Liam finished his work and went to the meeting spot but found no one there.
He called Josephine, who paused for a moment before saying, "Sorry, we forgot about you."
Liam was annoyed. "How could you forget about me?"
Josephine gave him a new address.
Liam drove over, which took about ten minutes.
When he arrived, he saw William was there too.
After greeting and sitting down, Liam asked, "What's up with you guys? Don't you want to hang out with me anymore?"
Laura's storytelling was always gripping, and the recent events she shared were thrilling.
When she told the story, it was even more dramatic and exciting.
"I think Stuart's really sick," Liam said after listening. "From now on, avoid him. He was a madman; no one knew what he might do."
After venting about Stuart, they talked about Josephine's plans to go abroad.
Josephine was independent; since she was going for research, her safety was assured.
So, Liam and the others were pretty relaxed about it.
William said, "I'll be going too. If Josephine lets me, I'll take care of her. Don't worry."
Liam glanced at him but said nothing. He knew Josephine too well.
She had fallen for Stuart young; even though they were divorced, and her feelings had turned from love to hate, Stuart still occupied a big part of her heart.
No one else had a chance. Not him, not William.
As for Stuart, he was a bad guy. Josephine probably didn't want to see him again.
Unaware that Liam had already written him off, Stuart was drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
Jair looked at the once high-spirited Stuart, now a mess, and felt deeply moved.
Although Stuart's actions yesterday had angered him, and they had even fought, they had grown up together.
Jair couldn't really abandon him. Seeing him like this, he asked, "Did you call me here just to drink?"
Stuart kept downing drinks.
No matter how good his tolerance, he couldn't keep this up.
Jair stopped him. "If you don't talk, I'm leaving."
Stuart closed his eyes, his face full of pain. "I don't get why she could endure it before but now insists on a divorce."
Jair said, "Do you still think she's using tricks to avoid the divorce?"
Stuart said, "Robin says the same thing. It's not just me who thinks she's using tactics. You're not involved, so you see clearly, and so does Robin."
Jair frowned. "Robin always hated Josephine. He never liked her. He's biased and can't be fair."
Stuart asked, "Then how can you guarantee that you can be fair?"
Even Jair, with his good temper, was infuriated. "If you really don't get it, maybe you shouldn't get married again."
Stuart looked at him. "You've never been in a relationship; at least Robin has experience."
"He does, but he changes girlfriends every few days. What can you learn from him? Is a few days' experience worth consulting him about?" Jair asked.
Stuart finally realized. "Yeah, he doesn't even have long-term relationships."
Jair almost laughed in frustration. "You say you have someone you like. Now that you're divorced, why not go after her?"
Stuart fell silent, deep in thought.
Everyone knew he had someone in his heart. But he had to admit, since marrying Josephine, he thought of that person less and less.
Especially in the past six months, with all the fights with Josephine, he hadn't felt that longing.
Or maybe, even when he liked that person before, he never really knew what longing felt like.
On the other hand, after just a few days apart from Josephine, she was constantly on his mind.
But he didn't think this was longing.
He thought it was Josephine's brilliant tactics that made him so nostalgic.
Jair's words left him confused.
Why hadn't he thought of looking for that person?
Now that he was divorced and single, he was free to date.
But after hearing Jair's words, he didn't feel any excitement.
In fact, he felt a slight resistance.
Seeing him silent, Jair said, "If you find your true love and Josephine starts a new life, it's a win-win."
"No way!" Stuart snapped, "Absolutely not!"
Jair was puzzled. "Why?"
Stuart shook his head. He didn't know how to explain.
Just thinking about Josephine having a new life and getting close to another man made him furious.
Seeing him like this, Jair asked, "Do you still like Angela Lopez?"
Stuart almost blurted out, "Of course!"
Jair shook his head. "If you like her, why don't you let Josephine go? Stuart, have you ever thought about who you really like now?"
Stuart said, "I've only ever liked Angela."
Jair asked, "Then what's the problem with pursuing her now?"
Logically, there was no problem. But Stuart didn't know why he felt a strong resistance.
Jair said, "Maybe, in the three-plus years of marriage with Josephine, the person you like has actually changed."
Stuart looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"
Jair asked, "I mean, is it possible that the person you like now is Josephine?"
"Impossible!" Stuart immediately said, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"I'm not talking nonsense," Jair said, "I've told you before, Josephine is beautiful, has a great temperament, and is skilled in medicine. Many people like her. To be honest, I think she's much better than Angela."
"Jair!" Stuart was immediately displeased. "You say you haven't been paying special attention to Josephine."
He was angry that his first love was being compared, but hearing Jair praise Josephine made him even angrier.
Jair said, "We're friends. I can't have any thoughts about Josephine. If I did, I wouldn't have been trying to get you two together. If I really liked her, I'd be like Robin, badmouthing her to keep you apart."
Jair hadn't finished speaking when Stuart interrupted, "Robin is something else. Most people try to reconcile, but he..."
A thought flashed through Stuart's mind; he tried to grasp it, but it disappeared quickly.
When he tried to explore it, it was already gone.
Jair continued, "How about this, I'll teach you a way to test who you really like now."