My blunt words shattered the last bit of dignity between us.

 The divorce process went smoothly, without any disputes or arguments. 

The staff reminded us to come back in a month to pick up the divorce certificates. 

I nodded. Jack had already stood up and was about to leave. I called out to him, "When will you come to collect your stuff?"

He didn't even turn around. "Just throw them away."

Of course, it was impossible to throw them away. In the end, Tom packed up all Jack's things. After that, he cooked a meal and opened a bottle of wine. 

"Have a drink?"

I didn't refuse. Tom drank rather quickly. 

After downing a glass, he forced a smile and said, "I really didn't know Jack had such feelings for you back then. 

If I had..."

I shook my head, finding it a bit funny. 

What difference would it have made if he had known? 

Would he have stopped our relationship from happening? Such regret was meaningless.

"Back then, both our families were against our relationship. I still remember what Jack said. He said, 'I don't know if I'll regret being with her in the future, but I'm sure I'll regret it if I don't be with her now.'"

"Did you get together with him because of that?"

I shook my head. "No. I just thought the same way back then."

Leaning on my chin and swirling the wine in my glass, I said, "Thinking about it, I was much braver in my twenties.

 I dared to build a future with a boy five years younger than me. But now, I'm not that brave. I'm not even sure if I'll start a new relationship."

"Lily..." Tom looked at me with a complex expression, a mix of guilt, concern, and something I couldn't quite understand.

I gave him a relieved smile. "Don't worry about me. I've just realized that love comes and goes. 

What others give you won't last forever. 

But it doesn't matter. In this world, you can die from illness or poverty, but I've never heard of anyone dying from lack of love."

Maybe I was a bit drunk. Since it was Tom, an old friend, I rambled on a lot. He just listened silently without saying a word.

When I woke up the next morning, Tom was gone.

 He left me a note saying he had to catch a flight and couldn't wait for me. He also said he had met a nice girl and planned to be with her after he got back.

 At the end, he wrote, "Lily, take care!"