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.

David and I had been together three years. In all that time, he’d never kept any sticker packs in his phone—let alone sent me a single emoji.

Clearly, someone had coached him.

Scrolling down, I saw nothing but Peyton’s unilateral snapshots—teaching him how to wave a sparkler, explaining her “expert” grocery shopping tips, dragging him through amusement parks.

Every frame stabbed me like a dagger straight to the heart.

I wiped away my useless tears and tossed everything related to David into the fire beside me.

The flames roared to life, tongues of heat lashing at my face, but I didn’t flinch.

Then a new message popped up.

Several indecent photos from Peyton—David pressing her against a bathroom wall, kissing her hard, gripping the back of her head; kneeling between her legs.

All that followed by taunting messages:

[You see that, Allie? David loves me. You’re nothing but the pawn he needed for his business alliance. If you’re smart, you’ll step aside.]

[Oh, by the way… I’ve known about your pregnancy for a while now. But I’m not letting anything stop me from having David—so… yeah, your child died because of your own selfishness.]

By the last line, my heart felt like it was being crushed in a giant’s fist.

I couldn’t breathe.

I sank to the floor, dizzy with pain, when my phone rang. I must have hit “answer” without thinking—because then voices spilled right into my ear, amidst the moan.

“Who’s better David, me or Allie? Who do you love more?” 

“You little minx, that’s a stupid question. Of course you. Someone like Allie isn’t worthy of me—I stopped loving her a long time ago.”

“Then you’d better treat me well…”

“You mean last night’s three rounds still weren’t enough for you?”

The call cut off there.

My stomach twisted violently and I stumbled into the bathroom to retch. By the time I was done, I was trembling, nearly faint. David and Peyton’s words kept echoing in my head.

Before dawn, I grabbed a small suitcase and left the villa. I deleted my fingerprint from the entry system.

Once that was done, I walked away without looking back, climbing into a taxi. The winter wind slapped against my face through the open window. The scenery blurred by outside, like a lantern reel of every moment David and I had ever shared. Then a ringtone I set personally for him rang.

“Hello?” I answered without thinking. 

“Allie, are you not home?” His voice was hoarse.

After a long pause, I replied flatly,

“Let’s break up, David. We were only in a contractual marriage anyway—there’s no legal certificate binding us. From now on, we go our separate ways.”

And may we never cross paths again, I added silently.