Chapter 3

The media broadcast of Julian and Vivian’s scandal made things even more awkward between us.

However, I didn't dwell on him and Vivian.

During his year abroad, I would occasionally come across Vivian's social media updates on my feed.

I knew Julian had helped her contact lawyers, handle her debts, and even traveled with her to clear her mind.

Even on New Year's Eve, he was right by her side.

Julian parted his lips slightly, his eyes staring straight at me without any attempt to hide.

Being stared at like that made my skin crawl, so I looked away.

His deep, low voice broke the silence.

"Chloe."

"Vivian’s mental state has stabilized now."

I nodded.

"Oh, okay. That's good."

The car pulled into the underground garage.

Julian looked down at me, his eyes dark.

"Do you have anything you want to ask me?"

"I can explain."

"I don't want you to misunderstand."

My lips curved up, and I gave him a polite smile.

"No."

"I didn't misunderstand anything."

His eyes darkened even more.

Julian's sudden return completely threw off the rhythm of my life.

I had long gotten used to living alone.

Normally, after showering at night, I’d leave my hair half-dry, throw my phone on the nightstand, and scatter my work documents and laptop all over the bed.

But now, there was another person in the bedroom.

The moment I stepped out of the bathroom and saw Julian still sitting on the edge of the bed, my footsteps halted.

That feeling of utter discomfort was practically instinctive.

I turned around, gathered all the documents on the bed in one swift sweep, and carried them into the study.

When I came back out, I took the initiative to bring up sleeping in separate rooms.

"Julian, I have to work a lot of overtime lately, leaving early and coming back late. I don't want to wake you up."

"I'll sleep in the guest bedroom. I've already asked the housekeeper to clean it up."

His brows knit together tightly. After a long pause, he said:

"What time do you go to work tomorrow?"

"I'll drive you."

I quickly declined.

"No need."

"Our offices aren't really on the same route."

He stared at me with a heavy gaze.

"It is on the way. I have to go to a meeting near your company tomorrow."

I blinked.

"But I'm not going straight to the office tomorrow morning."

I made up a random excuse to reject him.

I woke up very early.

Julian always kept a highly disciplined routine and worked out every week.

To avoid him, I either had to leave earlier than him or much later.

Since I couldn't be late today, I got up around six in the morning.

But the moment I pushed open the bedroom door, I saw him standing in the kitchen.

Hearing the noise, he turned around slightly, his gaze landing on me.

"You're awake?"

"Have some breakfast."

He and I hadn't spent any time alone like this in a very long long time.

He had only been back for three days.

In the past, we handled our own breakfast and lunch, but we would always have dinner together.

But during these past three days, we hadn't shared a single meal.

Just the thought of sitting down to eat alone with him made my head hurt.

Algorithms really have a way of precisely targeting the exact things you never want to see.

Even though Vivian and I had absolutely no connection and had never even met, her social media posts would still show up on my feed every couple of days.

In her photos, Julian’s presence was always subtly there.

Sometimes it was a table full of food, sometimes a night view, and sometimes just a random shot of a man's sleeve.

She never said anything explicitly, yet she managed to say everything.

During the year Julian was gone, he and I had grown so distant that we had nothing to say to each other.

Now, sharing the same space with him, I felt like an intruder who had accidentally wandered into someone else's life.

Even though he and I were the ones who were actually married.

Under Julian’s intense gaze, I looked back at him for a second.

I casually grabbed a slice of toast and walked straight toward the entryway.

I kept my head down as I put on my shoes.

He stood right beside me.

"Sit down and eat."

I shook my head.

"I'm in a rush."

His lips curved up slightly.

"I'll drive..."

Before he could finish his sentence, I quickly slipped out the door.

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