Chapter 25

The sky was a dull gray when the plane landed. Julian and Adrian walked down the air stairs with none of the obsession they'd carried before. Instead, only defeat and emptiness filled them. After returning home, Julian locked himself in his room and cut off all contact with the outside world. As he held the pillow Wendy had used to sleep with, he chugged down heavy liquor while staring at a dusty photo on the table. In the photo, Wendy's smile was gentle. In contrast, he was standing beside her with impatience written all over his face. With every chug of alcohol, Wendy's words from back when they were at the apartment echoed in his ears. Each word jabbed into him like a needle, leaving him in so much pain that it felt hard to breathe. Adrian, meanwhile, vanished from everyone's sight on the third day after returning. The next time anyone would hear of him was when news came from an ancient monastery on the outskirts of the city. Apparently, he had his head shaved, donned a ro