Chapter 7

My flight to the States was at 4 PM.

I received the court’s divorce decree at noon.

From this moment on, I was completely free.

"Meet me at the cafe downstairs from the company at 1 PM."

It was a message from Julian.

I thought about it and decided to go.

I arrived at the cafe early, with my luggage and the divorce decree in hand.

I waited from 1 PM until 1:30 PM, then from 1:30 PM until 2 PM.

Julian, who had specifically asked to meet, had stood me up.

I sent Julian several messages, all of which went unanswered.

Finally, I received a brief two-word reply.

"Busy."

“Hello, is this Ms. Sinclair?”

“I’m Mr. Thorne’s assistant. Mr. Thorne asked me to tell you that he suddenly had something urgent come up and couldn’t make it to meet you.”

I didn’t respond. This was within my expectations.

“Mr. Thorne… also asked me to tell you that he found a specialist in the UK for your hand bone and muscle repair, and arrangements will be made for your treatment.”

“Also, he transferred another twenty million to your account for living and treatment expenses during this period.”

I held the phone with one hand and my luggage with the other, standing up.

The "no need" on my lips remained unspoken.

Looking up, I saw Julian and Willow Evans sitting at an outdoor cafe across the street, chatting and laughing.

Willow smiled shyly, and Julian dotingly brushed stray hairs from her face.

The sun was beautiful today, casting a golden glow on both of them.

Julian seemed to have never been so happy in the past three years.

I quickly stopped myself from letting my thoughts wander.

“Ms. Sinclair, are you listening?”

His assistant on the other end of the line was still speaking.

I resolutely pressed the red "end call" button, paid the bill, and quickly walked out the door.

I walked directly over to Julian and Willow, slamming the divorce decree—which I’d clutched in my hand the entire walk—onto their table.

Juice and coffee splashed instantly, staining Willow’s dress.

My right hand was grabbed by Julian again.

He didn’t even glance at the document.

After a few seconds of pause, Julian seemed to realize that arguing with stubborn me was pointless.

He immediately walked to the other side of the table and carefully wiped her dress with a tissue.

“Are you okay, Willow?”

I stood quietly for a moment, then hailed a cab to the airport.

“Passengers traveling to the States, please check in at Gate T1.”

"Audrey Sinclair, I think you should apologize to Willow."

A message came in from Julian.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I blocked and deleted his contact.

I handed my ID, passport, and visa documents to the security officer.

The officer eyed me suspiciously.

“Just got divorced today?”

I checked my luggage, then looked up and smiled.

“Yes, that’s right. Divorced.”

The air conditioning on the plane was quite strong.

I asked the flight attendant for a complimentary cashmere blanket and wrapped myself tightly.

I drifted off to sleep, not even hearing the announcement for takeoff.

Only one thought remained in my mind.

“Julian Thorne, goodbye.”