Chapter 6

I sat up instinctively.

A second later, I heard Claire's hushed voice.

"Julian is really back?"

My room and Claire's were only separated by a wall, and we shared a balcony.

I heard the slide of the glass door clearer than anyone.

The door clicked shut. She had stepped out onto the balcony, obviously afraid I'd hear.

I stared numbly at the balcony, but my mind suddenly flashed back to Sophie's text.

"Treat us to a big seafood dinner tomorrow night."

What a coincidence.

Julian grew up in a coastal New England town. He loved seafood.

His preferences were meticulously documented in Claire's secret account. She even bookmarked them so she wouldn't forget.

It was so cherished, I couldn't forget it even if I tried.

No wonder Sophie said "treat us."

I understood now.

But another gash ripped open in my chest.

That kind of attentive, dedicated love—I had never received it from Claire.

You really can't compare yourself to someone else in a person's heart.

And the cat.

Only after reading the account did I realize Claire didn't just like any cat.

She liked the Selkirk Rex she and Julian had raised together.

When they broke up, Julian took the cat.

Over the years, that cat had become her code word for Julian.

I sat there, staring blankly into space for a long time.

So this was how deeply Claire could love someone.

Compared to her coldness toward me, these seven years felt like a massive joke.

She never mentioned Julian in front of me, and I numbed myself into forgetting about him.

But just because she didn't bring him up didn't mean he wasn't there.

She just shouldn't have drained her own time, only to drain mine too.

No.

I shook my head.

I deserved it, too.

I knew she didn't love me, yet I kept throwing myself into the fire, knowing I'd get burned.

I had to take responsibility for my own scars.

At 4 A.M., I finally figured it out.

Claire and I were done.

We had to separate and live our own lives.

Chapter 6

I sat up instinctively.

A second later, I heard Claire's hushed voice.

"Julian is really back?"

My room and Claire's were only separated by a wall, and we shared a balcony.

I heard the slide of the glass door clearer than anyone.

The door clicked shut. She had stepped out onto the balcony, obviously afraid I'd hear.

I stared numbly at the balcony, but my mind suddenly flashed back to Sophie's text.

"Treat us to a big seafood dinner tomorrow night."

What a coincidence.

Julian grew up in a coastal New England town. He loved seafood.

His preferences were meticulously documented in Claire's secret account. She even bookmarked them so she wouldn't forget.

It was so cherished, I couldn't forget it even if I tried.

No wonder Sophie said "treat us."

I understood now.

But another gash ripped open in my chest.

That kind of attentive, dedicated love—I had never received it from Claire.

You really can't compare yourself to someone else in a person's heart.

And the cat.

Only after reading the account did I realize Claire didn't just like any cat.

She liked the Selkirk Rex she and Julian had raised together.

When they broke up, Julian took the cat.

Over the years, that cat had become her code word for Julian.

I sat there, staring blankly into space for a long time.

So this was how deeply Claire could love someone.

Compared to her coldness toward me, these seven years felt like a massive joke.

She never mentioned Julian in front of me, and I numbed myself into forgetting about him.

But just because she didn't bring him up didn't mean he wasn't there.

She just shouldn't have drained her own time, only to drain mine too.

No.

I shook my head.

I deserved it, too.

I knew she didn't love me, yet I kept throwing myself into the fire, knowing I'd get burned.

I had to take responsibility for my own scars.

At 4 A.M., I finally figured it out.

Claire and I were done.

We had to separate and live our own lives.