Julian's first true love was Joanna. So as of course one would expect he never stopped keeping tabs on her whereabouts. The last thing he knew she was a detective for the San Francisco Police Department and single. So you can imagine his surprise when his former lover shows up at his sister's funeral, saying she just got out of an abusive marriage, but he doesn't let on that he knows the truth. He figures in time she will tell him the truth and explain.
Ever since his sister died he has felt nothing but excruciating anguish, and the moment Joanna walked back into his life it all ceased. He felt hope and this feeling of nostalgia. He gets Joanna alone one night hoping to get some information out of her or at the very least to feel something real.