Chapter 16
After dinner, I curled up on the sofa, my phone in hand.
I had drafted the text at least a dozen times—but I still couldn’t hit send.
What was Evan playing at?
He let Gary send me his measurements but refused to give me his address? What kind of game was this?
I couldn’t decipher his intentions, and I didn’t want to. Apart from this unresolved suit issue, we would have no reason to talk again.
Footsteps approached.
I immediately deleted the text and sat up.
Julian stood before me, his expression dark. “Where are all your clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry?”
My heart skipped a beat.
He noticed?
What was wrong with this man? He came home for dinner without warning—and then checked the walk-in closet upstairs?
“I took my clothes and shoes to the dry cleaner,” I said smoothly. “And the bags and jewelry are getting serviced.”
Julian’s brow furrowed. All of them?
“Yes. Problem?” I crossed my arms. “I was bored, so I started cleaning. I couldn’t remember which clothes and shoes had been worn, so I took them all in. As for the bags and jewelry, I noticed the diamonds had lost their sparkle, and the leather edges were worn. Since I had time, I decided to have everything repaired and polished.”
It was a logical explanation—one Julian would have no reason to doubt.
As expected, he found it odd but accepted it. After all, he’d seen me tidying the house every time he came home lately.
“Take it easy,” he muttered. “You’re not just staying home for a few days. You can clean later.”
“I’m going on a trip soon. I want the house spotless before I leave.”
The words slipped out effortlessly.
Julian stilled.
Something about the way I said it bothered him.
His gaze landed on the dark blue bag resting on the sofa. He reached for it. “This is for—”
“No!”
The word escaped before I could stop it.
I moved instinctively, blocking him from touching it.
We both froze.
Julian’s face darkened.
I quickly recovered, forcing a casual tone. “It’s for my father.”
Disappointment flickered across his expression. “You bought a gift for your father—but not for your husband?”
I tilted my head. “Do you really need a suit?”
The ones in Rita’s apartment probably outnumbered those in our home.
Julian fell silent.
Without another word, I grabbed the bag and walked upstairs, locking it in my study.
A little while later, I heard the sound of a car pulling away.
Relief washed over me.
Sunday arrived with clear skies.
I visited my old high school—the place Julian and I had once shared.
Classes weren’t in session, but I spotted a few students in uniform.
I wandered through the halls, revisiting our old classroom, strolling along the tree-lined path, jogging across the track…
Finally, I reached the bamboo grove by the artificial lake.
There, in a hidden corner, lay a small buried box—our time capsule.
It had been before the college entrance exams. Julian had brought me here at night, our phone screens casting a dim glow as we wrote our messages.
We’ll dig this up together in twenty years. That’s what he had said.
With a quiet smile, I retrieved my capsule from the box.
Goodbye, Julian Shaw.
At the same time, Julian sat in the project manager’s office.
The blinds were drawn. The door was shut.
Outside, the project team whispered among themselves.
Inside, Julian frowned, flipping through Rita’s proposal.
Rita, oblivious to his irritation, leaned against him, her fingers lightly tracing his chest.
She wasn’t as beautiful as Olivia, but she was wild and seductive—qualities that made her irresistible to most men.
“Julian…” Her voice was honeyed. “Don’t you want to… do it here?”
Her hand slid lower.
“Stop it.”
His voice was sharp, laced with unmistakable disgust.
He shoved her hand away and slammed the proposal onto the desk. “This is what you spent eight nights working on?”
Rita blinked. “Yes, I—”
“This is garbage.” His tone was ice. “Absurd. Nonsensical.”
He had always known she wasn’t as capable as Olivia, but he hadn’t expected her to be this incompetent.
Julian pressed his fingers to his temple.
He missed the days when Olivia was by his side.
Rita pouted. “Julian, I—”
His phone rang.
“Julian Shaw speaking.”
A familiar voice reported: “Ms. Frost went out again today. She visited a high school, stayed for a while, then went to a neighborhood called Ocean Rose. It’s high-end, strict security—only residents can enter.”
Julian’s expression darkened.
High school. A high-end neighborhood.
His eyes narrowed. “Only residents? What if she knows someone inside?”
“That works, too.”
“Send me the address. Keep watching her.”
“Yes, sir.”
He ended the call, frustration simmering beneath his skin.
His mistress’s project was a disaster. His wife was acting strange.
Before he could process it further, Rita clung to him. “Julian, why do you even care? You don’t love her anymore.”
Julian’s fingers curled around her shoulders—firm, cold.
“Redo the proposal. Carefully.” His voice was emotionless. “If you need help, ask the team leaders.”
Then, without a second glance, he strode out.
Rita stared after him, her face twisting in rage.
She hated those team leaders.
They were Olivia’s former subordinates.
And now, she had to ask them for help?
Fury boiled in her chest.
Moments later, she summoned the three team leaders to her office—then lashed out.
Yelling. Insults.
One slap.
The other two employees kept their heads down, unwilling to provoke her further.
But they all thought the same thing.
Rita was crazy.
That evening, I placed the time capsule on a shelf in my new home.
I wouldn’t throw it away.
I wouldn’t burn it.
It wasn’t just about Julian.
My life had never been just about him.
My phone buzzed.
Julian.
I stared at the screen.
Did he sense it? That our marriage was slipping away?
I neither answered nor declined the call.
After a while, it stopped ringing.
A message arrived.
Rolling my eyes, I opened it—only to realize…
It wasn’t from Julian.
It was from Gary.
