When Alexander drove up to the intersection ahead, he suddenly felt flustered. He didn't know where he should go.

He was now on his own again.

His father didn't want him, his mother had passed away, and the woman he loved just left him. He was back to the old days. Living alone.

It had been a long time since he felt lonely. In that instant, he was buried underneath it.

Alexander aimlessly drove for who knows how long, but in the end, he drove back to York Garden.

Rays of sunlight bathed the white mansion with the red roof, making it look particularly beautiful. He stopped the car and walked into the house. He looked around the entire mansion. It was no different from usual, but it felt notably empty.

The dining room's door was wide open. He saw that the breakfast Isabelle had made was still on the table; it hadn't been tidied away. He could almost envision the two of them there, eating breakfast.

The bottom of Alexander's eyes flared up, and he hurriedly went upstairs. He pushed open the bedroom door and saw her dressing table. It was usually full of make-up products, but now completely empty. The pain in his heart grew even more.

He staggered over to the bathroom, where her face cleanser, shower gel, shampoo, and conditioner were all gone. She even cleared out her toothbrush, cup, and toothpaste. Also, the cabinets in the changing room were half empty. All that was left were neat rows upon rows of men's clothing.

She left, just like that... as though she had never even existed in his world... as though those eight months were all a dream... The reality of waking up was far too cruel.

Alexander felt that his breathing was unstable. He quickly left the bedroom in a panic and flew down the stairs, and out of the mansion. He got in the car and felt that his heart was slightly more comfortable.

They had just split up thirty seven minutes and forty eight seconds ago, and he already missed her inextricably.

He couldn't stay here. If he did, it would only cement his longing for her.

Alexander fumbled as he started up the car and left. He drove carelessly for a long time, until the night was approaching. He stopped then at a flower shop, got out, and bought a bunch of chrysanthemums. Then he got back into the car and drove out of the city.

About two hours later, he drove to a cemetery. He drove along the winding road and half-way up the mountain, then stopped, got out, and walked to a lonely gravestone. He placed the chrysanthemums in front of it and knelt down. Looking at the black and white photo, after some time, he said, "Mum... I'm here to visit you."

The howling of wind halfway up the mountain responded. Alexander raised his hand and gently rubbed the black and white photo. He spoke again in a low voice. "Mum... Do you know... I really do love that woman... I've mentioned her to you before. She's called Isabelle... What a nice name, right?

"She has a beautiful smile. You don't even know... Besides you, she's the only woman in the world that has wished me a happy birthday... But, Mum... She's James's fiance... You'd definitely tell me to not do anything to let James down, right?

"So, Mum... right now, I'm on my own again."

As Alexander said this, he suddenly covered his face with his hand, and quietly knelt there in front of the gravestone. His shoulders started to tremble ever so slightly.

After two hundred and fifty-one days of being reunited, they had to split up again. The anguish was far more intense than imagined.

Every moment of these two hundred and fifty-one days gradually replayed in his mind in slow motion, one frame at a time.

They were cold as strangers when they were pretending to be husband and wife. To draw himself closer to her, he removed all but one beds in the mansion. Finally, he got what he wished for. With her lying beside him in bed, it actually felt like torture. Night after night, he was unable to sleep.

He still clearly remembered the first night. Whilst she was asleep, she unknowingly stuck to his arm. It was like a bolt of lightning had shocked his entire body, and he pushed her off the bed...

In his Mount mansion, she looked after him when he was sick... Shooting scenes with her on "Alluring Times", singing that song "There was You in My Youth" with her at the Royal Palace, going to watch a movie together, the streets they've walked together, the restaurants they'd eaten in, the words they said...

And the secrets that she didn't know. The "paper, scissors, rock" confession for her, the gift brand "Shmily" that he personally created for her, the note hidden in the porcelain doll he gave her, the song "What a Pity" he sang for her...

The memories that accompanied him... They were like a hand that ruthlessly grasped tightly onto his heart. The pain made his entire body shiver, causing uncontrollable tears to fall through the crack between his fingers. Tear-by-tear, they crashed onto the gravestone in front of him.

Alexander stayed by the grave for most of the night. Besides his eyes that were slightly red, his expression looked as calm and cold as usual. He sat in the car for quite some time after, then casually turned some the music in the car. A mellow song came on.

"Miss you, not only because of loneliness. In the end, I didn't lie to you, there's really love.

"I dare make the whole world my enemy. For you, I have suffered the utmost. These sufferings, I would even accept...."

Alexander's throat rumbled up and down a few times. He slowly stepped on the accelerator, as he turned the steering wheel down the mountain.

"What a pity, to have lost you in the end. Sorry, I tried my best.

"I never gave up, I just stopped seeing you. I thought this would mean I won't be hurt..."

In the dead of the night, there wasn't a single person on the suburban streets, just Alexander's speeding car.

"What a pity, we can't go back. The sad tears grow more intense.

"I have always gracefully declined other people's love, all because of your uncertainty..."

He stared straight at the road ahead, tears flowing down his face once again. His lips moved, but no sound came out. He slowly mouthed the lyrics along to the music,

"I have always gracefully declined other people's love, all because of your uncertainty.

"Actually, in my heart, I want to beg you not to leave..."

~*~

The day after Isabelle left York Garden and flew to London with Camila, she shot the cosmetics commercial that Alexander had previously helped her get.

The commercial was just over ten seconds long, but the shoot was quite demanding. It needed to be shot in five locations; London, Paris, Rome, Athens, and the Vatican city.

Isabelle stayed in Europe for almost half a month until she finished the shoot. Her ticket was booked for a next day return from Paris.

Paris is a shopping haven. Since the first day Camila landed in Paris, she had been crying about going shopping. However, because work was so hectic, Isabelle had to wait for their schedule to free up to be able to go shopping. That happened to be the day before they had to fly back to Beijing.

Camila drafted a shopping list before they went out As they walked out the door, Isabelle looked at Camila's very long list of items and complained that she was impulsive when she had money. In the end, whilst shopping, Isabelle, who hadn't originally planned on buying anything, actually went crazy with shopping, and bought more than Camila.

Eventually, when she bought more than she could carry, she got Camila to help her carry her bags. Camila looked at the big and small bags they were carrying, and noticed that eighty percent of those bags were Isabelle's. She couldn't help but use her friend's earlier complaints back at her. "Izzy, you had the decency to say that I'm impulsive when I have money. I see now that that's you!"

Camila then shook her head and said with an envious tone, "But there's no helping it. Who said you had to have a rich husband like Mr. Smith!"

Isabelle, who was at the Chanel counter choosing necklaces, heard Camila's words, and the necklace dropped straight onto the counter from her trembling hands. She apologized frantically to the sales staff with an unnatural expression on her face. Then she pointed at the two necklaces she had her eye on for the sales staff to wrap up.

The last stop for Camila and Isabelle was Hermes. Way before Camila arrived, she had already chosen a men's wallet for her boyfriend on the internet. When she asked the sales staff to help her wrap it up, she casually asked Isabelle, "Izzy, do you want to choose a present for Mr. Smith?"

Isabelle, who stood aside, paused for a very long time, then shook her head. It was difficult for anyone to read what she was thinking. She lowered her eyes and didn't make a sound.

When the two of then emerged out of Hermes, they had already used up all their energy, so they found a cafe to rest.

Camila got her phone out and took two photos of her conquests from the afternoon. She posted them up on the Moments, then looked at Isabelle, who was looking out the window in a daze. She brought her phone up and took a photo, then casually handed it to Isabelle, saying, "Look! Izzy, I took a good photo of you, right? You can post it up on facebook."

After a pause, Camila added, "Izzy, as your agent, I feel like I'm obligated to remind you that you haven't updated your status in a long time."

Isabelle looked away but took her phone. She looked at the photo Camila had taken. It looked fine, so she uploaded it with the caption: France, Paris, Finish.

After she posted it, out of habit, Isabelle wrote in the two words, "Alexander Smith". Just as she was about to click search, her finger slightly curved, and in the end, she exited the app.

Isabelle stared at her phone for a long time, then opened her photo album. She clicked onto the photo she had secretly taken when Alexander was sleeping.

As she was busy with work for half a month, and she'd been avoiding some people who she didn't want to be in touch with, it made her feel like everything was normal. However, suddenly hearing his name from Camila's mouth on her day of relaxation, it made her realize that the feeling of missing someone was deep-rooted in her blood and bones.

Camila called Isabelle's name a few times but didn't get a response. Her friend had her head raised, staring deeply at her phone. Wanting to pull a prank, Camila quietly got up and walked in front of Isabelle, looking at her phone screen.

She whispered gently into her ear, "Izzy, what are you looking at that's got you so hooked?"

Isabelle shivered in shock, then quickly reacted by flipping her phone over and putting it onto the table.

It was a shame though, Isabelle had fast reactions, but Camila had already seen everything on her phone screen. She looked over at Isabelle with a lovey-dovey expression. "Tut tut tut". She asked mysteriously, "What? Izzy, did you fall for Mr. Smith? Are you eager to go home now? Do you really want to go see him?"

Isabelle lowered her eyes, not saying a word.

Camila couldn't see that anything was out of the ordinary, so she continued to say, "Tomorrow we can go back. We'll reach the Airport by the following day, at seven in the morning. If you really miss him like crazy, we could first go to Global Entertainment..."

"Camila," Isabelle suddenly interrupted her friend's words.

Camila paused, but she still wore a mischievous smile on her face as she stared at Isabelle. Isabelle pursed her lips, tightly gripping her phone. Then she lifted her eyes, looked over, and said in a serious voice, "Camila, I broke up with Alexander."

Camila's eyes shot open. She stared at Isabelle with a look of disbelief.

Isabelle curved her lips into a smile. "Sorry for not telling you for so many days..."

It had already been half a month since they weren't husband and wife. Remembering it again, Isabelle's eyes still flared up. She turned her head and stared out of the window at the local scenery of the foreign country, then slowly added, "... Alexander and I are no longer husband and wife."

Camila was completely stunned for five minutes, before she murmured, "Wasn't everything just fine before? Why so sudden?"

Isabelle didn't make a sound, but tears began to roll down from the corners of her eyes.

That's right, everything was fine before. She even fantasized that after James woke up, they would still be friends, and they would still have a future. However, all of a sudden, everything changed. She could no longer be with him, nor would she ever have any fantasies about him, or see him ever again.

He was just a higher up of a filming company that she was signed up with. He was just the man of her youth she loved for thirteen years, who wore a white shirt and stood under a roof with a callous expression when they avoided the rain together.

From now on, he would be deep in her heart, in a dream that would never be touched.