Chapter 9

At that moment, Roxanne was finally certain. He was not working overtime—he had gone to take care of the sick Caitlin.

Roxanne gave a quiet smile. Was he truly not even willing to spare half an hour for her?

"Andre, if you knew those few hours would be our last together, would you regret standing me up again?"

No one answered her question, yet she no longer cared what the answer might be.

She glanced at the photo once more before exiting the app and opening her chat box with Nathaniel.

"Mr. Shepherd, today's the last day of the divorce cooling-off period. Do I still need to wait a few more days?"

Nathaniel responded quickly.

"There's no need. Today marks the final day of your divorce cooling-off period. Congratulations on your new beginning."

It was a new beginning, indeed.

From today onward, from the moment she stopped loving Andre, from the moment she no longer needed Andre… She would begin a life more radiant and brilliant than ever before. With that thought, everything became clear. She turned and went home.

There were now three hours left.

She threw out the last of her remaining belongings in the house. Then, she lay on the couch alone, watching the sunset fade behind the horizon.

When there were two hours left, she opened her laptop and edited the photos she had taken earlier into a short video. The video was complete when it was the final hour. After watching it once through, she picked up the camera, turned it toward herself, and pressed the record button.

She wanted to record a farewell letter—a message for Andre.

When the video was finished, she pulled out the divorce agreement and placed it on the bedside table in the bedroom.

"Andre, from this moment on, we're officially divorced. Congratulations to you, and congratulations to me as well."

After doing all of this, she picked up her final piece of luggage and left the house. She even left the city.

No one knew where she was going, but her departure was decisive. There was no hesitation and no looking back.

On the other hand, it was not until Caitlin's fever had nearly subsided that Andre finally left her home. As he drove, he called Roxanne, intending to fulfill the promise he made last time.

However, after more than ten calls, the same automated message repeated, "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

He even sent several messages, but he received no replies. In their three years of marriage, this was the first time Andre could not reach Roxanne.

Remembering the car accident from before, a flicker of worry rose in his chest. He made a U-turn and headed home.

Everything in the new home had been arranged exactly as it was before, and nothing was messily piled anymore. Each item had been returned to its proper place. However, Andre only needed one glance to sense that something was wrong.

Why was there not a single trace of Roxanne's belongings?

The realization struck him hard, and his heart skipped several beats. He immediately rushed back to the old house in a panic.

The entire place was empty. He searched every room inside and out but found no sign of anyone. It was only when he stepped into the bedroom that he finally saw something—a camera and a stack of documents sitting neatly on the bedside table.

Remembering how happy Roxanne had looked just days ago, carrying that camera around, Andre let out a temporary sigh of relief. He pressed the power button, curious to see what she had filmed.

A video began to play with cheerful music. The screen showed different scenes from Sunnyside College, and occasionally, blocks of text would appear. Just as Andre was about to press pause, her voice played over the footage.

"Andre, there are still lots of students skateboarding in the plaza. I still remember the first time I confessed to you—it was right here. You turned me down so gently, but I cried the whole way home.

"Andre, the library is still as crowded as ever. I didn't dare disturb anyone, so I only took a photo from a distance. Do you recognize that spot? It used to be your favorite place.

"Andre, this is the basketball court where you used to play. I watched you from the sidelines for four years—always secretly."

Scene after scene played, and Andre felt as though he had been transported back to that carefree time years ago. He recalled those memories, the days when Roxanne used to cling to him relentlessly, and a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

The music came to an end, but there was still one minute left to the video.

Thinking there might be a hidden surprise, he glanced around the room, expecting Roxanne to appear somewhere, but she did not. Curious and uneasy, he pressed play once more.

The screen was black for a few seconds before Roxanne's face slowly appeared in the center.

Her eyes were red, and her expression seemed tired. At that moment, an ominous feeling rose within Andre.

"Andre, this year marks the twelfth year since we met. It's also the twelfth year I've loved you in silence. It's hard to believe, right? I've liked you for so long that it has now been a decade. Honestly, even I have trouble believing it. After all, how many decades do we get in a lifetime?

"That's twelve whole years. Nine of them I spent in unrequited love and three as your wife. I spent every single moment trying to get closer to your heart. I gave everything I could. But I suppose life doesn't always go the way we hope.

"When someone doesn't love you, they simply don't. Whether it's three more years, nine, or twelve, I'll never be able to change that fact.

"So today, on this day that should mean something, I made a very important decision—to let go of this obsession and to let you fully pursue your love for Caitlin. So, when you watch this video, there's something I want to tell you. No, I should say that it's something I must inform you.

"Andre, we're divorced."