Chapter 12: The Last Goodbye
Leaving Without a Word
The room was pitch dark.
Valerie stood up.
Her voice was quiet but firm.
“I should go back.”
Terrence’s brows knitted together.
He watched as she walked out, her figure disappearing into the hallway.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Darkness settled once more.
Yet, for the first time, a trace of panic crept into Terrence’s heart.
A whisper of something unfamiliar.
Something he didn’t want to name.
But he told himself—
“No.
It’s okay.
Nothing’s going to happen.”
He closed his eyes.
Ignoring the way his chest tightened.
An Empty House
Days passed.
Terrence never returned.
Valerie heard from Roderick that he had left on a business trip.
Even Roderick couldn’t reach him.
In the past, that would’ve sent her into a spiral of worry.
But now?
It was good news.
While he was gone, she could leave quietly.
No confrontation.
No pleading.
Just disappearance.
Packing the Past Away
Foliage Villa was eerily silent as Valerie moved through it.
She didn’t have many personal belongings here.
Most of the things she had bought were for Terrence.
Lovers’ watches.
Custom-tailored clothes.
Teddy bears.
Things she had once gifted with love.
Things he had dismissed as childish and shoved into the back of the wardrobe.
Now, she took them all out—
One by one, placing them into her suitcase.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
When the last item was packed, she zipped up the suitcase and walked out of Foliage Villa—
For the last time.
Some maids saw her leaving.
But they assumed she was just going on a trip.
No one asked questions.
No one stopped her.
And just like that—
She was gone.
The 19th
The day arrived.
Her birthday.
The day Terrence had casually chosen for their marriage license.
Valerie had crossed off every task on her to-do list.
Now, all she had to do was wait for the 20th.
Then she’d be out of this city.
Out of his life.
A Birthday Alone
That evening, she wandered through the city center.
She stopped at a small cake shop and bought herself a single slice.
Then she walked to a quiet park and sat on a bench.
Slowly, she ate the cake.
It was sweet.
For the first time in years, she didn’t have to worry about Terrence.
Didn’t have to wonder when he’d come home.
Didn’t have to fear that he’d be too busy to remember.
Because she already knew.
He wouldn’t remember.
And that was okay.
She looked up at the night sky.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
Then, out of nowhere—
A loud boom echoed.
Fireworks lit up the darkness.
Exploding in bursts of color, painting the sky with golds, reds, and blues.
For a moment—
The entire world was as bright as day.
Valerie tilted her head back, watching in silent awe.
By the time her neck began to ache, the fireworks had faded.
The sky was dark once more.
And then—
Her phone vibrated.
She glanced down.
A message.
From Terrence.
