Chapter 5

In the video, Julian was sitting in the corner of a VIP lounge, spinning my engagement ring around his finger.

Someone laughed and asked him, "Are you seriously going to marry Audrey? She watches that stupid countdown above your head every day. Doesn't that creep you out?"

Julian had clearly been drinking. His voice was low and heavy.

"She's too sure of herself. She's convinced I'll love her for fifty years, convinced I'll never leave."

Chloe leaned closer to the camera, smiling. "So, do you want to see if she'll still choose you once the numbers hit zero?"

Julian didn't answer.

He simply slid the ring back into his pocket.

The door to the ward opened again.

I looked up to see Julian returning.

He was breathing heavily, having clearly turned back halfway without meeting Chloe.

In his hands, he held a fresh bouquet of white roses.

They used to be my favorite.

I loved them because when Julian first gave me flowers, he said white was pure and suited me perfectly.

But he had forgotten.

Every flower at our engagement party had been red roses, chosen by Chloe.

Julian held out the flowers.

"Audrey, we need to talk."

I tapped the video on my phone.

The audio echoed loudly in the quiet room.

"Do you want to see if she'll still choose you once the numbers hit zero?"

Every ounce of color drained from Julian's face.

"Where did you get that video?"

"Does it matter?"

He took a step toward me, then stopped.

"I was drunk that night. I admit, I said some stupid things. But I was just... I was just tired of you always looking at me like I was bound to you for fifty years. Like no matter what I did, I had no choice but to come back to you."

I asked, "So you used Chloe to test me?"

Julian's eyes grew red.

"I never wanted to actually hurt you."

"But you did."

His voice cracked. "In the dressing room, nothing actually happened. She purposely messed up her clothes so you would see. The moment I walked out, I regretted it. But you were already standing there."

I looked at him.

I realized there was something far worse than betrayal.

Maybe he didn't go all the way.

But he had stood by and let Chloe trample my dignity in front of all our family and friends.

He had let May see that video.

And time after time, when forced to choose between me and Chloe, he had run to her.

Julian grabbed my wrist.

"Audrey, please give me another chance. I'll send Chloe away. The countdown isn't absolute, right? If it could drop from fifty years to zero, it can go back up. We can fix this."

I looked up at his face.

"Julian, the countdown didn't change first. You did."

His grip loosened.

His phone rang again.

Chloe had sent a location pin.

It was the hospital rooftop.

Then came a voice message.

"Julian, I'm on the roof. The wind is so cold up here."

Julian's expression shattered.

I handed him his phone.

"Go."

He didn't take it.

"I'm not going."

Three minutes passed.

Suddenly, a nurse screamed from the hallway, "Someone is climbing over the rooftop railing!"

Julian snapped his head toward the door.

I saw the struggle in his eyes. I saw that he still cared about me.

But when a life was on the line, no one could just ignore it.

He whispered, "Audrey, wait for me. I'll be right back."

He sprinted out of the room.

I stood in the quiet ward, staring at the empty air where his zero had been.

May called out to me from her bed.

"Audrey."

I turned and helped her into her wheelchair.

Dr. Ethan Vance was already waiting at the door.

He was May's primary cardiologist from our previous hospital. When I contacted him last night, he had only asked one thing: "Are you sure about this?"

I said yes.

The transport ambulance was waiting in the basement.

I made one last trip back to the penthouse Julian had bought for our future home.

I packed my clothes.

My wedding dress was still hanging in the living room.

I left the keys on the entryway table and locked the door behind me.

Chloe didn't jump.

She had just sat on the ledge, crying about how scared she was.

Julian stayed on the roof with her until the nurses coaxed her down. Only then did he realize my phone was switched off.

When he rushed back to the penthouse, the sun was rising.

He pushed the door open. The apartment was completely empty.

The "Fifty-Year Bucket List" we had stuck to the fridge was gone.

On the first page of his journal, he had once written: Julian Sterling, 50 years, 7 months, 3 days.

On the very last page, I had left him my final words:

Julian Sterling, 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds.

Even the longest forever has an end. From now on, our paths will never cross.