Chapter 5

I went back to the bedroom, lay down, and closed my eyes.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I was completely at ease. I fell into a deep sleep.

In seven years, I'd never slept so peacefully. No anxiety, no uneasiness, no wondering where she was or what she was doing.

I slept straight through until noon the next day.

When I woke up, I picked up my phone and checked it.

No missed calls or unread messages.

Sure enough, Celeste had forgotten her promise yet again. She hadn't even tried to contact me.

I should've known. She was always like this, making promises without a second thought, then breaking them just as easily.

I left my breakup letter and the good-luck charm in plain sight on the table. Then I grabbed my suitcase and walked out of our home without looking back.

...

Before long, I arrived at the port. The ocean breeze brushed across my face, carrying the faint scent of salt.

I'd always loved the ocean, yet in all seven years Celeste and I had been together, we'd never once gone to see it together.

She'd always been too busy. If it wasn't the company, it was Grady.

That was why I'd deliberately chosen to travel by ferry this time.

I boarded and stepped onto the deck, ready to enjoy the view, when my phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw a new social media post from Grady. He'd uploaded a photo.

Celeste was asleep beside his hospital bed, her fingers intertwined with his.

Apparently worried I might somehow miss the point, Grady had even tagged me in the comments.

[Luca, my stomach's acting up again. Good thing Celeste was here running around taking care of me all day.]

[I saw an alarm on her phone. Looked like she was supposed to meet you, but she was so exhausted she fell asleep. You understand, right?]

[And don't get mad about us, okay? Celeste and I really did have "nothing happen" last night!]

Maybe Grady thought he'd finally gotten close enough to Celeste that he didn't need to pretend anymore. Today, he wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that he was deliberately provoking me.

I simply smiled and gave the post a like.

I was about to put my phone away when a voice call from Celeste suddenly appeared on the screen. My finger slipped, and I accidentally answered.

"Luca! Let me explain!" Her frantic voice came through the phone.

"What happened yesterday really was a misunderstanding! I didn't mean to do it. I was just... I was so busy that everything got away from me, and I forgot to tell you...

"Grady's still young. He doesn't know any better. Please don't take anything he says seriously!

"I've already booked a hotel. As soon as you get back from your business trip, we'll get engaged—"

Before Celeste could finish, the ferry started moving. A deafening horn echoed across the harbor.

Celeste went silent. Then she asked uncertainly, "Luca... where are you? Why do I hear a ship? Aren't you supposed to be away meeting a client?"

I simply replied in a calm, detached tone, "No. I'm going to Caldria. And as for us... I don't ever want to see you again."

I hung up.

The ferry slowly pulled away from the harbor and headed toward open water.

The signal on my phone grew weaker and weaker, and in the final moments before I lost service completely, Celeste's calls started pouring in one after another.