I don’t remember how I got out of bed, or how long it took me to walk from the general ward to the morgue.

My hands trembled as I lifted the white sheet. My mother lay there, peaceful, almost smiling.

A nurse walked in and handed me a folded note. “Your mother left this for you.”

I unfolded it, tears soaking the black ink on white paper. My eyes fell on the last line.

Allie, I don’t want to be the shackle that holds you back. You were meant to be free, not to keep bending yourself for my sake. Go fly, my little girl. I will always love you.

After the nurse left, I pulled out my phone and saw my plane ticket had been canceled—three hours ago.

The moment I rebooked it, David called.

I could hear fireworks popping in the background. His voice slid into my ears, every word sharp and deliberate.

“Allie, stop being childish. Once I wrap up work, I’ll take you to Europe for a vacation. And really—buying an oversea ticket without me? I don’t want you being sneaky like this again, understand?”

For a moment, that familiar teasing lilt in his voice made my chest tighten in a way I hated.

He used to talk to me like this all the time—back when he stayed by my side every day, when we couldn’t bear to part even for a moment.

But then Peyton’s voice cut in, bright and sweet.

“David, can I sleep at your place tonight? Please?”

My fingers clenched around the phone until my knuckles went white. I stayed quiet, listening.

Then came the dead tone—he’d hung up.

When I checked, the ticket was canceled again.

Something was wrong. Ignoring my body’s pain and the doctor’s protests, I forced my discharge papers through.

Under a pale moon, I finally found a shop that could check my phone after two hours of searching.

The clerk glanced at it and whistled. “This looks like a top-level intrusion system. Miss, did you offend someone from the Callahan Group?”

I never imagined David would use that technology on me.

I’d been the one to help him solve its final flaws back when he was still developing it. It had secured his standing in the Callahan Family.

I’d even joked once, asking if he’d ever use it on me. 

And he had said never.

The ride back to the villa took half an hour.

In that time, my phone’s trending feed never stopped—

#Breaking! Downbury’s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Callahan, sets off fireworks for his beloved#

#Exclusive! Callahan’s grand fireworks proposal—sweet enough to melt#

There was a video attached. My finger twitched before tapping it open.

David was on one knee before Peyton, gazing up at her with open affection.

He said he couldn’t help himself and had to confess.

She said she’d already liked him for a long time.

The comments were full of congratulations, begging for a piece of wedding cake.

I stood frozen. David had never proposed to me like that.

Because he’d said, “We’re a contractual marriage. You’re just here to help me fight my family. Don’t expect more.”

And when we fell in love for real, he’d said, “Silly girl, you own my heart and my soul. Why do you care about those meaningless rituals?”

Now I understood.

If someone won’t take your hand in marriage, they were never the one.

By the time I got home, pale-faced, the smell of spicy fish filled the air. The sharp scent made me cough violently, saline from my IV still stinging my throat.

At the dining table, Peyton looked up as if only just noticing me. “Oh, Allie, you’re back.”

Then she turned to David, her tone coy. “David, did you tell Allie you were cooking, so she’d show up just in time for dinner?”

“If you’d told me sooner, I would’ve saved her the chopping work. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been so clumsy and cut my hand.”

She held up her hand with its cutesy cartoon Band-Aid, her gaze toward me full of smug triumph.

The moment I saw that cartoon Band-Aid, my whole body froze for a second before I lunged forward, grabbing her hand.

“Where did you get this Band-Aid?”

I shook her wrist harder. “Answer me—where did you get it?!”

Peyton’s eyes glittered with malice for a heartbeat before she suddenly swayed backward, all delicate and helpless.

The legs of the wooden stool scraped hard against the floor.

David came out from the kitchen. The very first thing he did was check if Peyton was hurt—not even sparing me a glance.

I drew in a sharp breath, my nails digging deep into my palm.

But that physical pain didn’t even hold a candle to the ache in my chest.

Once David helped Peyton up, she immediately ducked behind him, peeking out at me like a frightened lamb.

Her voice trembled, pure and innocent.

“I’m sorry, Allie. I didn’t know this Band-Aid was yours. David said I could move around freely in this house and that I could use whatever I wanted. I really didn’t know a piece of Band-Aid would make you snapped. If I had known, I swear I wouldn’t have touched it…”

I clenched my fists.

“This is my home and David’s. You have no right wandering around and use the things here like you own the place! Do you know this is stealing?”

David immediately shielded Peyton, his gaze turning cold on me.

“Allie, can you stop making a scene? It’s just a stupid Band-Aid. Do you have to ruin the mood over this?”

“Taking something without asking is stealing,” I said, my voice low and steady.

Especially when this Band-Aid meant the world to me.

But he didn’t stop her—he even let Peyton trample over my space and use my things however she pleased.

David’s brows knitted, his tone darkening.

“Over a single Band-Aid? Really? Look at yourself—you’ve lost every bit of femininity and turned into some nagging shrew.”

Every word was a blade, driving deep into me.

My heart was numb, yet still it throbbed with pain.

I’d stayed for David’s sake, willingly playing the perfect partner.

And now, all I was to him… was an unfeminine, nagging woman.

If that’s the case, then this bitter, one-sided love wasn’t worth keeping.

“David, I don’t want you anymore.”

The next morning, bright and early, David came in carrying a bowl of seafood chowder, his face soft with a smile, as if the icy stranger from yesterday had never existed.

“Peyton was wrong to take your things without asking,” His voice was gentle. 

“She’s already apologized to me and admitted her mistake. You should go downstairs and apologize to her. You were the one who pushed her, after all.”

I pressed my lips together, saying nothing.

His smile faltered and a chill crept into his tone.

“Did you hear me, Allie? Peyton’s just a girl trying to make her way in the world—it’s not easy for her. Don’t push her too hard. And don’t forget… your mother is still in my family’s hospital.”

Once again, David’s effortless bias toward Peyton cut me to the bone. I almost told him that my mother was only in the hospital because she’d saved his life.

His patience was wearing thin, he said, “Allie, my patience has limits. If you—”

“Fine,” I cut him off, my face blank. “I’ll apologize. I’m sorry.”

I was leaving anyway.

Nothing and no one here mattered anymore.

Satisfied, David set the seafood porridge on my nightstand, looking smug as he walked out.

I took out the new phone I’d bought yesterday, slid in the fresh SIM card and booked another plane ticket.

This time, not to Caelondia, an oversea country, but Norbury—a place with all the charm of the Pinebed towns.

Flight time: tomorrow, 4:00 a.m.

I let out a soft sigh, my eyes drifting to the bowl of chowder. My lips curled into a bitter smile.

He’d even forgotten I was allergic to seafood.

Once, at a family banquet, David’s family had tried to humiliate him by forcing me to eat it—and David had been the first to shield me.

He’d cupped my face and said, “Don’t you know you can’t eat seafood? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? How can you be so silly—don’t you know how to say no?”

I’d learned to say no.

But he’d long since forgotten how.

From the crematorium, I went straight to the cemetery. I buried my mother beside my father.

Staring at their names carved in stone felt like a dull knife carving at my heart, one slow slice after another.

When I got home, I began packing.

Three big jars of origami stars on the vanity, a drawer full of photos from every angle, ninety-nine love letters in the lockbox—

I dumped them all into the trash without a moment’s hesitation.

David walked in, spotting the pile. He frowned slightly.

“Allie, didn’t you treasure these? Why throw them away?”

“They’re dirty now,” I said flatly. “So I threw them out.”

People, things—once they’re stained, they’re stained.

And when they’re dirty, you throw them away.

He didn’t press the issue, though I saw a flicker of unease in his eyes as he noticed the open suitcase.

“Why are you packing? Don’t tell me you’re thinking of going abroad without me?”

My hands stilled for half a second—then Peyton’s sugary voice drifted in from the hallway.

“David, I can’t find my lingerie! Can you come help me look?”

Seeing me frozen, David rushed to explain.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. She said she was going to shower last night, so I let her use the guest room bathroom. She probably just forgot where she left it.”

At the end, his tone softened, indulgent.

“That clumsy girl, always losing her things,” he said with a smile. “Go ahead and take your vacation first—I’ll buy my own ticket and catch up with you later. I’ll just check on her first.”

Without hesitation, he turned and left.

My heart had grown so numb, even pain couldn’t reach it anymore.

My fingers paused over a stack of prenatal check-up forms.

The thought of that child who never made it into this world made my eyes sting. I held the forms close, as if cradling my baby. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Mommy wasn’t strong enough to protect you,” I murmured.

After I burned everything downstairs, David texted me.

[I’m working late tonight, so don’t wait for me. Get some rest. I’ll take you on vacation tomorrow.]

He even added a cute cat emoji at the end.

I swallowed down the lump in my throat and opened Peyton’s social media feed. One minute ago, she’d posted a picture from the passenger seat.

David was in the driver’s seat… the same moment he was texting me.