Chapter 3

That night was the first time I slept in Julian's apartment.

Our wedding photo was sitting on the nightstand.

Inside the bathroom cabinet, there was an unopened luxury skincare gift set. The exact brand I always used.

I picked it up. "When did you buy this?"

"I buy one every year."

He looked at me with a smile. "I replace it every year."

"But I never came here."

"That's why it's still wrapped."

Julian pulled me into his arms from behind. "I just thought, in case you ever decided to come over, I didn't want you to have nothing here."

My nose suddenly tingled with warmth. "Then why did you never ask me to come?"

He paused. "I thought you hated commuting."

"When did I ever say that?"

"You barely even want to go downstairs on weekends. I assumed making you drive an hour and a half to get here would just annoy you."

He leaned down and kissed my ear. "But you should come more often now."

I leaned against his chest.

After a moment, I asked, "Could you start coming back on weekdays too?"

Julian fell silent for half a second. "Once this project wraps up."

I closed my eyes.

It was always the same excuse.

But I didn't push it.

He had just deleted another woman's fingerprint access for me.

I began to think that maybe I really was just overthinking things.

The next morning, when I woke up, Julian had already brought breakfast back. "I took the day off today. I'm taking you to the Pearl District this afternoon."

I was stunned. "You still remember that place?"

"Of course."

We had visited this city once when we were dating.

Back then, the Pearl District had just been renovated. I ate my way through the entire waterfront, and before leaving, I told him we had to come back.

That "next time" had been put off for years.

Around eleven, Julian had just finished a video conference when his phone rang.

It was Amber.

He answered. "Hey, what's up?"

I didn't hear what she said on the other end.

But the smile on Julian's face vanished instantly. "Don't panic. Did the school nurse take his temperature?"

I looked up.

He was already standing up, grabbing his car keys. "How high is it? 102 degrees?"

It wasn't until he reached the hallway that he seemed to remember I was there.

He froze.

I asked, "Her son?"

Julian nodded. "The school called saying Leo suddenly has a dangerously high fever. Amber is in the middle of a major client presentation right now, and her ex-husband is out of town on business. She can't get away."

"So?"

"She asked if I could run to the school, pick him up, and take him to the ER."

He looked at me anxiously.

I stared back at him.

Julian gripped his car keys tightly. After a few seconds, he said, "I'll just drop him off at the hospital and come straight back. Once Amber gets there, I'll leave. Two hours max."

I asked, "What about the Pearl District?"

"We can still go this afternoon. There's plenty of time."

He stepped forward and hugged me quickly. "This is a real emergency. I'm so sorry, babe."

I didn't stop him. "Go ahead."

Julian left.

Twelve o'clock.

One o'clock.

Two o'clock.

I waited in the empty apartment all by myself.

At two-thirty, he sent a text saying Amber had arrived at the hospital. "On my way back now."

At three-twenty, he sent another update saying the boy kept throwing up, and the doctor wanted to keep him for observation.

At four o'clock, he texted that Amber hadn't had time to eat, so he went out to grab her some food.

By five-thirty, the string lights in the Pearl District would already be turned on.

At seven-forty in the evening, the door finally clicked open.

Julian walked in holding a boutique cake box. "Chloe."

I was sitting on the couch, watching TV.

He placed the cake on the coffee table and knelt down in front of me. "It took way longer than I thought."

"Yeah."

"The kid kept throwing up. Amber was in a complete panic and couldn't handle it alone."

"Okay."

Julian frowned. "Are you mad?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"The kid was sick. It was an emergency. Why would I pick a fight over a seven-year-old?"

Julian visibly let out a sigh of relief.

He opened the cake box. "I took a detour to get this for you. Your favorite red velvet."

I looked at the logo on the box.

It was indeed my favorite bakery.

Every Friday before, he would bring home a slice of this.

The anger in my heart dissolved a little.

He was always like this.

Every time he made me feel miserable, he would use these familiar gestures of kindness to pull me right back in.

Julian cut a slice of cake and handed it to me. "I'll take tomorrow off to spend the day with you at the Pearl District."

I took the plate. "Tomorrow is Friday."

He blinked.

"You were supposed to come home tomorrow night anyway."

Julian smiled. "Then I'll just take the whole day off so we can have the afternoon together."

Just as the words left his mouth, his phone buzzed.

It was a Snapchat voice note from Amber.

Julian's hands were covered in frosting, so he just tapped the speakerphone. Amber's voice echoed through the quiet room.

"Julian, thank you so much for today. I seriously owe you one. Just like that time with Milo... If you hadn't been there for me, I really don't know how I would have survived it on my own."

My hand froze.

The audio ended.

The living room fell into a dead silence.

I asked, "Who is Milo?"

Julian's hand paused as he wiped the frosting. "Her cat."

"What about him?"

"He passed away a while ago."

For some reason, my heart dropped. "When?"

Julian didn't answer.

I stared at him, raising my voice. "When did Milo die, Julian?"

His face slowly turned pale.

I pressed on. "What day of the week was it?"

A few agonizing seconds passed.

Julian whispered, "Three weeks ago. On Wednesday."