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I was Julian's secret wife for three years. He thought I was perfect, staying behind him and ignored his affairs. So when his first love got divorced, I handed him a folder and watched him sign his name without reading it. He didn't know he was signing our divorce. He didn't know his wife was secretly moving out of his life. And wait to see his face when he knows the truth. -- "Hello, I'm looking to get a divorce." In her third year of marriage, Amelia decided to get a divorce, but she planned on hiding it from Julian. Lewis Fitzroy, the lawyer sitting across from her, listened carefully. "For a divorce, both spouses need to sign the papers. After that, there's a 30-day waiting period. Why isn't your husband here?" Amelia was silent for a while before replying, "I'll make sure he signs it." "I'll draft the divorce agreement, then." After a short wait, Amelia received the agreement. As she walked downstairs with her head lowered, she replayed everything that had happened recently in her mind. Just as she reached the front desk, a familiar voice stopped her. "Lia? What are you doing here?" When she lifted her head and met Julian's deep, piercing gaze that could see through every lie, her heart skipped a beat. To her surprise, the lawyer handling her divorce turned out to be Julian's colleague. But he would never find out anyway. After all, he never cared about her. With that thought, she drew in a deep breath, trying to mask the nervous tremor in her voice. "I'm here for a consultation. By the way, remember the property transfer agreement I told you about? It's ready, but I need your signature." As she spoke, she took out the divorce agreement, flipped straight to the last page, pressed it onto the counter, and handed him a pen. The last page contained nothing but a signature line. Julian, as a lawyer, instinctively frowned. He was about to read it through carefully when he caught sight of the familiar figure near the elevator. He hesitated briefly and grabbed the pen to sign the document. "It's done. If there's nothing else, you should head home first. I've still got work to do." The heavy weight in Amelia's heart finally lifted, only to be replaced by a crushing wave of disappointment. If he had looked closer, he would have realized it was not a property transfer but a divorce agreement. Instead, his attention had shifted to Elizabeth Osborne, who had just walked in. Looking at that beautiful face, Amelia felt a mix of emotions in her heart. She gripped her bag tightly and turned around to leave. As the automatic glass doors slid shut, she heard bits of their conversation. "Who was that, Jules?" "A new client who came to inquire about a divorce," Julian replied curtly, but his voice was gentle. "You're early today. Give me a few minutes, and we'll grab lunch, okay?" Hearing his gentle voice and seeing the signed divorce agreement in her hands, Amelia smiled bitterly to herself. Indeed, she'd come to file for divorce. In a month, Julian would finally get what he wished for. In truth, Amelia and Julian had gotten married in secret. Other than their families, no one knew they were married, including Elizabeth, the woman Julian could never forget. He was the one who had insisted on keeping the marriage a secret. He and Amelia were college classmates. On the first day of school, Amelia fell for him at first sight. She pursued him throughout their four years of college, but he never took an interest in her. However, Amelia wasn't heartbroken over it. Although he turned her down, he never showed interest in anyone else either. It seemed he was simply not interested in romance. After graduating, she became busy with work while he furthered his studies. They lost touch, but she never forgot him. They went their separate ways, but three years later, their paths crossed again on a blind date. On their very first meeting, Julian went straight to the point and asked if she wanted to get married. Amelia didn't know why he was in such a hurry to marry, but since her long-time wish was finally about to come true, she felt overjoyed. She simply thought his family was pressuring him, so she agreed without thinking too much. It was only after the wedding that she slowly discovered his secret. It turned out he was actually interested in women. In fact, he was in love with someone he could never have. It was his best friend's younger sister, Elizabeth. Julian was five years older than Elizabeth, so she had always treated him like an older brother. His love was destined to be one-sided and unattainable. Besides, Elizabeth never knew about his hidden feelings. Right after graduation, she married her boyfriend of three years. Julian was deeply hurt. Wanting to move on quickly and facing pressure from his parents, he impulsively married Amelia. After learning the truth, Amelia was devastated. Still, she managed to pull herself back together. After all, she had plenty of time. As long as she tried hard enough, she would definitely make him notice her. Yet during the three years they were married, Julian stayed distant and indifferent to her. Amelia's confidence reached an all-time low when she discovered his photo album. The album was filled with photos of a girl from when she was six, all the way to twenty-five. It shouldn't have bothered Amelia that much. But what if that girl had been the love of her husband's life for many years? On top of that, the album kept getting updated even after their marriage! There was no way Amelia could remain unfazed. The very next night, Julian, normally a teetotaler, got himself thoroughly drunk. His usually composed eyes now sparkled with an unusual joy. After asking around, Amelia found out that Elizabeth had gotten divorced. She laughed bitterly, determined to end this hopeless marriage once and for all. Probably because of the signed divorce agreement, Amelia felt an inexplicable emotion when she returned to the home they had shared for three years. As she took in the cozy home she had built on her own, a flood of memories washed over her. Her gaze fell on the wedding portrait in the living room, which she had always kept meticulously clean. Seeing Julian's forced smile in the photo again felt unbearably harsh. She couldn't help but take it down and toss it into the trash. For the rest of the night, Amelia focused on sorting out their marital assets. As soon as Julian came home, he noticed the missing wedding portrait. He looked at Amelia, who was busy writing something, frowning as he asked, "Where's our wedding portrait?" "The nail came loose. I was afraid it might fall on someone, so I took it down." Julian didn't ask further. He placed some late-night snacks next to her, then entered the study. Smelling the strong scent, Amelia stopped what she was doing. When she opened the bag and saw the spicy snacks inside, her nose stung painfully. Throughout their three years of marriage, she had been eating bland meals because of her stomach issues. However, Julian never took notice. Before this, Amelia would have finished it anyway just to make him happy, no matter how spicy it was. But now, she simply took the bag downstairs and threw it in the trash. Starting today, she resolved to wash away all the grievances and sadness from this marriage—and to remove Julian from her life entirely. ###Chapter 2 It was late at night, but Amelia still couldn't fall asleep. She buried her head into the pillow, her thoughts running wild, when suddenly a restless hand wrapped around her waist. Feeling the hot breath behind her, Amelia instinctively moved away, dodging Julian's kiss. Her rejection caught him by surprise. After all, during their three years of marriage, Amelia had always been the one to initiate. It was rare for him to be in the mood, yet she rejected him. Naturally, he was puzzled. "Are you not feeling it?" he asked. "I'm on my period." Amelia made up an excuse. Julian didn't think much of it, hummed softly in response, and tucked the blanket around her. As usual, he reviewed the day in his head before going to sleep. Suddenly remembering the property transfer agreement from earlier, he asked, "Where is it? Let me see if there's anything wrong." Amelia's heart pounded wildly as she stared at him. "Do you really want to see it?" Seeing her nervous expression, Julian frowned slightly and nodded. After a moment of silence, Amelia got up and went to the study to get the agreement. Just as she was about to hand it to him, a sudden ringtone broke the moment. Julian answered the call first. "Jules! Martin got drunk again, and he's picking a fight with someone. Please come quickly, I'm scared!" Thinking of Martin Gibbs, Elizabeth's fierce and unreasonable ex-husband, Julian's expression changed. He grabbed his coat and rushed out. Watching his hurried figure, Amelia called out to him. "Is it that young girl who's getting divorced?" Julian was about to reply, but worried Amelia might overthink since it was late at night, he deliberately exaggerated the situation. "Yeah, her drunk ex is swinging a knife outside her door. I need to go, or something terrible might really happen." Amelia didn't try to stop him again and only reminded him to be careful. After Julian left, she didn't sleep at all until sunrise. She picked up her phone to check the time, only to find that Elizabeth, whom she had secretly followed on Instagram two days ago, had posted a new update. In the video, the sun slowly rose from between the mountains, pouring golden light across the sky. Excited voices came from all around, and when the camera turned, Julian's figure flashed past the screen. "Yesterday's darkness has ended. Time for a new life ahead." Staring at the last sentence on the screen, Amelia felt her chest tighten as a dull pain slowly spread. It seemed like Elizabeth had successfully ended her previous marriage. Of course, with a top lawyer like Julian helping her, and given how he'd secretly liked her for years, he'd do everything in his power to facilitate Elizabeth's divorce. Now that she was single again, it was only a matter of time before Julian would ask for a divorce to be with her. Even before he brought it up, Amelia could already picture that scene. She smiled to herself self-deprecatingly, her heart aching. Divorce was something that would happen sooner or later, so she chose to get over it now. Instead of passively waiting to be abandoned, choosing to leave on her own at least allowed her to keep a little dignity, right? Amelia put down her phone, stood up, and threw all the couple of items she had bought into a cardboard box, then dragged it downstairs. Just then, Julian returned home. Seeing her struggling, he quickly walked over. "Why are you throwing so many things away?" Amelia lowered her eyes. "We barely use them anyway. It's better to throw them out instead of hoarding them." Julian nodded in understanding and lifted the box himself. Watching him walk away, Amelia's gaze remained calm. If he just opened the box and looked, he would know everything inside had once been her most prized possessions. Given how intelligent he was, he would definitely be able to tell from this unusual action that she wanted to leave, and they'd still have a chance to turn things around. However, Julian did nothing. He simply tossed the box straight into the trash bin and turned around. ###Chapter 3 That afternoon, Amelia's computer suddenly crashed. To finish her work on time, she borrowed Julian's laptop. While waiting for the files to transfer, a new notification popped up. She opened it without thinking and saw it was a message from the law firm. "Jules, we're having dinner at the firm tonight. Why don't you bring your girlfriend along?" Seeing this, Amelia's hand trembled slightly. They had been married for three years, yet Julian had never made their marriage public. To everyone else, he was still a single man. That also explained why no one recognized her when she went to his law firm for a consultation. Would he agree this time? Amelia didn't know, and she didn't dare hope. Next to her, Julian saw the same message on his phone. He immediately looked up at her, as if trying to read her expression. Noticing his gaze, Amelia gave him a small smile. "Are you going to take me to tonight's dinner?" Her question was obvious. After three years, would he finally acknowledge their relationship? Julian didn't know how to answer. He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. That brief silence felt like a blade stabbing into Amelia's chest, sending waves of dull pain through her. She forced the ache down, pretended not to care, and feigned nonchalance. "I've already made plans. Even if you wanted to take me, I probably wouldn't have time." The tension in Julian's heart eased, and his expression returned to normal. "I'll bring you along next time, alright?" Amelia didn't respond. She lifted her hand to cover her eyes and silently thought to herself, "Next time? There won't be a next time, Julian." That night, Julian went to dinner alone. As soon as he walked in, a few drunk colleagues clung onto him. "It's been three years, and we've never seen your girlfriend. Jules, that's not cool!" "Why won't you let us meet her? How long are you planning to hide her like a treasure?" With everyone persuading him, Julian finally unlocked his phone. He had to choose between Elizabeth and Amelia. After hesitating for a long time, he eventually clicked on the first name and sent her a message. Before long, Elizabeth arrived following the address. The moment she entered, everyone's eyes lit up. The whole room buzzed as they praised his taste in women. After several rounds of drinks, Lewis excused himself to use the restroom. He handed an envelope to Julian and asked him to take it downstairs to a woman. It was just a small favor, so he didn't refuse. He took the number and made his way down, skimming through the documents as he did so. He waited and waited, but didn't see anyone. Upon dialing the number, he realized he already had it saved. Julian froze when he saw Amelia's name. He pulled the agreement out of the envelope and was about to look through it carefully when a pair of glaring headlights shone at him. While shielding his eyes, he looked up and saw Amelia. Doubt surged instantly, and he raised the document, questioning her. "A property division agreement for divorce? Amelia, what is this supposed to mean?" he asked. Amelia hadn't expected him to find out, but she lied calmly. "Stella is getting a divorce, and I helped her contact Mr. Fitzroy." Julian's instincts told him things weren't that simple. He frowned and was about to open the agreement to see for himself when a hand suddenly wrapped around his arm from behind. "Jules, didn't you say you were going to meet a client? What's taking so long?" When Elizabeth leaned close to him so intimately, Julian panicked. He didn't dare look at his wife's face and had no idea how to explain. But more than explaining, he was unwilling to push away Elizabeth, who stood close beside him. Amelia was calmer than he expected. She stepped forward, took the agreement from his hand, and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Mr. Cohen. Since my friend is busy dealing with the divorce, I've got to make a move now," she uttered curtly. ###Chapter 4 The night breeze entered through the open car window, sending her hair flying. Throughout the drive, Amelia kept thinking about how Elizabeth had appeared beside Julian. Perhaps she had been hurt too many times, for she no longer felt heartbroken. Instead, she was tired. Who would've thought the thirty-day waiting period could feel this long? She rubbed her sore eyes, and in that brief distraction, she didn't notice the car ahead reversing illegally until she crashed straight into it. Upon impact, Amelia's leg was trapped by the dented car door, and blood was everywhere. In an instant, her face turned pale, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Despite the sharp pain, she remained clear-headed and called 911. After she was taken to the emergency room, the doctors examined her. It wasn't life-threatening, but she still needed a minor surgery, and they asked her to contact her family. Since Amelia's parents lived in another city, she called Julian. But over a dozen calls later, he still didn't answer. She thought of how he was probably surrounded by colleagues and friends, with the woman he secretly loved beside him, drinking and laughing as they talked about life. Why would he have time to answer her call? A nurse nearby realized Amelia couldn't reach anyone. "Can't your husband come?" the nurse asked gently. Amelia shook her head, her tone surprisingly calm. "We're getting a divorce. In about ten days, it'll be completely over." The nurse hadn't expected that and looked shocked. "But you're still married, though. Can't he at least come sign the paperwork?" Thinking back on their three-year marriage, Amelia felt overwhelmed. She couldn't even remember how many nights she waited to have dinner with him, only to get yet another message saying he was working overtime and wouldn't be home. Hoping to have something in common with him, Amelia studied law just so they could talk, yet he shattered her confidence by saying she wasn't an expert. She poured her heart into birthday surprises, only for him to say he was too tired to appreciate them. --- From beginning to end, she had been the only one desperately holding the marriage together. Every memory seemed to prove that he had never loved her. Amelia realized Julian would not come, and she had to stop lying to herself. "If a husband can't even be reached when his wife is in a car accident, what's the point of him coming?" The nurse sighed, her eyes full of sympathy. "Why don't you call a friend instead?" In the following days, Stella took care of Amelia. Almost a week later, Julian finally heard about the accident and rushed to the hospital. When he walked in and saw the injury on her ankle, confusion appeared on his face. "Why didn't you tell me you were in an accident?" Amelia wanted to explain, but when she looked up and saw his expression, she remembered those unanswered calls. She swallowed her words and smiled faintly. "You were busy. I didn't want to bother you over something so trivial." Hearing that, a trace of guilt rose in Julian, and he decided to explain where he'd been the past few days. "The other day, Lizzie and I happened to bump into each other, Lia. It's not what you think it is." "Has her divorce been finalized?" It was rare for Amelia to ask something like that. Julian was somewhat surprised, but he answered honestly, "Yeah, it's all done. She's divorced now." The smile on Amelia's face grew even brighter. She lowered her voice and said, "Congratulations to you, too." Julian didn't understand and asked what she meant. She smiled without saying a word. "Congratulations. You're about to get divorced, too," she thought bitterly. ###Chapter 5 Julian didn't understand what she meant and was just about to ask when his phone rang again. When he saw who was calling, he hesitated for a moment, then went to the hallway to answer it. When he returned half an hour later, the door was slightly ajar, and Amelia's voice could be heard from inside. "Yeah, I'll wait until the divorce waiting period ends. I've got fifteen days left before I'm finally free." The image of that property division agreement suddenly flashed through his mind. Thinking of what she had said earlier, Julian's heart skipped a beat as he stormed into the ward. "A waiting period? Who's getting divorced?" Amelia never expected him to return. Luckily, Stella happened to enter, and Amelia pointed at her, trying not to panic. "Stella. She's the one getting divorced." Stella glanced at both of them and quickly nodded, playing along. "That's right, I'm getting divorced, and the process started not too long ago." Julian never took the time to get to know Amelia, so he wasn't familiar with her friends either. Although he had met Stella twice, he didn't know her well. As such, he frowned when he heard that. "Why didn't you come to me instead?" Stella wasn't a good liar and stuttered awkwardly. Seeing this, Amelia quickly jumped in to explain. "You were busy with Lizzie's divorce. I was afraid you had too much on your plate, so I didn't bother asking you." As soon as she mentioned Elizabeth, Julian grew uneasy and stopped questioning them. "If anything happens in the future, you can come to me." Although she had managed to cover things up, Amelia felt restless. With his professional habits and sharp instincts, there was no way Julian wouldn't notice something unusual behind all this. But as long as it involved Elizabeth, it was like he lost all reason and judgment, throwing everything else aside. People always said love made people blind, and Amelia finally understood what that meant. Watching his fingers flying across the keypad and how anxious he seemed, she silently guessed how much longer he'd stay. By the time she counted to ten, Julian stood up and found an excuse to leave. "Lia, something's come up at the law firm, so I've got to go. When are you getting discharged? I'll come pick you up." Amelia knew he was lying, but she no longer cared. "In five days." On the day of her discharge, Amelia waited from morning until night. Still, Julian was nowhere to be found. When she opened her Instagram and saw Elizabeth's beach photos, she had her suspicions and called him. Before she could even speak, the sound of crashing waves gave away his whereabouts. However, Julian remained clueless and made some lousy excuses. "Lia, I'm on a business trip in Miami right now. What's wrong?" As expected, he had forgotten to pick her up. No matter what, Elizabeth would always come first. Meanwhile, Amelia was stuck in second place, never the one to be loved. Fortunately, she had finally come to her senses. She no longer wanted to hang around and wait for him foolishly. Instead of reminding Julian of his promise or exposing his lie, she replied softly, "Where are you? How long will you be there?" "It's been two days. I'll probably be back tomorrow." Amelia hummed in response, reminded him to take good care, then hung up. After booking a car for herself, she stood by the road, opened her calendar, and counted the days left until the divorce. In ten more days, she would finally be free. By then, the world would be her oyster, and she'd live freely on her own terms. She couldn't care less if no one was here to pick her up from the hospital. Why did that matter, anyway? ###Chapter 6 After returning home, Amelia wanted to speed up the moving process. But since her leg had not fully healed, moving around was difficult. As such, she hired a moving company to come over. Big and small boxes were stacked all over the living room. Several workers were busy packing, carrying things in and out, with the door wide open. When Julian returned home and saw the messy scene, he quickly asked what was going on. Amelia had long been prepared, and she answered smoothly, "The house in Old Westbury is ready. Since it's closer to your workplace, let's just move there. It'll be much more convenient." Thinking of the property agreement they had signed earlier, Julian nodded. After changing his shoes, he walked toward the sofa and sat down, casually chatting as he recalled the layout of the house. "Don't you like gardening? How about leaving the east balcony empty for your plants at the new place?" Amelia stayed silent for a while before she said, "It's alright. I've already given up on that hobby." Julian subconsciously looked at the fresh lilies on the table, thinking she wasn't actually telling the truth. He was about to persuade her when he suddenly noticed that the boxes seemed to contain only his things, so he instinctively changed the topic. "Why are they only moving my things? What about your stuff?" "I've taken them already." Hearing how quickly she responded, Julian thought she meant her things were already at their new place, so he didn't probe any further. He stood up to pour a glass of water and casually reminded the workers about a few things. "Please label everything clearly and don't put things in the wrong rooms after delivering them." Amelia looked at him quietly, her gaze slightly shifting, swallowing back the words she wanted to say. He didn't have to worry about them making mistakes; everything being moved belonged to him. Once everything was settled, Julian helped Amelia downstairs. As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they ran straight into Elizabeth and her brother, Ethan Osborne. All four of them were momentarily stunned. Julian never imagined this would happen, and a trace of panic flashed across his eyes. He let go of Amelia's hand, took two steps forward, and stood before her. "Why are you guys here?" Ethan raised his eyebrows. "Lizzie said she wanted to visit your new place. I haven't been here either, so I asked your parents for your address. It was supposed to be a surprise." Meanwhile, Elizabeth's gaze stayed fixed on Amelia. If she wasn't mistaken, she had already met this woman twice. Once at the law firm, and once outside the bar. Her strong intuition made her curious about her identity, so she smiled and tested the waters. "Jules, who is this lady?" It was rare for Julian to fall silent, as if still thinking about how to introduce her. On the other hand, Amelia remained calm. She even reached out her hand to Elizabeth politely. "Amelia Leighton. Mr. Cohen and I were college mates. I'm in the middle of a divorce, so I came to ask for help. I didn't expect him to be moving today. Rather unfortunate timing, really." Her words brought Julian back to reality. He glanced at Amelia guiltily, then followed along with her explanation and introduced everyone. Although everything seemed normal, Elizabeth remained suspicious. But with so many people around, she couldn't ask more, so she urged Ethan to help with the move. Elizabeth then walked to Amelia's side and started chatting with her. "Lia, why are you getting divorced?" Amelia didn't expect her to be this straightforward. She froze for a few seconds, then smiled. "My husband is in love with someone else." ###Chapter 7 Hearing that Amelia had gone through something similar, Elizabeth immediately felt sympathy and couldn't help but comfort her. "I went through something similar, but it's okay. Once you divorce, everything will get better. Jules will definitely help you through it." Indeed, he had helped with the most difficult part—signing the papers. Amelia nodded and continued the conversation. "I heard he handled your case as well. He must have been very dedicated." A shy look crossed Elizabeth's face, and her tone softened. "Yeah, Jules helped me a lot. He collected evidence to sue my ex-husband while staying by my side to keep me safe. If he hadn't stepped in, I might have already died under that crazy man's knife." Watching her sweetly recall those painful memories, Amelia froze for a moment and blurted out a question that didn't quite suit the moment. "Do you like Julian?" Hearing that question, Elizabeth froze completely. After thinking about it, she finally answered hesitantly, "I don't know. At first, I only saw him as an older brother. Since I was little, he has always taken me out, cared about me in every way, and even prepared many gifts. Whenever someone bullied me at school, he would step in and stand up for me, sometimes ending up hurt. When he heard about my divorce, he came to help on his own. Later, Ethan told me that Jules had liked me all along... "He's such an aloof guy, yet he liked me in secret. I don't even know how he fell for me." Listening to her talk on and on about those memories, Amelia felt a mix of emotions. Through Elizabeth's words, she came to know a Julian completely different from the one in her memory. It turned out he wasn't naturally indifferent, he just didn't like her. Rather than being nonchalant, she simply wasn't the person who could stir his passion. Unfortunately, she had fallen too deeply and realized it too late, wasting so many years on him. Lost in her memories, Elizabeth did not notice the meaningful look on Amelia's face. After their talk, she believed Amelia was someone she could trust. She gathered her courage and slowly voiced the question that had troubled her for a long time to this woman she had barely met a few times. "Lia, what do you think of Jules?" Amelia understood what she really meant. She looked up at the house that was about to be emptied and spoke honestly. "I've known him for ten years, but I recently realized I never truly understood him. I don't think I can answer what kind of person he is, but let me tell you this. I've never seen him like someone this much." Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully, feeling much more at ease. Seeing the sun setting and evening approaching, she grabbed Amelia by the hand, insisting she join them for dinner. Julian, who happened to be coming downstairs, froze when he heard that. He looked visibly reluctant. Seeing his expression, Amelia smiled slightly and declined. "I've made plans, so I won't be joining you guys." Without giving the siblings a chance to react, Julian helped Amelia into the car. "Carry on, guys. I'll be back after I send her home." The moving truck followed behind their car and left the neighborhood. Julian's heart raced with each traffic light as he struggled to come up with a reasonable explanation. Amelia spoke first, breaking the strange atmosphere. "There's no need to be so nervous. Didn't we agree before marriage to keep it secret from everyone except our parents, and only make it public when we both feel ready? You're not ready yet, and I understand." His anxious heart slowly calmed under her gentle tone. He took a deep breath, his voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you for understanding. Actually, I've slowly come to terms with being married. Give me a bit more time, and we'll definitely go public." Amelia responded faintly and turned to look out the window. They had been married for three years, yet he still needed more time to make it public. Amelia could no longer wait, for she was exhausted. ###Chapter 8 During the drive, Amelia stayed silent and didn't say a single word. Julian had a feeling that she'd been upset lately, but he couldn't figure out why. As such, he replayed everything that had happened recently in his mind. Eventually, he concluded that he'd been so busy with Elizabeth's case that he'd neglected Amelia, which had upset her. A trace of guilt rose in his heart, and he took the initiative to make a suggestion, which was rare. "Our third wedding anniversary is coming soon. Let's go on vacation." With only a few days left before the divorce waiting period ended, Amelia did not want any complications. She rejected him, using her injury as a reason. After thinking it over, Julian realized it wasn't appropriate either, so he suggested several other ways to celebrate and let her choose. As he listed them one by one, Amelia always found an excuse, rejecting all his ideas as though she didn't plan on celebrating at all. Her cold attitude was completely different from how she used to get excited whenever she heard about a date, which immediately made Julian suspicious. Seeing his confused expression, Amelia worried he might sense something was off. She suggested, "Our anniversary falls on a weekend. Why don't we head back to our alma mater?" Why had she become so nostalgic? Julian could not figure out what was on her mind, but since he didn't want to spoil her mood, he nodded in agreement. They fell silent again. Amelia looked at her calendar app and checked the two dates that were right next to each other. September 7 had the word "Divorce" written on it. Meanwhile, September 6 was their wedding anniversary, and also the tenth year of her one-sided love. Returning to the place where it all started on such a meaningful day would bring her closure, wouldn't it? She decided it was the perfect ending to this chapter of her life. As Amelia thought about it, a small smile appeared on her face again, and she began joking around. "This time, you won't ditch me again, right?" To her surprise, Julian seemed amused as well. "When have I ever ditched you? Lia, stop painting me in a bad light." Amelia smiled without saying a word, only thinking to herself. Last time, he went to the beach with Elizabeth and left her in the hospital. Before that, he forgot her birthday dinner because he was busy collecting evidence for Elizabeth's divorce case. Even earlier than that, he rushed to comfort her and left Amelia alone in the suburbs. --- As long as it involved Elizabeth, Julian would always take a raincheck on their plans. In the following week, he didn't return home. Every morning, Amelia would cross out the date on the calendar. She stayed alone in the old, empty house, slowly clearing the last of her things. Time passed quickly, and soon, it was September 6. She woke up early, put on some makeup, chose an old dress from years ago, and took her camera downstairs. She wanted to record memories from this meaningful day. Julian happened to already be waiting downstairs and politely opened the car door for her. Probably because she knew she'd soon be free, Amelia was in a cheerful mood and talked to him about many things from their school days. The two of them chatted happily without stopping. Julian slowly relaxed too and even suggested helping her take lots of photos later. While talking and laughing, they soon arrived at the gates of Washington University in St. Louis. Amelia got out first and leaned against the car, waiting for him. Just as Julian unbuckled his seatbelt, his phone chimed. He opened it and saw a message from Elizabeth. "Jules, are you free? I have a fever. Could you take me to the hospital?" Knowing that Elizabeth was sick, Julian froze. Seeing that he still had not gotten out of the car, Amelia turned to see what was going on and happened to see his hesitant expression. He made his decision quickly. "Lia, something came up at the firm. I need to head back." Amelia paused, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Can't you go an hour later?" She knew he was lying, and it was probably about Elizabeth. "It's very important. I don't think it can wait." Seeing how determined he was, Amelia did not expose his bluff. She only looked at him deeply and let him leave. Julian fastened his seatbelt again and made another promise. "Take a taxi home. Once everything's settled, we'll come back again. We should invite some of our professors for lunch someday." Amelia did not respond to his promise, for there wouldn't be a next time. She lifted her head and watched his car disappear from sight, then walked into the campus alone with her camera. In just half an hour, she walked through every place related to her youth and one-sided love. After taking her photos, Amelia hailed a taxi and left. She saw new updates on her Instagram and tapped on them. When the page refreshed, she saw that Elizabeth had uploaded a photo of herself at the hospital. ###Chapter 9 At this moment, she was certain that Julian hadn't been at the company. Instead, he'd been taking care of the sick Elizabeth. Thinking of Julian's confident promise, she scoffed. He couldn't even spare half an hour for her. "Julian, if you knew these hours were the last time I'd be with you, would you regret standing me up again?" No one was around to answer her, and she no longer cared. She skimmed the post before messaging Lewis on WhatsApp. "Mr. Fitzroy, today is the last day of the waiting period. Do I need to visit the firm and complete the procedures?" Lewis responded swiftly, "That won't be necessary, Ms. Leighton. Since today is the last day of the waiting period, the whole process is now complete. "Congratulations on your newfound singlehood." It felt like she'd been given a second shot at life. From today onward, she no longer needed Julian's love. She would flourish in her new life. Thinking of this, she felt enlightened and turned to go home. With three hours to go, she threw out the last of her belongings, then lay on the sofa alone, watching the sunset. At the two-hour mark, she took out her laptop and edited the photos she had taken today into a video. At the final hour, she completed the montage. After watching it once, she turned the camera toward herself and pressed record. She wanted to record a farewell letter she had written to Julian. Finally, the video was complete. She put the memory card back into the camera, then took out the divorce agreement and placed it on the bedroom nightstand. "Dear Julian, from this moment on, we are officially divorced. Congratulations to both of us." After doing all this, she picked up her last suitcase and left the house, leaving the city altogether. No one knew where she was going, but she left decisively without turning back. Meanwhile, Julian didn't leave Elizabeth's house until she had almost fully recovered. He drove while calling Amelia, wanting to keep his previous promise. But after making more than ten calls, he kept getting directed to voicemail, and his texts were left unanswered. In their three years of marriage, it was the first time Julian could not reach her. Thinking of her recent car accident, he could not help but worry and turned back home. In the new house, all the items were placed neatly in their original positions, no longer piled up messily. However, Julian immediately noticed something wrong. Where were Amelia's belongings? He couldn't find a single thing. Realizing this, his heart skipped a beat, and he hurried back to the old house. Much to his dismay, the whole house was empty. Even after searching everywhere, he found no one. Only when he entered the bedroom did he see a camera and a stack of documents on the nightstand. Remembering how happy she had been holding the camera a few days ago, Julian felt momentarily relieved and pressed play to see what she had recorded. A video played with cheerful music, showing various locations at Washington University in St. Louis, with long captions flashing occasionally. Each time, he'd pause the video to read the text. "Julian, there are still many students skateboarding at the plaza. Remember how I first confessed to you here? You rejected me gently, but I cried all day after. "Julian, the library's still a popular spot. I didn't want to disturb them, so I took a photo from afar. This spot is familiar, right? It's your favorite place. "Julian, this is where you played basketball. I was here too, secretly watching you for four years. --- Watching scene after scene, Julian seemed to return to the carefree youth of six years ago. Thinking back to that time, and how Amelia had annoyed him relentlessly back then, he smiled. The music ended, but the video still had one minute left. He thought it was a secret surprise and looked around, but Amelia did not appear. Full of questions, he pressed play again. After a few black frames, Amelia's face appeared in the center of the screen. Seeing her red eyes and tired face, Julian suddenly felt a sense of unease. "Julian, this is our tenth year knowing each other, and also my tenth year of secretly loving you. It's hard to believe, right? I've loved you for an entire decade. Honestly, I'm pretty surprised too. How many decades do we get in a lifetime, after all? "In the past ten years, I spent seven crushing on you, and three as your wife. I wanted to be the person you loved, and I gave my all. But life doesn't always go as we wish, does it? You never liked me. Even another three, seven, or ten years wouldn't change that fact. "So on this memorable day, I made the important decision to let go of this obsession and also accept your devotion to Lizzie. So when you watch this video, I have something to tell you. "Julian, we are officially divorced. "A month ago, we both signed the papers. We are free from this marriage. I'm leaving, so don't bother looking for me. I wish you and Elizabeth happiness, and I wish a bold, carefree life for myself too."

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