Alexander lay next to Isabelle for a long while, taking deep breaths before finally getting his senses back from the afterglow. He reached out to wipe the sweat off her long hair before lowering his head to lightly kiss her forehead. Turning back to his side of the bed, he reached out to bring her into his embrace and shut his eyes.

When Isabelle finally heard his breathing turn deep and long, she slowly opened her eyes to touch her forehead, where he had just kissed. Even though a long while had passed and it was already cold, she seemed to be able to feel warmth, but deep inside, her heart had turned to frost, her mind filled with the image of his signature on the abortion form. Her eyes started to fog, and in the end, she could no longer hold it in, the tears streaming down her face.

~*~

The next morning, when Alexander woke up, he could feel his entire body aching, but he felt satisfied and ready for anything that awaited him. He turned and realized that Isabelle was not around. Without even bothering to wash up, he ran downstairs.

"Madam Mary! Madam Mary!"

Just then, the kitchen door flew open and Isabelle walked out. Her long hair was tied up and an apron was tied around her waist as she held onto a spatula.

Alexander froze. "Where's Madam Mary?"

"Madam Mary had something on at home," Isabelle replied before running back into the kitchen to lower the fire. She stuck her head out once again. "I made breakfast, you can come have some after washing up."

She made breakfast?

Alexander looked at the kitchen incredulously before running back up in anticipation. He took a quick shower, dried himself, and changed in record time, then swiftly went to the dinning area. Isabelle stood beside the dinning table, scooping porridge. Alexander stood motionlessly while looking at her, mesmerized.

Isabelle seemed to have sensed him. She raised her head and smiled lightly towards him. "Sit."

Alexander walked to the dinning table silently. The table was filled with dishes that weren't meant for breakfast. He looked towards her questioningly. "You made all these?"

Isabelle placed the bowl of porridge in front of him. "It's the first time I made it, so I'm not sure if it's nice."

Alexander paused momentarily. Just when he was about to have a taste, he noticed a tissue she had on her hand. There was blood oozing out of it. He stood up abruptly, grabbing onto her hand. "You're injured?"

"It's fine, I cut it while I was cutting the vegetables." Isabelle tried to hide her hands instinctively.

Alexander frowned. He cautiously removed the tissue. When he saw the cut, his frown deepened and he left the dinning area.

He was back in an instance with antiseptic and a plaster in his hands. He knelt in front of her chair and took hold of her hand. Using the antiseptic, he first disinfected the wound then carefully covered it with the plaster. "If Madam Mary isn't around, you can call for delivery. Don't ever cook again."

Isabelle lowered her head to look as he treated her wound with seriousness. She looked away, for her eyes started to sting, tears threatening to form.

Only after he covered her wound with a plaster did he stand up. Isabelle hurriedly took in a couple deep breaths, suppressing her unstable emotions, turning to face Alexander with a smile. "Lets eat, it's going to get cold."

"Yea," Alexander agreed lightly. He raised his hand to ruffle her hair, tossing the cotton wool he had used into the bin before retrieving a wet tissue to clean his hands. Returning back to his seat, he took up the chopsticks.

Before he could take anything, Isabelle beat him to it, picking a water spinach and placing it into his bowl. Alexander was startled. When he raised his head to look at her, she met his gaze with a bright smile on her face, cheekily teasing him, "It's the first time I cooked. I don't even have the courage to try it, as the guinea pig, you should try some."

Alexander's lips curled into an indulgent smile. Without another word, he placed the spinach into his mouth.

"How is it?" Isabelle asked, anticipation visible in her eyes.

Alexander swallowed the vegetable before replying seriously, "Not bad."

"Really?" Isabelle picked up a piece suspiciously, placing it into her mouth. After chewing twice, her face scrunched up into a wrinkled frown. Using all her will power to stop herself from spitting it out, she swallowed the vegetable, then chucked down a glass of water. "Salty!"

Alexander smiled silently. He didn't coax her like how other men did, he didn't try to praise her with sugarcoated words. Instead, he continued to eat the dishes she had made silently.

Isabelle's first meal was not fantastic. It was edible at most, but Alexander continued to eat it as though it was the finest meal in the world.

Isabelle couldn't help feeling moved by his silent actions.

He was indeed good to her, but this wasn't love... was it?

When Alexander was half full, he realized that Isabelle hadn't touched her chopsticks; she had been staring at him the entire time. His chewing gradually stopped. Without saying a word, he returned her gaze, seeing his reflection in her eyes. This was the first time in his life that he had found himself stunning.

The dinning area was silent, the sunshine from outside spilling in. In that instance, Alexander suddenly remembered what his assistant had told him the day before, "Even if she had once loved Mr. Williams, that doesn't mean that she can't fall for you now. It's clear that she genuinely cares for your well being..."

Alexander's heart started to turn. When he had come back the previous day, he had been debating whether or not to ask her about her feelings.

His hesitation was because he was afraid that if he didn't hear what he wanted to, they couldn't even be friends.

Alexander had struggled for a long time until he finally decided. "Izzy..."

The exact moment he spoke, she spoke as well. "Alexander..."

Both of them froze slightly. After about half a minute, they spoke at the same time again.

"What is it?"

"Something wrong?"

Isabelle then added," You can say it first..."

Alexander had continued as well, "You say..."

They both stopped, smiling at their chemistry.

After a while, Alexander spoke again. "You can go first."

Isabelle was silent for some time. She didn't try to argue with him. Instead, she smiled, placed her hands on the table, and straightening her back, she looked right at him. "Then I'll go first."

Alexander replied with a faint "Yea" and placed his chopsticks on the table to return her gaze.

As Isabelle stared at his good looks, her throat started to choke. No matter how many times she had repeated the words in her mind, some words just couldn't be spoken out loud. Before she could say anything, sorrow had already enveloped her.

Isabelle's tongue moved several times but she was still not able to speak. In the end, she forced a casual smile on her face. Suppressing her tears, with her arms clenched tightly against her bosom, she took a deep breath and looked back up at him.

"James was discharged yesterday."

Alexander's gaze faltered visibly, but he still maintained his posture without moving his gaze. He nodded, acknowledging her words, then asked, "Is he feeling better?"

"He's feeling much better, but he's still on bed rest..." Isabelle gave him a brief outline of James's condition. Finished, she paused slightly, forcing a brighter smile on her face. The bottom of her eyes started to shimmer, so she counted to three inwardly before continuing.

"He was discharged yesterday... You won't have to act as him anymore..." Her voice cracked a little. She struggled to keep her numb lips upturned. "And we won't have to act as a couple anymore."

Alexander remained silent, his gaze turning heavy as he continued to look at her.

Isabelle raised her hand to cover her face. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before quickly wiping away the tears that had flowed out. She placed her hand back down with the same bright smile on her face. "From this moment on, our deal will end as well."

Alexander seemed to have turned into a statue where he sat in front of her.

"I wanted to tell you..." Isabelle paused, taking a deep breath before she continued slowly as though forcing every word out, "I'm leaving."

Isabelle struggled to keep the tears from falling, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm leaving, I'm leaving this place."

Alexander remained paralyzed.

The dinning area was silent, the mood frosting up.

Isabelle remained silent, the two of them staring at each other. After a long while, Alexander's lashes fluttered, and he returned back to his senses. He straightened and stared straight into her eyes, remembering that he was about to ask her if she was going to go back to James now that he was discharged from the hospital.

In the end, before he could ask his question, she had already told him that she was leaving...

He knew that all they had was a short lived happiness. He also knew that they would separate eventually, but he had never expected for it to come so abruptly... Just a moment ago, she had made him breakfast, had let him feel blissful and touched, but the very next one, she had caused him to fall straight into hell. The higher you go, the harder the fall, and the pain left him in a daze.

But she was, after all, not his. No matter how beautiful the hallucination is, it is not real, and today was the day he finally woke up, the day he returned back to square one.

Alexander blinked, feeling his throat tighten. After a while, when the sting in his eyes faded, he spoke. "You..."

Even one word was enough to send his throat choking again. He paused and used ten seconds to calm himself once more before continuing, "... when are you prepared to leave?"

Isabelle looked at him, her eyes dark. She did not answer instantly but waited a bit.

"Today."

"Today?" Alexander's hands started to tremble, and he muttered something under his breath. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his breathing started to turn inconsistent. "Must you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he fell limp onto the chair, staring up at the ceiling. He had on a calm expression, but no one could know how painfully his heart was aching.

Ever since they reunited, he knew that this day would arrive, but he had never expected to find out that she was leaving the moment before she was going to move.

He really wanted to ask her "Must you leave?".

He really wanted to ask her "Can't you stay and live with me?".

He really wanted to ask "Izzy, did you know? I have loved you my entire youth, and now that my youth is ending, can't you give me a happy ending?".

But the girl that he loved was his brother's lover, it was a dead end. Who could tell him exactly how to solve this?

The words lingered at the tip of his tongue, his logic forcing them back.

He was afraid that the moment he voiced them, they would turn awkward, ending their relationship.

He didn't want to live his life in regret.

Alexander took a while to reply. In the end, he took a deep breath, straightened his body, and looked at her calmly. "Let me send you."

Isabelle shook her head. "It's okay, I'll get Camila to bring me."

"Let me send you to Camila's house," Alexander said the moment she finished her sentence.

Isabelle pondered for a while. In the end, she didn't reject him but instead nodded her head slightly. "Okay."

Alexander didn't speak, he turned and looked out the window.

Isabelle sat silently for a while before breaking the silence. "I'll go up to pack."

Alexander didn't react, it was as though he hadn't heard her speak.

Isabelle stood up, after waiting for about ten seconds, she turned to leave the dining area.

Only when the door to the dining area closed did Alexander turn from the window to stare at the spot she had been standing on, his face a frightening shade of white.

Once Isabelle closed the door to the bedroom, tears started streaming down her face. She used her fingers to wipe the pouring droplets. Slouching against the door, she knelt down onto the floor and started to cry her heart out.

Even though she cried on the day she confirmed the abortion, even though she had thought that she had cried away all the pain in her heart, even if she had already made up her mind to leave Alexander, when she finally did it, she didn't expect her heart to feel as though it had broken into pieces.

She had loved him for thirteen years, she had given him the most beautiful days of her youth, but today, she was forced to remove him from her life, and it was... painful... But she had no choice, she was not able to forgive him for killing her child, she could not allow herself to continue loving such a man.

She never knew that this would be their end, and she had no idea if she could still fall in love with someone else, but she knew that from now onward, she would never love someone so entirely, so pathetically, like how she had loved Alexander. She never wanted to feel the pain and hurt that she had so freely allowed him to inflict upon her.

Isabelle didn't have much belongings. When she came, she had brought a single suitcase, and now that she was leaving, it was also just that one suitcase, just with a few more clothes and shoes and the porcelain doll from Alexander.

~*~

When Isabelle pulled the suitcase from the bedroom, it was already late afternoon, and Alexander was no longer in the mansion. The luggage was a little heavy, so she walked straight to the elevator.

When she reached the first floor, she pulled the suitcase out and stood in the living room. She looked around at the familiar surroundings, realizing that it had been eight months. Her gaze fell on many different spots, the images vivid in her mind.

She took one last look before pulling her luggage out the door.

The moment she pushed the door open, she saw Alexander standing outside. The sun's rays hit his body but he didn't seem to feel hot at all.

When Alexander heard the door open, he turned to first look at Isabelle then his gaze fell on the luggage that was trailing behind her. His throat choked up slightly when he asked, "Done packing?"

Isabelle nodded. "Done packing."

She paused for a bit before adding, "There were some clothes and shoes that I won't be able to wear any longer so I didn't bring them along. I placed them in a cardboard box in the changing room, you can get Madam Mary to toss it."

Alexander nodded slightly, turning to stare at his car wordlessly. He picked his keys and reached for Isabelle's suitcase. After walking down the stairs, he opened the car's trunk to put the luggage in, then walked to the passenger seat to open the door for her.

Isabelle walked down the stairs to Alexander. She took a glance at him, then bent to enter the car. Before she could fasten her seat belt, he had already done it for her.

After entering his car, Alexander fastened his own seat belt and asked her for Camila's address. While he was keying it into the GPS, his fingers couldn't stop trembling. After having struggled through it, he started the engine. Suddenly, he slammed the breaks. Pausing for some time, he came back to his senses and turned the steering wheel out of York Garden.

The entire journey, they remained silent, only speaking once when Isabelle held out her phone to send Camila a voice message, informing her that she would arrive in about half an hour.

When they were nearing Camila's house, Alexander didn't seem to have any intention of slowing down. Only when Isabelle spoke to remind him of the location did he slam the brakes. He looked out the window and saw that they had passed Camila's house by about two hundred meters. "I'll make a turn."

"It's fine, it isn't that far, I'll just walk over." Isabelle smiled.

Alexander's jaw tightened as he stared ahead silently. After a long while, he replied, "Okay."

Isabelle reached for the keys in her bag, passing them over to Alexander. "The keys to York Garden."

Alexander didn't reach for them. Isabelle placed them in a compartment in the car before grabbing her bag. "I'll go now."

"Okay," Alexander replied robot-like. After a while, when he seemed to have realized what was happening, he hurriedly alighted from the car to help her with her luggage.

"Thank you." Isabelle reached out to take her suitcase, but when she grabbed onto it, Alexander tightened his own grip.

"Izzy.."

Isabelle lifted her head to look at him.

Alexander opened his mouth, his gaze faltering. After a long while, he just said, "Goodbye."

Isabelle forced a smile, replying, "Goodbye."

Alexander tightened the grip he had on the luggage, then loosened it, and tightened it yet again. In the end, he still let go of it.

Isabelle pushed the suitcase to her side before smiling one last time at him. She turned and tears started to pour down her face.

Goodbye, Alexander.

I have no idea how long it will take for me to stop loving you, but from now on, I will no longer naively hope for your love.

Even though I blame you for killing our child, I would also want to thank you for the eight months you gave me. Thank you for letting me understand that you would never love me.

Goodbye, my youth, goodbye, my love.

Goodbye, those thirteen years of beautiful pain.

Alexander stood paralyzed. He looked as Isabelle lugged her suitcase away. When he couldn't see her anymore, he still remained there until a traffic police came up to warn him off. He apologized to the officer and drove away.

As he drove, he was suddenly confused, he had no idea where he could go.