years can change a lot of things. No one can persist in liking someone for ten years."

Especially not someone who had brought her pain while she was trapped in the abyss.

Caleb drank cup after cup.

Liu Lin advised him: "Then just consider Rowan as having died ten years ago."

"Captain, you have to move forward."

How was he supposed to move forward?

The moment Rowan disappeared ten years ago, his life had withered into a barren wasteland.

Not a single sprout of green had grown since.

...

The Summit.

Rowan finished her shower, turned on a variety show, and curled up on the sofa with a bowl of instant noodles.

Her phone vibrated with a buzz.

It was a message from her assistant, June: "Ms. Rowan, aren't you going to live in that new house you bought? Should we rent it out?"

Since the club was transferred to Uncle Lewis, June had followed her to help manage the flower shop.

Rowan saw through her intentions: "You're the one who wants to rent it, aren't you?"

"If you want to live there, just treat it as helping me manage the property. I should be the one thanking you."

June was dating now, and living in her old one-bedroom apartment really wasn't very convenient.

Just as she was about to put her phone down, a message from the property manager popped up.

"Ms. Rowan, we checked the surveillance and discovered that the person who left the scar cream at your door was your neighbor."

The property manager sent a screenshot—the person was none other than Caleb.

Did Caleb live here? If so, why had she never run into him?

Rowan thought, perhaps it was out of guilt.

After all, if Caleb hadn't detained her back then, she wouldn't have been stabbed.

This was all something Uncle Lewis had told her.

As for the memories of the past, she couldn't remember them very clearly anymore.

With her phone in hand, Rowan returned a call to Liu Lewis.

She explained seriously to Liu Lewis: "Uncle, Xiao and I have known each other for two years, we aren't dating. If you say it like that, it will cause misunderstandings."

Liu Lewis laughed: "What misunderstanding? Uncle really thinks this boy Xiao is a good match—successful in his career, same age as you; it’s time for you to settle life's big matters."

Over the phone, Liu Lewis started from the time Xiao helped an old lady cross the street at five years old, to how he saved someone and was severely injured at sixteen.

He went from relationships to child education.

She thought she should give herself a chance.

The next day, she met Xiao for coffee.

Xiao had already ordered her a cappuccino. They talked about work, childhood stories, fashion tastes, and popular TV shows.

They talked for nearly two hours.

Just before lunch, Xiao stood up apologetically: "Sorry, I didn't watch the time. I know a delicious Italian restaurant nearby; Ms. Rowan, may I treat you to lunch?"

Rowan gladly accepted.

Just as they reached the door, they ran straight into Caleb.

Xiao walked forward with a smile, taking the initiative to greet Caleb: "Captain Caleb, long time no see."

Rowan was surprised: "You know each other?"

Xiao said: "My company had a dispute a while back, and Captain Caleb helped resolve it. How about you, Ms. Rowan, do you know the Captain?"

Caleb replied: "Yes."

"Just like you, we’ve had contact due to a case."

So, the "Xiao" from the phone was him.

Young, promising, handsome, and running a successful tech company.

The two were indeed a good match.

Xiao looked at Rowan, fretting over how to introduce her.

Then he saw the female officer beside Caleb, Chen Yiting, teasing them with a smile: "President Xiao, you said last time we’d introduce our precinct’s beauty to you, but you said you already had a girl you liked."

"Is it this one? So, did you win her over yet?"

Chapter 18

Xiao smiled: "Still working on it."

After saying that, he looked at Caleb again: "Captain, you helped me resolve a huge problem last time. Don't forget to call me when you get married; I’ll definitely be there for a celebratory drink."

Chen Yiting looked at Caleb meaningfully and said with great disappointment: "Him? He said he’s never getting married."

Still working on it.

She had asked that question just to tell Caleb that he still had a chance.

But he didn't say a word.

Rowan blurted out: "Why?"

As soon as she spoke, she realized it was inappropriate.

She gripped her bag tightly: "I mean, the Captain is young and promising; you shouldn't be short of admirers. Is it because you plan to dedicate yourself entirely to the people?"