Valentine Teller poured the tomatoes into the pot, and soon the house was filled with a tantalizing aroma.
It was the scent of human life, and even more, the taste of happiness.
Mark Reed knew that this happiness did not belong to him; he was merely enjoying it temporarily.
In less than twenty minutes, Valentine Teller came out of the kitchen with a bowl of steaming tomato and egg noodles.
She walked cautiously, the steam from the noodles warming her face, with beads of sweat on the tip of her nose.
Mark Reed got up to greet her, taking the steaming noodles from her hands.
"Smells so good!"
Hearing Mark Reed's praise, Valentine Teller grinned, remembering the greedy way Mark Reed used to eat noodles, and her smile grew wider.
In this moment, Valentine Teller suddenly felt an illusion that they had never separated, always together, so happy and joyous.
Mark Reed sat at the dining table with the noodles, eating heartily.
