Chapter 8

Ten years ago, Tabitha first met Kieran at a private sanatorium on the outskirts of the city. Now, the sanatorium lay abandoned, its walls blanketed in creepy ivy.

She walked along the paths she remembered, stopping and lingering, letting the memories of him wash over her like a tide.

From the indifference he showed when they first met, to the way he gradually grew used to her presence, until that stormy night when he held her tightly in the pouring rain, refusing to let go…

Tabitha's steps eventually paused under a massive banyan tree in the back garden. Ten years ago, it had been lush and sprawling. Now, it still thrived with life.

Her fingers traced the faint, almost erased carving of two names on the trunk. She could almost relive seeing the obsessive, anxious, but affectionate look in the eyes of the young man Kieran had once been.

He had said, "I'll only ever love you in this lifetime, Tabitha. I won't let you leave me. We'll be together forever."

And then, carefully, he carved their names into the bark.

In the end, his heart had been split in two—half given to Tabitha, half to Summer. That "forever" he swore would happen only lasted ten years.

The 19-year-old Kieran could never have imagined that, ten years later, he would lose Tabitha forever.

She dug a small pit in the soil with a stone, placed the folder carefully inside, and then covered it meticulously with earth. After that, she made one final call to him.

Almost immediately, Kieran answered, his voice as gentle as ever. "Tab, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

Tabitha looked up at the banyan tree and asked, "Do you still remember the banyan tree at the sanatorium?"

He chuckled softly. "Of course. That's where I confessed to you. Time really flies, huh? It's been ten years already."

She smiled, too. "Good. I've prepared a little gift for you and David. I buried it under the tree, so don't forget to come get it."

"David's practically bouncing as soon as he heard this. I'm looking forward to it, too. Once we finish work, we'll pick it up. Tonight, the three of us will look at it together at home."

Tabitha didn't answer and just hung up the phone.

There would be no more "three of us". She knew tonight, neither Kieran nor David would return home. From now on, the Lowe residence would no longer have her presence.

A long-missed mechanical voice sounded in her ears. "Tabitha, the exit procedure is ready. Confirm departure?"

"Confirm."

The moment she replied, a blinding white light appeared before her, forming a corridor. A sudden gust of wind whipped through the area, shaking the banyan tree and scattering its leaves into the air. Without hesitation, she stepped forward.

Farewell, Kieran and David.