Chapter 5

To avoid any further overlap with Julian at work, I withdrew myself from this project.

My manager was completely baffled.

"You designed this proposal yourself. Are you really going to just hand it over to someone else?"

I explained:

"I have another project that I've been tracking for a long time, and I really can't balance both right now."

Hearing this, my manager didn't push any further.

Julian sent me a message on Snapchat:

[I'll pick you up tonight. What time do you get off?]

I replied without a single second of hesitation:

[Thanks, but I'm working late tonight. No need to come.]

I actually did need to work overtime; it wasn't an excuse.

It was past nine in the evening when I finally walked out of the office building.

Julian was standing at the bottom of the steps, holding a paper bag.

Seeing me walk out, he looked up.

My footsteps paused.

He handed the bag to me. Inside was dinner from a restaurant I used to love, along with a warm drink.

"I figured you hadn't eaten yet."

I frowned slightly but still took the bag.

"Julian."

"You really don't have to do this."

"It's honestly a lot of trouble."

He stared at me intently, his eyes deep.

He said:

"It's no trouble."

I let out a soft sigh.

But to me, it felt like an immense burden.

Last year, six months after Julian left, I bought an apartment.

The renovation was just recently finished.

Ever since my dad passed away, I had been wanting to move my mother to a new place.

Since the apartment was finally ready, I was planning to move in to keep her company.

When I went to inspect the property, I ran right into Julian in the community courtyard.

Standing right next to him was a real estate agent and Vivian.

We all stood there, staring at one another in awkward silence.

His face was filled with utter shock.

Neither of us expected to cross paths here. It was incredibly sudden.

This was actually my first time facing Vivian head-on.

She had a very soft, delicate look.

She gave off an aura of fragile innocence.

She pressed her lips together and gave me a faint, gentle smile.

The real estate agent was still talking:

"Miss Vivian, your boyfriend has incredible taste. The lighting and layout of this unit are absolutely perfect."

"We've also done our best to adjust all the details according to your boyfriend's requests."

Julian stared at me, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"What are you doing here?"

I told the plain truth.

"I'm here to inspect an apartment."

Julian looked confused.

"You're buying an apartment?"

"I'll go with you in a minute."

I shook my head and declined.

"I already bought it. I'm just here for the final walkthrough."

I had no intention of keeping it a secret from him; he would find out sooner or later anyway.

He was visibly stunned, his eyebrows raising.

"You already bought it?"

I gave a polite smile.

"I'll head up first."

He walked over to my side, following me.

Vivian called out his name in a soft, gentle tone.

"Julian, aren't you going to finish looking at the place with me?"

The way she said his name sounded incredibly intimate.

Julian looked down at me for a split second, then replied to Vivian:

"Let the agent show you around first."

I let out a quiet chuckle, simply finding him ridiculous.

I had fully expected him to stay with Vivian.

He followed me all the way into my new apartment.

I politely invited him in.

"Would you like some water?"

"Have a seat."

I treated him with the utmost, formal politeness.

His expression was complicated as he stood frozen, staring at me.

His narrow, dark eyes were incredibly deep.

"When did you buy this place? Why didn't you tell me about something this important?"

I mumbled under my breath:

"It's not like I used your money."

His brow furrowed slightly, his voice slow.

"That's not what I meant."

"I mean, why didn't you let me know?"

Why should I have told him?

When my dad died and I needed to move, he had no idea.

But when Vivian’s dad died, he knew exactly where she was living.

I poured him a glass of plain water.

I was treating him like an ordinary guest.

He reached out and pressed his hand over mine, looking up at me.

"We are married."

"Why are you being so polite to me?"

I blinked, giving him a small smile without saying a word.

When we left my new place and got into the elevator, he suddenly asked:

"What's the passcode to the door?"

I kept my head down.

"This is my apartment."

I was gently but firmly refusing to give him the code.

He quickly changed the subject, trying to explain why he was with Vivian earlier.

"After her father passed away, he left behind some complicated property issues and debts."

"The agent brought her here to look at some options, and I was just helping her review the terms."

I nodded, my eyes fixed on the changing numbers on the elevator screen.

He added:

"Don't misunderstand."

I nodded again.

"I didn't."

He was explaining himself yet again, begging me not to misunderstand.

I silently grumbled in my head about how incredibly slow this elevator was.

I answered him:

"I really didn't misunderstand."

A storm of complicated emotions flared up in the depths of his eyes.