Chapter 4

Henry glanced at the dishes Autumn had ordered and frowned.

"Why only vegetables? There’s no nutrition in these. You need to eat more meat. Look how thin you are."

As he spoke, he took the menu and ordered several of her favorite dishes.

During the meal, Lily kept placing food onto Autumn’s plate.

They were all the dishes she used to love.

But Autumn hadn’t had much of an appetite lately.

After a few bites, she couldn’t eat any more.

Noticing this, Lily asked with concern, "Autumn, what’s wrong? Don’t like the food?"

Autumn shook her head. "No, I ate something earlier, so I’m not really hungry right now."

The truth was, ever since her diagnosis, her appetite had vanished.

But she couldn’t tell them because she didn’t want to worry them.

After a bit more time passed, her stomach began to feel uncomfortable, so she stood up, excusing herself to use the restroom.

As she passed by the smoking lounge, she heard a few familiar voices—it was Julian’s friends.

"Julian, you’re not going home tonight? Isn’t your wife calling to check on you?"

"With how clingy she is? No way she’s not checking. He probably just sweet-talked her again."

"She’s such a pain. Always checking up on him. No wonder Julian’s tired of her. After all these years, the spark’s long gone."

"Exactly. That Luna’s way better than Autumn. She has better looks, figure, and background. Honestly, even I’d be tempted."

The fact that his friends could talk about her so freely meant Julian had never bothered to stop them from speaking badly of her.

Autumn lowered her eyes and gave a bitter smile before turning to leave.

Julian stayed silent, taking a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaling through the haze.

Then, through the curling smoke, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

Instinctively, he stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it into a nearby bin, then strode out.

His friends, seeing him move, quickly put out their own cigarettes and followed.

"Autumn."

Julian called out to her, his tone sharp. "So, you’ve changed tactics? Following me now instead of just calling?"

The group behind him froze in surprise, exchanging glances.

None of them had expected Autumn to show up here.

Tonight, Hector Lewis had thrown together a last-minute gathering to celebrate his sister, Luna’s birthday, booking an ultra-private SVIP room to keep things discreet.

Somehow, Autumn still managed to find them.

No one knew if she had overheard what they’d just said.

Autumn paused in her tracks, a sharp ache piercing her chest.

For a moment, an old memory flashed through her mind—Julian once getting into a fight for her.

That image overlapped with the man standing before her now, accusing her without hesitation.

He used to love her so much.

But now...

When had Julian’s love turned into nothing but impatience and disdain?

Steadying herself, Autumn turned and gave a faint smile. "Sorry, I’m just here for dinner. I’m not looking for you."

She started toward the restroom, but Julian grabbed her arm.

His face was tense, and his tone held a trace of irritation. "Autumn, can you not make a scene? I’m here for business. You’re making things awkward for me."

Autumn calmly pulled her arm back, raising a brow. "How exactly am I making a scene?"

Going to the restroom counted as causing trouble?

What a joke.

Back when she first realized Julian had changed, she did cling to him constantly, driving him to frustration.

Because she’d once experienced how deeply he loved her, she could instantly sense the moment he stopped.

It had been selfish.

She wanted him to go back to the man he used to be.

She had tried to force it.

However, she would never do that again.

Julian froze, his expression darkening.

Just then, a few of his friends quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Autumn, don’t take it the wrong way. We really are just here for business."

Autumn nodded with understanding. "Oh, then take your time. I won’t disturb you."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she turned away.

But as she did, a mocking smile tugged at her lips.

Whether he was here for business or seducing another woman into bed didn’t matter to her anymore.

In a month, he’d be nothing more than a stranger.

What did any of it have to do with her?

Watching her walk away, the group shifted uneasily, a few reaching up to rub the back of their necks.

"Julian, your wife’s really overdoing it. She follows you everywhere."

"Maybe you should head back and smooth things over."

Julian stared at her retreating figure, irritated, pulling out a cigarette.

Someone immediately lit it for him.

He took a deep drag. "Shut up."

A few seconds later, his face was calm again, as if nothing had happened, and he walked back into the room.