Julian remained silent for the rest of the drive.

Helena sensed his low mood lately but couldn't figure out why. She replayed the events of the past few weeks in her mind.

She concluded that he was feeling down because she had been so preoccupied with Milo's case and had neglected him.

A pang of guilt pricked her conscience. For once, she took the initiative.

"Our third wedding anniversary is coming up. Let me take you on a trip, we can relax."

With the cooling-off period down to its last few days, Julian didn't want any complications. He used his injury as an excuse to decline.

Helena thought about it and agreed it wasn't a good idea. She suggested a few other ways to celebrate, letting him choose.

But for every suggestion she made, Julian found a reason to say no, rejecting them all. He seemed to have no interest in celebrating.

This cold demeanor was a stark contrast to his old self, who would get excited at the mere mention of a date. Helena was instantly suspicious.

Seeing the confusion on her face, and fearing she might sense something was wrong, Julian finally proposed something.

"That day is a weekend. Why don't you come with me for a walk around our old college campus?"

*Why is he suddenly so nostalgic?*

Helena couldn't guess his motives, but she didn't want to disappoint him. She nodded in agreement.

The car fell silent again.

Julian pulled out his calendar, his eyes fixed on two dates side-by-side.

September 7th was marked with the word "Divorce."

And September 6th was their wedding anniversary, and also the tenth anniversary of the day he first fell for her.

To revisit the place where it all began on such a special day… it was a fitting end, wasn't it?

A way to put a final, full stop on ten years of his youth.

As he thought about it, a smile appeared on Julian's face. His voice became lighter, almost teasing.

"You're not going to stand me up this time, are you?"

A rare smile touched her lips. "When have I ever stood you up? Julian, don't accuse me falsely."

Julian just smiled and didn't answer, silently counting in his head.

*Last time, you left me at the hospital to go to the beach with Milo.*

*The time before that, you completely forgot the birthday dinner you promised me because you were helping him gather evidence.*

*The time before that, you left me stranded in the suburbs to rush off and comfort him.*

*Time and time again, whenever Milo was involved, you stood me up.*

For the next week, Helena didn't come home.

The first thing Julian did every morning was tear a page off the wall calendar.

He stayed alone in the empty old house, slowly clearing out the last of his things.

Time passed quickly. Soon, it was September 6th.

He woke up early, got a haircut, and chose an old white shirt from a few years back. He grabbed his camera and went downstairs, ready to capture some memories on this momentous day.

Helena was waiting for him downstairs, eagerly opening the car door for him.

Perhaps it was the relief of imminent freedom, but Julian was in a cheerful mood. He chatted with her about their college days.

They talked and laughed, and Helena slowly began to relax, even offering to take more pictures of him later.

In the midst of their lighthearted conversation, they arrived at the gates of their old university.

Julian got out of the car first, leaning against the window to wait for her.

Just as Helena unbuckled her seatbelt, her phone chimed with a new message. She opened it and saw it was from Milo.

"Helena, are you free? I have a fever. Can you come take me to the hospital?"

The word "fever" made Helena freeze.

Julian, seeing her hesitate, leaned over to see what was wrong and caught the indecisive look on her face.

In a matter of moments, she had made her decision.

"Julian, something urgent came up at the firm. I have to go."

Julian was stunned for a second, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

"Can it wait an hour?"

He knew she was lying. It had to be about Milo again.

"It's really important. I don't think so."

Her firm tone confirmed his suspicions. Julian didn't call her out. He just gave her a long, deep look and let her go.

Helena buckled her seatbelt again. To show her regret, she made a new promise.

"You can take a cab home. I'll bring you back here in a few days when things calm down. We can even have dinner with a few of our old professors later."

Julian didn't respond to her promise.

*Helena,*

*There is no later.*

He watched her car drive away, then turned and walked through the campus gates alone, camera in hand.

In just half an hour, he had revisited every place tied to his youth, his secret love.

After taking all the photos, he didn't linger. He hailed a cab and went home.

A red dot appeared on his social media icon. He tapped it.

He refreshed the feed, and a picture from Milo, taken at a hospital, appeared.

In that moment, he knew for sure.

She wasn't at work. She was taking care of a sick Milo.

Remembering Helena's earnest promise from that evening, Julian just smiled.

*She couldn't even spare half an hour for him?*

*Helena, if you knew that these few hours were the last we would ever have together, would you regret standing me up again?*

No one answered him. And he no longer cared about the answer.

He glanced at it once more, then closed the app and found Mr. Evans's contact.

"Mr. Evans, today is the last day of the cooling-off period. Is there anything else I need to do at the firm?"

Mr. Evans's reply came back quickly.

"No. Mr. Shaw, since the cooling-off period has concluded, the entire process is now complete."

"Congratulations on your new beginning."