When Ellie Thornton and Julian Ashford showed up at the Civil Affairs Bureau to file for divorce, it just so happened to be Valentine’s Day.

The marriage registration line was crazy long, snaking all the way down the hall. The divorce window, though, was practically empty.

Ellie stood off to the side and watched for a while. Then she let out a small, helpless little laugh.

Honestly, that worked too.

At least there was no need to queue up.

Yeah. They’d picked the date just fine.

Julian came a bit later than she did. The second he walked in, Ellie spotted him.

A tiny flicker of smugness rose in her chest.

The divorce hadn’t been her idea, sure, but she hadn’t clung to him or made a scene. If anything, she’d shown up early and handled everything fast and clean.

No matter how anyone looked at it, she hadn’t lost face.

Julian walked toward her, his brows tightening slightly, almost without meaning to. "How long have you been here?"

Ellie smiled. "Quite a while. Didn’t expect you to be late."

Julian gave a low sound. "There was a last-minute meeting. It held me up."

Ellie nodded. "Then let’s go. Hardly anyone’s at the window."

The divorce agreement had already been signed by both of them.

Julian had been more than generous with Ellie. He gave her a solid amount of money, and even transferred part of the company shares to her.

A few properties had also been put under her name.

Since they didn’t have children and there was no dispute over dividing assets, the whole process moved ridiculously fast.

Then their marriage certificate was taken away, and the divorce certificate was placed in her hands.

Ellie lowered her head and stared at it for a long time. At last, the calm on her face slipped, and a dazed, unsteady look quietly surfaced.

The divorce happened crazy fast.

Just like when they got the marriage certificate back then—stamp, sign, done. A few minutes, tops.

Getting married was easy. Getting divorced was easy too. The hard part was love. That part was basically hell mode.

Julian Ashford didn’t love her. Ellie Thornton had always known that.

That was exactly why, when he brought up divorce, she only froze for a second before saying yes.

If someone never loved you to begin with, holding on was pointless. Like trying to clutch water in your fist—the tighter you grabbed, the faster it slipped away.

And Ellie had never been the type to beg or drag things out.

Julian also kept staring at the divorce certificate in his hand for a long moment, like he was reading something between the lines.

Then he stood first, turned to her, and said, "It’s noon. Let’s get something to eat."

Ellie paused, smoothed over whatever was flickering in her eyes, and put on a smile almost instantly. "Sure. We should have a breakup meal, right?"

Julian looked at her hard, deep and quiet, his gaze lingering for a beat longer than necessary. Then he turned and walked out.

Only after he left did Ellie let out a slow breath. Then she got up and followed him.

The two of them went to a five-star restaurant not far away.

Honestly, for a breakup meal, it was pretty formal. Almost absurdly so.

Ellie felt awful inside, a dull ache pressing against her chest. She didn’t want it showing on her face, but if she couldn’t vent there, she could always find another way.

So when the menu landed in her hands, she didn’t even bother looking at the dishes. Her eyes went straight to the prices.

She lifted her gaze and asked, "You’re paying, right?"

Across from her, Julian lowered his eyes, took out a cigarette case, and tapped one free with practiced ease. "I gave you that much in the settlement, and you’re still nitpicking over one meal?"

Ellie gave a soft snort, half amused, half sharp. "Of course I’m counting pennies. I don’t have a job, I don’t have any real skills, and I’ve got no income coming in. Obviously I need to save where I can."

Julian put the cigarette between his lips, his tone flat and calm. "The shares I transferred to you—the monthly dividends alone are enough for you to live on."

Ellie Thornton looked up at Julian Ashford. "Just answer me this. You're paying for this meal, right?"

The corner of Julian's mouth lifted a little. "Yeah. My treat."

Then he raised a brow and added, "You mind?"

He was asking about the cigarette.

Ellie's eyes dropped to the cigarette between his lips.

Back then, Julian had never smoked in front of her.

This guy really switched modes fast. They had barely gotten divorced, and his whole vibe had already changed.

She lowered her gaze back to the menu. "I don't mind."

Then she turned to the waiter and said without blinking, "All of these. The most expensive ones. I want every single one."

The waiter froze for a second. "That many? Are you sure?"

Across from her, Julian was flicking open his lighter. He didn't even bother checking what Ellie had ordered before saying flatly, "Get them all. Go ahead."

The waiter gave an awkward little smile. "Of course. Please wait a moment."

Julian lit the cigarette, took a drag, then slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.

He looked at Ellie for a long moment before finally speaking. "Even now, you still haven't asked me why I wanted a divorce."