Chapter 3

3.

Julian's gaze lingered on the name "Sophia" for a few seconds before he answered.

He held his breath, but the voice he heard wasn't Sophia's.

It was an unfamiliar woman's voice.

"Mr. Costello, my name is Chloe. I'm Sophia's best friend. I'm sure you don't know me, so let me introduce myself." The woman paused, her voice thick with suppressed anger. "You're a very busy man, I understand, but when exactly are you planning to pay Sophia the alimony you owe her?"

Julian indeed did not know Chloe. He didn't know anyone in Sophia's life besides her parents, nor did he care to.

"If Sophia wants money, she can come ask me for it herself!"

With that, he hung up before Chloe could say another word.

He couldn't believe it. Sophia hadn't been home for over a week, and now she was sending a stranger to demand money from him.

And to think, he had actually felt like he owed her something.

…

Meanwhile, outside the intensive care unit.

In the hallway.

Chloe stared at the disconnected call, her eyes red with fury.

She composed herself and walked into the hospital room. Sophia was awake, sitting on the bed in an oversized hospital gown, a bandage wrapped around her head. She was frighteningly thin.

"Chloe, what time is it? I need to go home and make dinner for Julian."

Hearing this, Chloe nearly burst into tears.

Sophia had forgotten again. She had already asked Julian for a divorce, to cut ties completely.

Seeing Chloe's pained expression, a sharp pain shot through Sophia's head. The memories of the past week slowly returned.

Leaving Costello Manor, being admitted to the hospital, having surgery to remove a brain tumor.

But why was her memory still so bad?

Chloe hadn't told her the truth: the tumor in her brain had become malignant over time. Even with the surgery, there was no hope.

"Bed 31, Ms. Costello, your hospital bill is due," a nurse said, knocking on the door.

Sophia reached for her purse, but Chloe stopped her.

Chloe looked at the nurse, her eyes red. "I'll be over to pay it in a little while."

Sophia didn't know that the hundred thousand dollars in her account was long gone.

And Chloe never imagined that after being Mrs. Costello for seven years, Sophia would have so little money, not even enough to cover the basic cost of surgery.

Otherwise, she never would have taken it upon herself to call Julian.

"Chloe, is the money gone?" Sophia asked.

Chloe nodded grimly.

Sophia’s expression remained calm. She smiled. "It's alright. I wanted to go home anyway. The surgery is done."

She patted Chloe's shoulder and started to get out of bed to pack her things.

Declining Chloe's offer to see her off, Sophia bought a one-way ticket back to her hometown―the West Coast port city of Santa Barbara.

Julian probably didn't know, but since marrying him, she could count the number of times she'd been back to Santa Barbara on one hand.

Now, she could finally spend time with her parents.

…

At Sophia's old family home.

When Sophia arrived, dragging her red suitcase, she saw that the once-grand villa was now covered in ivy.

She pushed open the heavy iron gate and stepped into the home of her childhood, a lump forming in her throat.

She spoke softly to the empty house.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home. I'm not going anywhere this time. I'll stay with you forever."

…

Meanwhile.

Costello Manor.

A sharp pain in his stomach woke Julian from a nightmare.

He dreamt that Sophia was dead.

Julian pressed his temples, trying to shake off the fear.

A woman who could down a whole bottle of brandy without flinching? How could she possibly die?

Unable to sleep, he got up and went downstairs.

The living room light was still on.

The small figure was not on the leather sofa, and an unsettling feeling washed over him.

He picked up his phone and sent a text to Sophia's number.

"You want a divorce, right? City Hall. The day after tomorrow, ten in the morning."

He sent the text. A minute passed. Half an hour. An hour.

Ding!

A reply finally came.

Julian grabbed his phone. Sophia had sent only one word: "Okay."

His handsome brow furrowed, his deep eyes filled with coldness.

"Sophia, you better not regret this."

He didn't sleep a wink that night.

As dawn broke, Julian went to wash up.

He saw the pink ceramic cup next to his, the light-colored towel next to his dark one, and all of Sophia's other toiletries.

Julian's gaze darkened.

He was about to throw them all in the trash, but as his hand touched her cup, an image of Sophia's sad face flashed in his mind.

He remembered her asking him timidly, "Julian, can I put my things next to yours?"

Julian forced the image away and quickly left the suffocating bathroom.

He went to the second-floor walk-in closet.

He pulled open the door and saw that among his uniform rows of custom suits, some of Sophia's clothes were mixed in.

"Julian, there's no 'yours' and 'mine' between a husband and wife."

Sophia's voice echoed in his head again.

Slam! Julian shut the door.

It felt like Sophia's presence was everywhere in Costello Manor.

The feeling was suffocating.

He drove to the office. Just as he arrived, his friend Vincent showed up.

Vincent sat down, crossed his legs, and stared at Julian. "Did you get into a brawl last night?"

Julian had dark circles under his eyes, clearly from a lack of sleep.

He walked to his desk and sat down, reflexively turning over a desk ornament Sophia had bought for him.

"What is it?"

"Ava's back. We're throwing her a welcome party at the club tomorrow. You, the man of the hour, have to be there," Vincent said.

Julian opened his laptop without a second's hesitation.

"Not going."

The two cold words made Vincent freeze again.

"Why not? Didn't you use to be crazy about Ava? Now that Sophia's gone, it's the perfect time for you two to get back together."

Julian’s brow arched. "I have an appointment with Sophia tomorrow."

Vincent stared. "You haven't actually fallen for her, have you?"

The old Julian would never turn down a gathering with his friends for Sophia.

Fallen for her? Julian’s eyes filled with contempt.

"I'm going to divorce her."

…

The day of the divorce appointment arrived.

Julian was up early.

He put on a crisp new suit, had his already neat hair styled, and a Patek Philippe watch peeked out from under his exquisite, handmade cufflinks.

His black stretch Lincoln was parked near City Hall by nine o'clock.

In the back seat, Julian watched the time, full of confidence.

But half an hour passed. An hour…

It was past ten, and Sophia hadn't shown up.

"Boss, should I give Mrs. Costello a call?" the driver asked, noticing it was already ten-thirty.

Julian slowly pulled his gaze from the City Hall entrance. He picked up his phone and, for the first time, proactively dialed Sophia's number.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off…"

Julian's heart sank, but he quickly relaxed.

Sophia was just bluffing. All this talk of divorce was just another one of her petty tactics.

For seven years, she never dared to mention divorce. Now her parents were gone, and her family had fallen.

She had no one but him. How could she dare to divorce him?

A contemptuous smile played on Julian's lips.

"To the club."