Chapter 2Ask Not the Wine of Lost Years

"Don't be mad at Jake, Cassie." Erica quickly came forward in a childlike manner to hold my hand, and she stuck her tongue out in a cutesy way to apologize.

"He lost to me in a game of rock, paper, scissors, which was why he promised to drink my wine. Why don't you have a round with me, and I'll let Jake drink your wine if you win?"

Jake's expression softened as he looked at Erica dotingly. "That sounds great. You should play a round with Erica, and I'll drink your wine if you win."

His voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone around to hear what he said. I closed my eyes, feeling a little frustrated. "I quit."

A look of delight flashed in Erica's eyes. She cleared her throat and said, "Then that counts as my victory. That means I should be given a prize, right? My mom told me that after drinking the wine, we have to pray for a child at the church."

Many people present inhaled sharply. This was a tradition of the town. After drinking the marriage wine, any new couple who visited the church in the mountains that very night or the next morning would get a child if they were truly in love. They would also be blessed to grow old together.

This had been my plan as I thought what I had with Jake was true love.

I looked up to meet Jake's eyes. He knew of this tradition, and he was aware of how much I wanted to live the rest of my life with him in happiness, which made me wonder about the choice he would make.

"All right."

It felt like something died inside me, and the last of my pain felt numbed.

Jake only thought about me after he agreed to Erica's request. He quickly held my hand to cajole me. "You admitted defeat, didn't you? That means you lost me to Erica. Be good, and stop crying. Go home and wait for me."

Nina wanted to yell at them, but I stopped her with a look. After that, I said calmly, "All right. You should go."

Everyone was taken aback by my reply.

Erica's eyes lit up as she said, "Let's go to the church tonight. The lights are up, and it would count for even more blessings if we prayed for love and a baby."

Everyone around started hooting.

Jake looked at me worriedly, but he could not help smiling when he saw the smile on Erica's face. "All right. I'll do anything you want."

Halfway through the celebration that night, a group of people escorted Jake and Erica up the mountains with flashlights. I did not follow them, but stood next to the fire pit as I watched them walk into the distance.

It got later at night, and my friends kept sharing photos online, which consisted of Jake and Erica praying sincerely in the church. They had red strings tied around their wrists by the town leaders, symbolizing having children and growing old together.

Every picture felt like a knife to my heart.

Nina wanted to call Jake several times, but I stopped her. Once most people had left and there were not many by the fire pit, Nina started to sigh. "Did he forget that it's your birthday today?"

I stopped in my tracks. She was right. Today was my birthday. Jake would always take time to spend it with me every year, no matter how busy he was. He told me that I was born during the peach blossom season, which made it easy for him to remember my birthday.

Jake had told me this seriously, and I believed him, but this year, he drank someone else's marriage wine during the day and went with another woman to pray at the church for a baby. He had completely forgotten about my birthday.

…

When Jake pushed the door open and entered the house, he was reeking of alcohol and holding a box in his hand. He looked relieved to see me sitting by the window, and he came toward me. "Why haven't you gone to sleep? I almost forgot about this. This is for you."

Jake placed the box on the table as he spoke. Every time something similar to this happened, he would make it up by buying me a present, thinking that we could return to how we were, but I did not open the box.

It was because I caught a scent on him. Besides reeking of alcohol, there was the sweet smell of lotion. It was a brand I did not use. I looked up at him and, under the light, caught sight of a red mark under his collar that he did not manage to hide well.

Jake followed my gaze and lowered his eyes to look before casually explaining, "Those people who came up with us to the mountains were pretty wild. I scratched myself during one of their crazy antics. It's not what you think."

He explained very quickly, but I said nothing. Jake frowned. "Are you still feeling mad about what happened during the day and tonight? I didn't want to cause a fuss when so many people were watching us during the celebration.

"Birthdays can be celebrated every year, and it's the same if we celebrate it a little later."

The last of my hopes for him vanished at that last sentence. I pushed the box back to him. "You don't need to make anything up to me."

Jake was taken aback. "What?"

I looked up at him. "You don't need to make anything up to me with presents. You don't need to celebrate my birthday anymore, and you don't need to drink my marriage wine. I'm tired, Jake."

Jake was initially surprised, but he laughed after that. "Are you doing this again, Cassie? We have another gathering tomorrow. You shouldn't be throwing a tantrum at a time like this."

I shook my head. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. I just don't want to be doing this any longer."

Jake looked at me, and the smile on his face slowly vanished. He immediately turned his back on me and said, "Everything will blow over once you stop being angry. Come home with me tomorrow. My parents want to see you."