He pressed on. "The maple leaf is from our childhood home. Do you remember planting that tree together? You can't just forget, can you, Alexis? If you do, I'll help you remember! I visited it the other night. It's grown tall and stunning..."

He spoke fondly but Alexis remained stoic.

With a slight smile, she replied, "That means nothing to me! If you're reading too much into it, I'll chop the tree down."

His heart sank at her words. After a moment of silence, he asked softly, “Don't you remember the good times?"

Remembering the good times?

To Alexis, his words seemed absurd. If he cherished the old days, why did he keep hurting her? Did he ever think about her when he was with Anika?

Out of the blue, Alexis caught sight of Anika.

She was by the courthouse gate, looking pretty downcast.

Alexis' demeanor turned icy. She gripped the car door and muttered, "You know what I really think? I shouldn't have given you that second chance."

With that, she hopped in her car and drove off.

As Alexis passed Leonel, she didn't even glance his way, Like he was just some stranger. She used to be head over heels for him. She remembered eagerly anticipating every date when they first got together...

Now, she couldn't stand the sight of him.

Slowly, her car faded from view.

Leonel lingered there, lost in thought. Anika wanted to approach him, but eventually chickened out...

After that incident, Alexis seemed to bounce back to her usual routine.

She stopped avoiding Leonel. Sometimes, they'd run into each other at parties or whatnot.

It was a quiet weekend night.

Leonel was a bit drunk in the pub. He staggered into the corridor, fumbling for a cigarette in his pocket, trying to light it up. But no luck after a few attempts.

Then Noreen came over, advising, "Mr. Douglas, the doctor says you should kick the smoking and ease off on the booze."

Leonel shrugged. "It's just a suggestion! Quitting smokes and drinks? That would be mission impossible! I have to socialize with clients and folks all the time."