I dialed a number that I had not rang up in a long time.

"Professor Gold, can I still come back?" I asked anxiously.

Back then, Professor Barbara Gold had been very optimistic about me, strongly urging me to stay on for postgraduate studies and join her research team. Alas, I had let her down.

After asking about my reason, she said with a sigh, "I've long said it before. True love will be in your future, not stand in the way of it."

She added, "Yes, you may, but you need to pass an assessment, which is happening next month."

I agreed to it without any hesitation.

That night, just another night that Xander did not come home, I no longer tossed and turned in waiting for him.

I slept until dawn, then began my revision.

Who knew that waking up with hope would feel so good, compared to losing sleep over a man?

I thought that Xander would not come back so soon.

That night, he entered the house, looking tired. He stuffed something soft into my arms.

"Your three-year-anniversary gift."

It was a penguin plush toy.

Just like all the other incidents before, when he stood me up just for Josie, he did not explain himself or apologize. All I got were these vague, half-hearted gestures of reconciliation.

The penguin was still warm. I touched the little gift tag attached to it, saw that it said 'Free Gift', and felt my heart go cold.

"No need."

I did not need any gifts from him, nor were we ever going to celebrate our anniversaries anymore.

He was a little stunned, then annoyed.

"Josephine, can you stop being so petty? Josie has been a good friend of mine for many years. She returned to the country after a heartbreak. I can't just abandon her. Can you stop making such a fuss?"

My fingers unconsciously stroked the plush toy in my arms. I felt a small, fine ache coursing through my heart.

He seemed to have forgotten that I liked penguins, too. After moving to Lucerno, I had brought it up with me many times that I wanted to head to the local aquarium to see penguins.

He was a workaholic, so he never had the time for me.

All it took was one word from Josie, and he would drop everything to accompany her to Antartrica.

It seemed it was not that he did not have the time. He just did not want to spend it on me.

He thought that I had compromised, yet again, when he saw my silence. He patted my head.

"I'm hungry."

These words used to be like a switch. Once he said them, I would put everything down and whip up something for him in the kitchen.

After everything that happened, though, the warmth I once believed to be happiness was nothing more than an illusion.

I replied indifferently, "I'm tired. I don't want to cook."

He was a little taken aback, a frown forming in his brows. The next second, as if giving in, he pulled me into his arms.

"In that case, I'll eat you."

His warm breath brushed against my ear. His kiss fell, lingering all the way to my lips.

He knew I lacked love. He knew I was most addicted to his warmth. He also knew that just like before, I was easily coaxed.

My body shuddered instinctively, but I pushed him away. My heart had turned cold–how could I still give myself to him?

I turned and picked up the divorce papers.

"You said that you'd sign them once you return. Please sign here."

His expression finally darkened. He snapped, "If Josie hadn't been so kind to ask me to not argue with you, do you think I'd return so soon? You're almost thirty, yet you still act like a little girl getting all jealous.

"You're really getting more shameless and brazen. You think you can threaten me with divorce? Let me show you what it means to have this backfire on you."

He signed hard on the papers, almost tearing through them. Then, he used his phone and booked a divorce date.

"It's a month later. I dare you not to beg me to cancel the divorce at the city hall."

Then, he entered the guest bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Josie updated her social media.

[Back from Antartrica. I'm fully revived! Thank you to my knight in shining armor who always pampers me like a little girl.]

She looked radiant in her selfies.

Looking at the 28-year-old self in the mirror, I looked haggard. My hair was dull and lifeless.

In fact, I was three years younger than Josie, yet in Xander's eyes, she was the one who needed to be pampered.

That made sense.

The right kind of love nourished quietly, like gentle rain. The wrong kind of love destroyed just as quietly.

Thankfully, this mistake was about to end.

Xander started giving me the cold shoulder. He got home later and later, entering directly into the guest bedroom every time without saying a single word to me.

In the past, I was always the one who apologized first. I was not going to give in this time.

Josie's social media always had him daily. The photos and captions were way beyond a normal friendship; it was borderline flirtatious.

Unlike before, however, they did not drive me mad with pain. I merely dimmed my screen and looked at my notebook covered in my handwriting.

My life no longer revolved around him, and I had lots of free time because of that. Besides revising, I went out and explored different places.

That evening, I reserved a table at the La Perle de L'Orient Tower rotating restaurant. While dining there, the restaurant slowly rotates, offering a panoramic view of a dazzling corner of the city.

It was such a romantic place. I had once wanted to come here with Xander, but he was always busy.

After living for seven years in this city, my checklist still had far too many unfinished items.

Before leaving, I decided to complete them. Alone.

Little did I expect to bump into the last people I wanted to see at the restaurant.

Josie.

Xander was sitting opposite her. Even with his back facing me, I could sense how tender he was with her.

He even carefully de-shelled a lobster for her before feeding her.

She opened her mouth to eat, as though it was all natural.

"My gosh! It still tastes the same as it did over ten years ago! Nothing has changed! I really like it!" She smiled in delight, looking at Xander.

Xander jokingly said while continuing to de-shell the lobster, "I didn't change either. Do you like it?"

Suddenly, he stiffened, showing his nervousness.

Josie blinked at him in bafflement before pouting, saying, "You liar! You've changed! You have Josephine!"

She added, "Be honest! The rotating restaurant, aquarium, and the cruise by the river–we've had so many memories here. Did you take her to any of them?"

She sounded smug, as if she already knew the answer. She cast a glance at me from the corner of her eye.

"I've never. Not once," answered Xander without any hesitation.

My nails dug into my palm. At that moment, I finally knew. Every time he turned me down citing work emergencies was just an excuse. He was protecting the memories they had made together.

I had never been part of them.

"That's more like it," said Josie haughtily. "You said you'd always treat me the best. If you go back on your word, I'll eat you just like this!" She took a chomp on the lobster as if she were someone one would not want to mess with.

Her coquettish behavior and tone annoyed me to no end, yet I could not shake it off.

Xander chuckled just as usual. "You're forever a little girl. Yes, my princess. Anything you say."

Josie smiled triumphantly before pretending to just notice me.

"What? Josephine, why are you here?"

Xander turned around to look at me with a nervousness I had never seen before in his eyes. Very quickly, though, it was replaced by rage.

"Were you stalking me? Josephine, you were the one who asked for a divorce, and now you're stalking me? Who on earth taught you such dirty tricks? No matter who it is, you need to give them space. You doing this will only push me further away from you. You…"

He trailed off when he saw my reddened eyes.

He paused for a while before pulling an empty chair next to him. He softened his tone and said, "Since you're here, join us."

This was the first time he had noticed how upset I was in front of Josie.

Josie's smug smile instantly froze.

I was upset, but not because he no longer loved me. I was upset that I wasted 10 years on someone who was not worthy at all.

"I wasn't stalking you. I came here for a meal. Besides, I have a table on my own," I replied calmly before walking past them to the other side to my table.

I sat where they could not see me.

The night skyline was stunning. Who knew that the world without Xander could be so thrilling?

That night, Xander did not come home, but he suddenly shot me a message.

[There's a gathering tonight with a group of people. Don't think too much of it.]

I stared blankly at the message I had once begged for but never received, just to tell me where he was so he could put my mind at ease.

It was too late, though. There was no joy left, only the irony of it all.

Josie sent me another video of the group of friends having a party. They were playing 'Never Have I Ever.'

They were all childhood friends, their life paths too similar. After several rounds, no one could gain the upper hand.

Josie suddenly grabbed Xander by the collar and pulled him in. She kissed him on the lips for five whole minutes before letting him go.

"Never have I ever kissed Xander! I bet none of you have, right?"

She happily hugged Xander's arm, thrilled.

"I was only kissing for the game. Don't be mistaken. We're just friends!"

I looked at Xander's reaction in the video. We were together for 10 years. He was always calm and collected. Never had I ever seen him react in such a flustered manner. He was blushing so hard that even his ears were red.

Turns out, he did have passionate emotions, just not for me.

I remembered Josie once boasting to me. They grew up together. He bought her breakfast, took her home, wrote poetry for her, got into fights because of her… All the passionate things imaginable.

What I did not understand was, if she truly did not love Xander, why did she keep messaging me to provoke me again and again? She even kissed him.

Since I could not wrap my head around Josie's behavior, I stopped thinking about it. I was not going to waste time on strangers–not anymore.

I carried on with my studies and checked out the city.

On the day I was about to leave, I headed for the Disnelleland theme park. I did not expect to bump into Xander and Josie again.

"Josephine, why are you stalking Xander again?" gasped Josie, pretending to be stumped. She continued, "If you love him, you have to accept that friendship comes first to him, and love second. We're only friends having a good time. Don't overthink it."

The same excuse over and over again, always trying to provoke me so I would lose my cool.

I could not be bothered with her, so I turned to leave when Xander called out to me, "Since you're here, join us."

After a moment of surprise, I finally understood. His sudden concern was not out of love, but of guilt.

The kiss he had with Josie had crossed the line, after all.

"Xander, I want some ice cream."

After sending Xander away, Josie looked at me in disgust. "Why won't you just get lost? He's only asking you to stay out of pity. The person he truly loves is me."

I finally asked, "Since you only treat him as a friend, why do you care who he truly loves?"

Josie snickered. "Back then, he wasn't good enough for me. But look at how amazing he's become! He is finally a worthy match for me."

She added, "No man would ever cherish someone like you who keeps sticking around. Only by playing hot and cold, he'd forever go mad for me.

"I know that you two have booked your divorce dates. Get it done today, or I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

Before I could see what she was 'capable' of, a sudden commotion erupted among the crowd.

Two men who had gotten into an argument while lining up started fighting.

Their burly bodies slammed toward us.

Nearby, Xander threw the ice cream in his hands to the ground and yelled, "Josie!" He ran over, looking nervous.

In the blink of an eye, he wrapped his arms around Josie and pulled her to the side, while I was knocked to the ground. Warm blood trickling down my head blurred my vision.

He was calling out to her. I should have known.

I headed to the hospital on my own to get my wounds cleaned and dressed. When I exited the hospital, Xander arrived in a rush.

He opened the door to the passenger seat and pushed me inside without saying anything.

"Josie fainted at the sight of blood. I had to settle her first, but I came as soon as I could."

While waiting for the traffic light, he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel before saying determinedly, "I admit I had neglected you, but when something happened to you, I finally realized that the person most important to me isn't Josie. It's you.

"Josie, let's cancel the divorce. I promise I won't ever let you suffer again."

My wound throbbed faintly as I was in a daze.

Xander finally decided to choose me. The Josie he was referring to was finally me.

Past-Me would have cried tears of joy, but it was all too late.

I would never forget how, when I was in danger, he went to someone else's aid instead of me.

"Too happy to speak?" He smiled and caressed my head.

He added, "I have a surprise for you tonight. It's something you've always wanted."

Oh? Too bad, the only thing I wanted at that moment was for him to leave.

When he had just parked outside the city hall, his phone rang.

It was his personalized ringtone for Josie.

"Xander, I think someone is following me. I'm really scared."

After a moment of hesitation, Xander handed me the documents. "You go ahead and cancel them. I'll come as soon as I can. I'm only treating her as a good friend now–honest. You have to believe me."

"Alright," I replied calmly, as if this was not the last time we were seeing each other.

After getting the divorce certificate, I scanned the place where I had lived for the past seven years.

The place where I once thought was home had slowly turned into a prison.

After a moment, I placed Xander's certificate on his desk, along with a thumb drive. That was my surprise for him.

Maybe a scare, too.

After all, in the thumb drive were not only Josie's disgusting acts, but also the secrets to how he managed to climb through the ranks so quickly over the past few years.

Even if I was leaving, I was not going to let them off the hook. This was payback for being lied to and the suffering of the past 10 years.

Before night fell, I left without looking back.