After I Died, He Married My Photo

Chapter 3

The sight of the two of them leaning into each other on screen made Julienne's pupils contract sharply. Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, leaving angry red marks.

But in a split second, she forced the bitterness down and plastered on a flashy, dramatic smile.

"Renald, everyone out there says you keep your distance from women. Turns out you've had a pretty little thing hidden away at home this whole time."

The moment the words left her mouth, Renald's gaze turned sharp enough to cut.

"Julienne, Victoria is my fiancée. Keep your mouth clean!"

Even through a video call, Julienne could feel his simmering fury. She forced her racing heart to steady and looked directly at Victoria.

"Hi, Victoria, I'm Julienne. Want to hear all about what went down between Renald and me back in the day?"

Julienne did it on purpose, fully intending to make Renald loathe her even more.

Yet, she noticed his face didn't even twitch—instead, a trace of mockery surfaced in his eyes.

Her brow furrowed slightly just as Victoria spoke up, her voice soft and sweet.

"Julienne, everyone has a past. But the one standing by Renald's side right now is me, and that's all that matters."

That single sentence left Julienne feeling completely suffocated.

Watching her get taken down a peg, Renald let out a satisfied laugh. "Your five minutes are up."

Click. The call went dead.

Julienne sat there frozen as a sudden wave of nausea hit the back of her throat.

She stumbled up and rushed into the bathroom, dry-heaving violently over the sink. When she finally looked up, she stared at the pale, hollow woman in the mirror.

She let out a bleak, miserable laugh. "What a pathetic mess."

Julienne stayed in the bathroom for a long time. By the time she stepped out, she had completely masked her emotions again.

That afternoon, she and Carmen walked into a private clinic.

"Dr. Ferreira, I'm here for my follow-up. Here's the report."

Behind the desk, Dr. Ferreira took the paperwork, his brow furrowing deeply. "I'm sorry, Julienne. Things have taken a turn for the worse again."

Julienne's voice was light, almost detached. "Yeah, I can feel it."

Seeing Dr. Ferreira open his mouth to lecture her, she beat him to the punch. "Dr. Ferreira, I'm not doing the hospital thing.

"Getting hooked up to tubes and lying in a bed like the living dead—I just can't do it."

Dr. Ferreira looked at her pale face and let out a soft sigh. "I know. I wasn't going to force you to check in anyway.

"The Magnier Group's biotech branch is actually recruiting clinical volunteers for a new targeted drug. You should really give it a shot.

"Julienne, you only get one life, and you're still so young."

Julienne's heart skipped a beat. The mere mention of 'the Magnier Group' meant she was never setting foot there.

She shook her head with a faint smile. "Forget it. Just give me the usual meds."

Walking out of Dr. Ferreira's office, Julienne realized Carmen was being unusually quiet.

Turning around, she saw Carmen trailing behind her, desperately wiping away tears.

A pang of sadness hit Julienne's heart. She reached out, took her hand, and asked softly, "Hey, what are the tears for?"

Unable to hold them in any longer, Carmen threw her arms around her, choking back heavy, trembling sobs.

"Julienne, let's just give Stellar Biotech a shot!

"We promised we'd go see the auroras and glaciers together, and even roll around in the Sahara Desert... I... I don't want you to leave!"

Hearing their old promises, a sharp, Julienne flinched as a sharp pain shot through her head, making her flinch involuntarily.

"Carmen, I want to travel the world with you too, but deep down, I know I just can't do it anymore.

"Starting about two weeks ago, the headaches have been getting more and more frequent. Every single night, I lie awake thinking, what if I just don't wake up tomorrow...?"

Julienne pulled Carmen into a gentle hug, her tears silently spilling over.

Just then, Julienne's phone started buzzing.

She instinctively pulled it out. It was a calendar alert titled: Time to go to West Street.

She dazed for a second, then looked at Carmen. "I need to make a trip to West Street. See you at home."

"Alright."

Forty minutes later, Julienne was standing in front of a shop called Time Collection.

A wave of nostalgia washed over her as she stepped inside.

Seven years ago, when she and Renald had just started dating, they had heard about this place.

It was a shop specifically for couples. Lovebirds could write a letter to their future selves and set a date to come back for it. If the deadline passed and nobody claimed it, the letter would be shredded.

When she came here with Renald back then, they had promised each other they'd come back to get it in seven years.

At the time, she genuinely believed that whether it was seven years or seventy, she and Renald were endgame.

Cutting off her train of thought, Julienne spoke to the employee who walked up to her. "Hi, I'm here to pick up a letter. The locker number is 20183121314."

"Sure thing. Be right back."

*****

Julienne nodded. Just as she was about to head over to the lounge area to sit down, she caught a voice calling out nearby.

"Hello, Mr. Magnier. Here is your letter."