Chapter 2

I liked the post with a completely blank expression.

Then, opening Julian’s chat, I found a barrage of messages.

[I'm so sorry, Chloe! It was an absolute emergency, and I had to handle it right away!]

[Are you still at City Hall? I'm almost done here. If you're still there, I'll rush right back.]

[Chloe, answer your phone!]

[Can you stop throwing a tantrum? You know saving lives comes down to seconds.]

[Chloe, I'm sorry. Just calm down, okay? We can reschedule our registration for another day.]

Staring at the words "another day," I suddenly burst out laughing.

As I laughed, tears spilled over my cheeks, completely out of my control.

Ninety-nine times, Julian.

There is no "another day."

Stepping out of City Hall, I saw Ethan leaning against his car, watching me.

"Need a ride?"

"No. I drove."

He chuckled softly. "What, scared someone might see you getting into my car?"

I ignored him and walked straight to my car.

I pulled out of the parking lot.

In the rearview mirror, Ethan remained standing there, watching me leave with a faint smile on his lips.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to focus on the road.

When I arrived home and opened the door, Julian was sitting on the couch.

"Chloe, why are you back so late? And why didn't you pick up?"

He stood up to hug me, but I stepped aside.

"How's the hospital?"

He paused, then rushed to explain. "The patient was stabilized, but Lily was terrified. She couldn't stop crying."

"So you stayed with her until now, forgetting all about our marriage license?"

Julian frowned. "Chloe, a human life was on the line! Can you stop being so petty?"

Looking at him, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me.

"Julian, let's break up."

He froze. "What did you say?"

"I said, we're over."

He looked at me as if hearing a bad joke. "Chloe, stop messing around."

"I know you're mad, but I swear this is the last time. Next time we go, I promise nothing will come up."

I gave a cold laugh. "You said the exact same thing the last ninety-eight times."

I walked into the bedroom and started packing my bags.

Julian followed me inside. When he saw the suitcase, panic finally set in.

"Chloe, what are you doing? You're moving out over something so trivial?"

"Trivial?" I stopped and turned to him.

"In your eyes, what counts as important? Everything about Lily is a crisis, while our marriage is trivial, right?"

"That's not what I meant." His phone rang. He glanced at the screen and instinctively hit decline.

"Your intern?" I asked. "Answer it. What if it's another life-or-death emergency?"

He stayed silent.

The phone rang again. This time, he answered.

"Mentor!" Lily’s tearful voice blared through the speaker. "The family is causing a huge scene, saying they're going to report me! I'm so scared!"

Julian glanced at me, keeping his voice down. "I'll be right there."

Hanging up, he looked at me conflicted.

"Chloe, something urgent came up at the hospital. I'll be back soon, and we'll have a real talk then."

Always like this.

Forever like this.

I went back to packing. "Go ahead. Don't bother coming back."

Julian hesitated for a second, then grabbed his coat.

"Wait for me."

The door shut.

Listening to his footsteps fade down the hall, I let out a long, heavy breath.

This time, I wasn't waiting.