The Final Goodbye

After a huge fight with Julian, I started avoiding him like the plague.

He asked me in that detached tone:

Before you married me, didn't you already know I loved her?

From that day on, I stopped getting jealous.

I didn't question him when he and Natalie were spotted coming and going from hotels late at night.

When the group chat blew up with rumors that he and Natalie were rekindling their old flame, I just replied:

[Congrats]

Right now, he was sitting next to me in the car, panic flickering in his eyes.

His knuckles were white on the steering wheel as he slamed on the brakes.

Two weeks earlier, Natalie had come back to the country.

She'd gone on a hiking trip. The news that she'd got stuck on a snow-covered mountain spread fast.

Julian rushed out in the middle of the night to find her, spending a fortune to hire a professional rescue team.

The next morning, photos of him and Natalie hit the trending headlines.

Tabloids spun their story into something straight out of a romance novel.

[Real life really does have those long-lost reunions and second-chance love stories.]

[Billion-dollar CEO spends a million to rescue his stranded ex-girlfriend from the mountainsand they both look like they stepped out of a book.]

The picture showed Julian carrying Natalie in his arms under the moonlight.

His sharp features were softened by the silver glow.

His expression was calm, eyes deep and distant.

Natalie's arms were wrapped around his neck.

The photo had that cinematic feel, like the perfect ending to a movie.

Back in high school, Julian and Natalie were the golden couple.

They were perfectly matched in both grades and looks.

I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring into space.

So, he didn't come home all night because he went to find her.

I called him three times.

Straight to voicemail.

After washing up, I drove to the TV station for work.

Natalie's mountain rescue had become the hot topic, and our team was assigned a segment on it.

I planned to focus on safety tips for hikers, while another team dug into the juicy gossip about Julian and Natalie.

My colleagues were buzzing.

"This is straight out of a novel. Guess what I found?"

"They dated in high school and only broke up in their senior year of college."

"I've already got interviews lined up with their old classmates."

Suddenly, a colleague turned to me.

"Sophia, weren't you at the same high school and college as them? Manhattan High and Columbia, right? Same year?"

"You must've heard their story."

My body stiffened. I forced a small smile.

"Nope."

Of course I'd heard it. I'd had a crush on Julian since high school, through college, all the way to marriage.

I knew more about their relationship than anyone.

The chatter continued around me.

"It's the perfect story."

"Such a gorgeous coupleboth stunning."

It wasn't until the colleague next to me nudged me that I realized I hadn't written a single line by the end of the morning.

After work, I left the TV station.

My phone rang.

"Sophia, the boss wants our team to reach out to Natalie."

I hesitated. Interviewing my husband's ex?

That felt beyond awkward.

I tried to beg off.

"Anna, can I stay behind the scenes this time? I'll handle another segment."

She agreed easily.

"Sure. I'll go interview her tomorrow. But I don't drive. Can you give me a ride?"

I said yes.

I drove home. Julian still wasn't back.

The next day, Anna and I went to the hospital where Natalie was recovering.

We were also interviewing other injured hikers from the group.

I waited in the car for Anna.

My phone buzzed.

"Sophia, I forgot my laptop. It's in your car. Could you bring it up for me?"

I found it on the back seat and took the elevator to the sixth floor.

Anna texted:

[We're in 605.]

I walked toward the room, but something made me pause outside the door.

Through the glass, I saw Julian and Natalie.

He stood up. She wrapped her arms around him.

She rose on her tiptoes.

"Julian, do we still have a chance?"

He froze. Emotions flickered in his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

Natalie leaned in, about to kiss him.

He looked at her with such careful tenderness and closed his eyes.

"Sophia, over here," Anna called.

In an instant, Julian's eyes snapped open and he pushed Natalie away.

Both of them looked toward me outside the door.

I met Julian's gaze for a split second, then hurried past with the laptop.

Anna sighed.

"Ugh. The big boss is super protective. He won't let us interview her."

"No surprise. He spent a million to save his ex. Of course he doesn't want her in the spotlight."

"We'll just talk to the others."

I was distracted, mumbling, "Oh, yeah."

We finished interviewing the rest of the group.

They were furious.

"We paid so much money, and the guide's mistake almost got us killed."

"You're reporters. Can you help us sue the guide?"

I tried to calm them.

"We can only report the story. For legal action, you'll need a lawyer."

Back at the station, I sat at my desk.

All I could see was that momentJulian almost kissing Natalie.

I rehearsed a dozen ways to confront him.

What I didn't expect was what he actually said.

When Julian came home, I tried to keep my voice steady.

My vision blurred with unshed tears.

"Julian, don't you think you owe me an explanation about you and Natalie?"

He shrugged off his coat, heading toward the bathroom.

He let out a low, mocking laugh.

"Sophia, using your position to spread rumorsthat's your idea of journalism?"

I had no idea what he meant.

"What are you talking about?"

"I just want you to explain."

He stared at me, his expression icy.

"That article calling her a homewrecker. You wrote it, right?"

"I've already pulled the trending topics."

"Sophia, don't let your station run anything else about her."

"If your whole team wants to keep their jobs, stay away."

I hadn't written anything about her.

But the way he defended her, the way he dismissed my feelingsit hurt.

I pushed back.

"Julian."

"I'm your wife."

He tilted his head, gaze distant.

His voice was flat, carrying a careless detachment.

"Sophia."

"You've liked me for years. You knew all about my ex. You knew our history."

"Before you married me, didn't you already know I loved her?"

I stood rooted to the spot. Words caught in my throat.

My eyes burned.