Chapter 8

Throughout the entire ride, Roxanne remained silent. She did not say a single word.

Andre could sense that her mood had been low lately, but he could not figure out why. Unable to ask directly, he went over everything that had happened recently in his mind.

In the end, he came to the conclusion that he had been too preoccupied with Caitlin's case and had unintentionally neglected Roxanne. That had to be why she appeared so listless.

A twinge of guilt surfaced in his heart. For once, he took the initiative and made a suggestion.

"Our third wedding anniversary is coming up. Let me take you on a trip to relax."

With only a few days left until the cooling-off period ended, Roxanne did not want to complicate anything further. She declined, using her injury as an excuse.

Andre thought about it and realized that a trip might indeed be inappropriate, so he began suggesting alternative ways to celebrate.

One by one, he listed different ideas for her to choose from, but Roxanne found an excuse for each and rejected them all. It was clear she had no intention of celebrating.

Her indifference was in stark contrast to how she used to light up with excitement at the mere mention of a date. The change immediately stirred suspicion in Andre's heart.

Seeing the confusion on his face, Roxanne was worried that he might sense something, so she quickly offered a suggestion of her own. "That day happens to be a weekend. Why don't you come with me to visit our old college?"

Why the sudden nostalgia?

Andre could not understand what she was thinking, but he did not want to ruin her mood. He nodded in agreement.

The car fell silent again.

Roxanne opened her calendar and looked at two dates that were side by side.

September 7th was marked with the word 'divorce', and September 6th was their wedding anniversary. It also happened to mark exactly twelve years since she first fell in love with him.

To return to the place where it all began on such a meaningful day—was that not the most complete way to bring everything to a full circle? This would also mark the end of these twelve years of her youth.

As the thought settled, a faint smile returned to Roxanne's face. Her tone lightened as if she were joking. "You won't stand me up this time, right?"

A rare smile appeared in his eyes. "When have I ever stood you up? Roxy, don't you slander me."

Roxanne smiled but gave no reply. Instead, she began silently listing it out in her heart. 'The last time, you left me alone at the hospital to accompany Caitlin to the beach. The time before that, you forgot all about the birthday dinner you promised me because you were helping her collect evidence for her divorce.

'The time before that, you abandoned me in the countryside just to rush off and comfort her.'

Time after time, as long as it involved Caitlin, Andre would stand Roxanne up—every single time.

…

Over the following week, Andre did not return at all. Each morning, the first thing Roxanne did was tick off a date on the calendar hanging on the wall. Alone in the now nearly empty old house, she slowly sorted through the last of her belongings.

Time passed quickly, and soon, it was September 6th.

She got up early, applied her makeup, and chose an old dress from years ago to wear. With a camera in hand, she headed downstairs, intending to capture some memories on this day that held such meaning.

Andre was already waiting for her downstairs. He politely opened the car door for her.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that freedom was finally near, but Roxanne's mood was unusually bright. She chatted with him about many things from their college days.

They spoke back and forth, the conversation flowing easily. Both of them seemed genuinely relaxed.

Andre gradually loosened up as well and even suggested that he take more photos of her later. With lighthearted laughter, they soon arrived at the gates of Sunnyside College.

Roxanne got out of the car first and leaned casually against the window, waiting for him.

Just as Andre unfastened his seatbelt, his phone chimed several times. He glanced at the screen, only to see messages from Caitlin.

"Andre, do you have time? I have a fever. Can you come over and take me to the hospital?"

The moment he saw the word 'fever', Andre froze.

Seeing that he had not gotten out of the car, Roxanne turned her head to see what was going on. She was just in time to catch the conflicted look on his face. Even so, he made his decision within moments. "Roxy, something came up at the firm. I need to head over there."

Roxanne paused, surprised by the sudden change. "Can you go an hour later?"

She already knew the truth in her heart. He was lying. It was most likely because of Caitlin again.

"It's really urgent. I'm afraid I can't."

Hearing the certainty in his voice, Roxanne did not expose him. She simply gave him a long and deep look before letting him go.

Andre fastened his seatbelt again. In an effort to make things up, he offered her a new promise.

"You should take a cab home first. Once I finish everything in the next few days, I'll bring you back here to look around. We can invite a few professors out for dinner as well."

Roxanne did not respond to that promise. She thought to herself, 'Andre, there will be no later.'

She tilted her head back and watched as his car slowly disappeared from view. Then, with her camera in hand, she walked alone through the campus gates.

In just 30 minutes, she visited every place that held memories of her youth and unrequited love. After taking all the photos, she went nowhere else. She hailed a cab and went straight home.

A small red notification dot appeared on her social media app, and she tapped it absentmindedly. With one refresh, a new photo popped up—it was something Caitlin posted from the hospital.