When Julia and Elijah first met, she was a reckless rookie who'd just joined the police force, while he was a brilliant young doctor who'd just returned from studying abroad.

She'd been a little too heavy-handed with a criminal, not only breaking his nose and bashing his face in, but even going as far as breaking a few of his bones.

Elijah, who'd been on duty at the emergency room, asked her in shock, "Did you do this to him? Is he your boyfriend? Did he cheat on you?"

"Ask any more questions, and I'll make sure you end up on a hospital bed, too!" Julia snapped ferociously.

…

Julia ended up at the hospital so often that she might as well call it her home. And every time, she'd run into Elijah. Thanks to their constant bickering, they got to know each other pretty well.

Once the two finally started dating, Alfred Tolliver, Julia's mentor, tearfully declared, "Finally! Someone has come along to keep this troublesome mentee of mine in check!"

Elijah had proposed to Julia when she was still lying injured on a hospital bed. He got down on one knee, and with both his and her colleagues as witnesses, vowed to hone his medical skills to guarantee that she would remain healthy and mobile no matter what.

Everyone laughed at that.

As the years passed, Julia became the captain of the detective division of Greendale's police force. Elijah, on the other hand, became the youngest associate chief of his department at Greendale Hospital.

They eventually had a son, so everyone said they were the perfect, blissfully happy family of three.

This all changed a year ago, when Juliette came knocking on the Grahams' door. Her face, which was identical to Bertha's, was the only evidence needed.

Juliette accused Julia of stealing her place in the Graham family, calling her shameless, amongst other things.

That was the day Julia discovered that she and Juliette had been born in the same hospital on the same day, just minutes apart.

However, something had gone wrong. Perhaps they'd been switched when they were being bathed. Either way, they swapped lives from that point onward.

Juliette was the true daughter and only child of the Graham family, while Julia was meant to live a harsh life out on a desolate island with nothing but the ocean wind to keep her company.

The Graham family made a public display of welcoming Juliette back into the family. As for Julia, she had no choice but to accept her new role and constantly yield to Juliette. However, that wasn't enough to satisfy Juliette, for she even set her sights on Elijah!

Julia had always believed that even if the whole world sided with Juliette, Elijah and Coby wouldn't hesitate to take her side.

Alas, they'd changed as well.

Time and time again, Elijah and Coby sided with Juliette, acting like her knights in shining armor.

In the second month of Juliette's return, they celebrated Juliette's birthday and completely forgot about Julia, leaving her alone in the house even though it was also her birthday.

During the fifth month, they went traveling with Juliette for an entire month. Meanwhile, Julia had been attacked from behind during a mission. When her life had been hanging by a thread, it was Lawrence who signed the surgery consent form.

When the eighth month of Juliette's return rolled around, the Grahams and the Sherwoods gathered for a Christmas Eve dinner, but no one informed Julia about it.

She'd specifically traded shifts with her colleague to spend the festive holiday with them. But in the end, her Christmas Eve dinner was a pack of frozen lasagna she'd found in the freezer.

Even after it was heated up, she barely had any appetite for it. Instead, she volunteered to do an extra shift at the police station and ultimately spent the night there.

The past year was filled with countless similar incidents.

Perhaps it was Coby's drawing and his words that proved to be the final straw for Julia. Her disappointment had been accumulating for a long time. On that day, she could no longer hold herself back.

Her emotions exploded out of her as she snatched the drawing and ripped it up.

Coby pummeled Julia with his fists as he wailed, "You're evil, Mommy! Give me back my drawing! I don't want you to be my mommy!"

Elijah admonished her as well. "Have you lost your mind? Why are you getting upset with a child? You may need to act domineering in your line of work, but don't bring that attitude back home!"

Juliette pulled Coby into her arms before seemingly attempting to ease the tension, though her words were thinly veiled mockery. "Children don't mean any harm, Julia. He's just saying whatever comes to mind."

Not once had Julia ever cried when she was shot, stabbed, or had her bones broken while fighting criminals. But that day, she fled the house in tears.

"Go on! Leave, and don't bother coming back!" Elijah shouted after her.

…

Lost in these memories, Julia wandered along the streets until she arrived at a bank without realizing it. She transferred all of the money she'd saved up over the years to a new account. It wasn't much, only 120 thousand dollars in total.

That was nothing to the Sherwoods, but she still wanted to leave something to Coby. He was, after all, her child. Even if she divorced Elijah, she would provide child support.

Once done with that, she found that she had nowhere to go. After she'd made her decision, Lawrence had taken her identification paperwork and documents so that they could be destroyed. This meant she couldn't even check into a hotel.

Julia had no choice but to head back home, even if no one there wanted her.

Along the way, she passed by a pet store with a basket of little kittens in the window who were mewling softly. Remembering how Coby had once said his birthday wish was to have a pet, she stopped and picked out a kitten.

The kitten would be the last symbol of her love for Coby. She hoped it would accompany him in her place as he grew up. Once she left, she probably wouldn't be a part of his life ever again.

The moment Julia opened the door, she was greeted by a cheerful atmosphere. Elijah was playing the piano, while Juliette was dancing along.

Coby sat on the couch, clapping enthusiastically. "You're so pretty, Aunt Juliette!"

They were the picture-perfect family of three.

Suddenly, Juliette lost her footing and fell to the floor in a graceful tumble. As soon as she did, the piano let out a jarring, discordant sound. Elijah rushed to his feet and scooped her up, placing her gently on the couch.

Coby hurried over as well, asking, "Are you alright, Aunt Juliette?"

Grasping Elijah's sleeve, Juliette whimpered, "My leg hurts, Eli!"

Elijah was crouching on the floor, and when he heard what she said, he quickly checked on her sprained ankle.

"It's okay. It's not a serious injury. Coby, go to my bedroom and bring me the ointment from the nightstand."

"Okay!"

Coby scrambled to the bedroom before running back to the living room moments later.

With a concerned expression, Elijah instructed Juliette to place her feet on his thigh. Then, he expertly rubbed the ointment between his hands before giving her a massage. His gaze was tender and helpless. Each time she winced in pain, he would press a little more gently.

Coby sat on the side and comforted Juliette as well. "I'll blow on it, Aunt Juliette, and it won't hurt so much anymore."

Amid all of this, Julia recalled that a long time ago, Elijah would tend to her injuries and massage her as well. Due to the nature of her job, she was no stranger to bruises and sprains. He'd bought that ointment specifically for her.

It was only when the kitten she was holding let out a mewl that the three people in the house finally turned toward the door.

"What are you doing here?" Elijah and Coby asked at the same time.

Julia's eyes flashed with self-mockery. She didn't know how to answer that question of theirs.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Julia," Juliette said, though she showed no intention of withdrawing her leg.

Elijah resumed his massage. Without even looking at Julia, he said, "You came back too late. We've already had dinner. There are still some leftovers in the fridge. You can heat it up and eat it."

Though only minutes had passed, Julia felt as if she'd been standing frozen in place for days. Moving her stiff legs, she walked toward Coby.

"You wanted a pet, right? I got you a kitten."

She bent down, letting him see the kitten she held.

After glancing at it, Coby looked up at her and said, "But Aunt Juliette already got me a parrot. It can even repeat the phrases I teach it. A cat can't do that. It just meows all the time. It's so annoying."

Julia believed she had a heart of stone, but she still felt a prick of pain anyway. Looking up, she finally spotted the bird cage out on the balcony. The colorful parrot seemed to notice that someone was looking at it, so it cried out, "I hate Mommy! I hate Mommy!"

She could sense that everyone else was checking her reaction, but she no longer knew what kind of expression she was supposed to have. Before she could say anything, Elijah said, "It's just a bird. You're not going to get upset with it, are you?"

Julia could tell that he was mocking her over the way she'd reacted to Coby's drawing.

Meeting his indifferent gaze, she smiled and said, "Of course not."

What was there to be upset about? No matter what she did, to Elijah and Coby, she was just kicking up a fuss over nothing. In any case, she was about to leave anyway.

Elijah seemed startled by how calm Julia was.

"Eli, you're hurting me!" Juliette yelped.

He quickly apologized and softly appeased her. It was only after he'd stood up that he realized Julia had gone to the kitchen.

Under the warm light of the kitchen, Julia got some of Coby's milk from the fridge and poured some into a bowl for the kitten. She was still feeding it when her phone rang with a call from Kayla Powell, one of her subordinates.

"What's going on, Captain Graham? Why am I attending next week's briefing? Aren't you the one who's supposed to be attending it? Why did I hear from Chief Davis that you'll be leaving Greendale for a training course? You're the best detective there is! What else is there for you to learn?"

Julia's departure was top-secret. She couldn't share it with anyone, not even her most trusted subordinate. Moreover, Kayla happened to be quite the chatterbox.

"I'm just following orders. Relax. You'll have to take charge of the squad from now on," Julia said.

She was feeling a little melancholic, but Kayla simply brushed it off with a carefree laugh. "Why are you making it sound like you're never coming back? I'm counting on you to give a speech at my daughter's birthday party, you know."

Out of nowhere, Elijah's voice rang out from behind.

"Who's never coming back?"

Julia ended the call and dismissed Elijah's question with a half-hearted answer. "No one. A colleague is just transferring to a different city."

Elijah stared at her as if to verify the truth of her answer.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted before, and we were both at fault. Coby has forgiven you. Please forgive me, too."

Once he finished speaking, he went back to his medical journal, almost as if his apology was merely a formality.

Julia acted as though she hadn't heard him. Since the kitten had nearly finished its meal, she decided to let it get some rest in her room. It was late, and there was nowhere else to take it. She would find a new home for it tomorrow.

Once she got up, she realized Juliette was no longer in the living room. When did she leave? Would Elijah really let her go home alone with a sprained ankle?

Curious, Julia headed toward the master bedroom.

"Stop!"

"No!"

Two voices—one belonging to a man and the other to a child—called out behind her.

What now? Was she not even allowed to stay in the house anymore?

Julia turned around to see a conflicted look on Elijah's face. It was as if he couldn't find the words to say what he needed to say.

Coby, on the other hand, didn't share such qualms. "Aunt Juliette is resting in the bedroom. You're not allowed to disturb her!"

Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Juliette appeared in one of Julia's nightgowns.

"Sorry about this, Julia. Mom and Dad went on holiday, and they asked Eli to take care of me. I've been sleeping here for ten days now. I didn't know you'd be coming back today. Why don't I pack up my things so that you can move back in?"

As she spoke, she lowered her head, voice all choked up. It was almost as if she'd been deeply hurt.

"It's already so late. Why go through all that trouble? It won't make a difference even if Julia sleeps in one of the other rooms. Hurry up and get back in bed. You need to rest your sprained ankle," Elijah replied on Julia's behalf without any hesitation at all.

Juliette nodded, but just as she was turning around, she lost her balance and fell toward Elijah. He quickly held her steady before carrying her to bed.

"Thanks, Eli."

Elijah glanced toward Julia, who was standing outside the room. Realizing that the position he and Juliette were in looked a little intimate, he hurriedly explained, "Don't think too much of it, Julia. It's late now, and she sprained her ankle, so let's not put her through any further trouble.

"Besides, Juliette is your sister. She had a tough childhood. The two of us should be more understanding."

Julia stroked the kitten absent-mindedly. What was there for her to think about? She didn't even want her husband anymore, let alone their shared room.

"I'll sleep in the guest bedroom."

Elijah had already prepared his speech to persuade Julia, but before he said anything, she put an end to the conversation with just six words. She'd walked off before he could even figure out why she was being so cooperative today.

Coby also got the feeling that something was up with Julia, but he was still too young to ponder such complicated matters. He simply tugged on Elijah's hand and asked Elijah to tuck him into bed.

Julia turned a pillow into a bed for the kitten. Then, she got into bed after washing up.

Juliette had sent her yet another taunting message.

"Your nightgown is mine, and so is your man."

Soon, Elijah opened the guest room door. Looking at him, Julia asked, "What are you doing here?"

Standing there with his pajamas in hand, he replied in confusion, "To sleep, of course. We're a married couple. We should be sharing a bedroom."

With a spiteful smirk on her face, she remarked, "Oh, so you do know we're the married couple. I thought you'd sleep with Juliette in the master bedroom."

Julia had played the part of a dutiful wife and mother for many years now. Plus, being a police captain, she had to keep herself in check as well. Thus, she'd almost forgotten just how petty and mean-spirited she could be.

She never would've allowed Juliette to walk all over her like that if it hadn't been for her feelings for Elijah. But now, she no longer wanted to put up with any of this. After all, she would be leaving for good in seven days. Who knew if she'd even survive this mission?

There was no reason for her to keep enduring such treatment any longer.

Elijah's expression darkened. Eyes blazing with fury, he snapped, "What the hell are you saying? Here I was, wondering why you'd agree to let Juliette take the master bedroom without any fuss. It turns out you were just waiting to argue with me instead! When did you become this person that you are now?"

Julia snorted. Who was the one who'd changed?

She was just about to show him the message from Juliette when a piercing shriek interrupted them.

"Eli!"

It came from the master bedroom next door.

Elijah dashed off before he'd even gotten properly dressed.

Coby, who'd been startled awake, called out, "What's the matter, Aunt Juliette?"

Julia went to close the door, just in time to hear Juliette say, "Look at the window, Eli. Doesn't it look like someone's there? I'm so scared!"

The sound of footsteps followed, which meant that Elijah was probably checking the window.

"It's just a tree branch. There's no sign of anyone outside," Elijah said with a bemused laugh.

Julia could almost picture the expression on Elijah's face right now.

"You're such a scaredy cat, Aunt Juliette!"

Julia shut the door, completely cutting off the cheerful laughs coming from the master bedroom. When she turned around, she saw her reflection in the mirror and quickly looked away. She didn't want to see the mocking, self-deprecating look in her eyes.

After some time, Elijah's muffled voice rang out from just beyond the door. "Coby is sleeping with Juliette. I'll sleep in his room."

Following a pause, he added, "It doesn't matter whether or not you believe me, Julia, but everything I do is for your sake."

Julia closed her eyes, pretending like she hadn't heard him.

Time and again, she had been forced to compromise. He'd repeatedly hurt her and taught her own son to develop a closer bond with another woman. How could he now claim that it was all for her sake?

After ten minutes, there was finally the sound of someone walking away from the door.

Julia slept in peace that night. When she opened her eyes, it was 9:00 am the next morning, and the house was empty.