"Of course not." Natasha immediately gave a soft, slightly embarrassed smile. "It's purely personal curiosity. I know it's presumptuous, but honestly, my own love life is a complete wreck. So, I truly admire you for managing to have such a… such a beautiful relationship."
A faint blush dusted Lily's cheeks. "Ms. Beth, is your fiancé not good to you?"
"I'm not married yet," Natasha replied, her smile bittersweet.
Lily's eyes widened in genuine surprise. She stammered, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Beth! I spoke out of turn."
"It's truly alright." Natasha stirred her coffee, her voice even, but carrying a thread of melancholy. "He's a man I can only look up to, someone with enormous, unbelievable ambitions. And next to him, there's already a woman who understands him, who has his complete trust, who gives him warmth. As for me… he's simply never truly seen me."
Lily froze, lifting her coffee cup quickly to hide her reaction. But Natasha's gaze was fixed on her, and Lily finally spoke in a hushed tone.
"I'm sorry. Ms. Beth, you're so successful and beautiful. I honestly didn't think there could be a man you'd have to look up to."
"That's the core of it, isn't it?" Natasha sighed faintly. "I am successful, but my success only exists because he came first. And the distance between where I stand and where he is… It's still so vast."
She offered a wry, bitter smile. "No, you are the one to be envied. Truly, congratulations on finding a man who loves you and who you love just as deeply."
"Love each other…" Lily rested her chin on her hand, her gentle smile fading slightly. "It sounds so simple when you say it, but it's not simple at all, is it?"
When it came to people, nothing ever was.
Natasha exhaled slowly. "This may be forward, but… I genuinely would like for us to be friends. In a work capacity, we might end up as superior and subordinate, but in life, I hope we can be close."
"Really?" Lily blinked, realizing her arm had been resting too casually on the table. She pulled it back and smiled shyly. "If that's the case, I'd be genuinely happy. Even though I'm moving, I really don't have many friends. The few I have are from college, and now I'm worried I won't have anyone to talk to. Honestly, if it weren't for meeting him… I probably would have stayed here."
Natasha looked at Lily, truly looked at her, and with every passing second, the girl's purity became more evident.
Her world was so perfectly contained. All that mattered was her art... and her relationship with Arthur. For that love, she had already sacrificed so much. Regardless of Arthur's true commitment, what right did Natasha have to try and take any of that away?
Yet, the familiar well of bitterness still threatened to overflow.
Watching Lily, she asked the inevitable, probing question:
"Have you ever worried that your boyfriend, well, at work, or maybe at some other time, might get involved with another woman? You know how it is... successful men always attract attention. The more exceptional they are, the more exceptional the women who are drawn to them."
At this, Lily's expression turned serious, her delicate features hardening with quiet resolve. "Actually… I try not to think about that."
"You don't dare to?" Natasha pressed.
"Yes." Lily gave a small, firm nod. "I can't really help him much, and sometimes we go a long time without seeing each other. I'm sure there are female colleagues or friends around him… but I don't have access to that world. So what good would worrying do?"
Natasha was silenced, because for a heartbeat, she saw the world exactly through Lily's eyes.
Confusion and utter helplessness suddenly coiled around her like a thick fog.
The only anchor Lily had, was her unwavering faith in her boyfriend. The simple, complete belief that he truly loved her, just as deeply as she loved him.
Even when they were separated for months, those brief, fleeting moments of reunion were enough to refresh her courage, enough to face the confusion all over again.
This girl...
Even as a rival, Natasha suddenly couldn't muster even a flicker of hatred.
Lily's love was pure, given without reserve. She gave her absolute everything, opening her heart completely, willing to accept even the potential pain.
In that instant, Natasha finally understood why Arthur, even after everything she had done, still couldn't bring himself to hurt this girl, not in the slightest.
Lily was kind. Innocent. Fragile. She lived a simple, quiet life, without Natasha's storms or her hardened strength. Any wound, no matter how small, would be unbearably cruel to her.
Natasha bit her lip. It still wasn't fair!
The true unfairness was that this girl, this gentle, bright angel, could never truly enter Arthur's complicated, dangerous world.
And she herself... could.
So this is life, Natasha thought.
She looked at Lily, sinking into deep thought. Lily, too, was lost in her own quiet reflections. Two women sat together, outwardly peaceful, each adrift in a sea of unspoken rivalry and understanding.
After a while, Natasha was the first to return. She looked down at the stack of Lily's beautiful drawings, then specifically pulled out the one depicting Arthur: pale, torn clothes, an expression marked by pain and suffering.
"I really like this one," Natasha said softly. "May I keep it?"
"Um…" Lily hesitated. It wasn't a casual sketch; it was Arthur.
But when she met Natasha's eyes, her heart inexplicably softened. There was something wordless in that gaze, a mysterious understanding that transcended their situation.
Almost against her will, she nodded.
"Alright."
"Thank you," Natasha said, a rare, genuine smile touching her lips. "You really are a little angel."
She looked at Lily one last time before standing.
"I'm very happy about our meeting today. I hope we'll get along well in the future. Thank you for making the time, even with your busy class schedule."
"It's nothing, really. It's what I should do," Lily replied, standing as well.
She watched Natasha walk out of the café, her figure fading into the rush of the city.
In that moment, Lily suddenly felt a sharp pang of sympathy. That woman's back looks… so lonely.
"The man she loves… what kind of person is he, really?" Lily muttered to herself, shaking her head as she gathered her things. "He must be a big jerk! Already has a girlfriend, yet still flirts around, and ends up hurting such a good person like Ms. Beth…"