Chapter 4

Elena's POV

Over the next few days, messages from Damian and Isabella continued to arrive.

Three days before our fifth anniversary.

Isabella: The ocean breeze in Hawaii feels amazing. The seafood here is incredible too, but he said I shouldn't eat seafood while I'm pregnant, so he went all the way across town just to get me some food I'm used to.

Attached was a photo of the Hawaiian beach, the sand, the palm trees, and Damian in the distance, opening a takeout box.

Damian: The food here isn't really like what we have back home.

Damian: Baby, what did you eat today?

That day, I met up with a few of my closest friends at an Italian restaurant.

We ordered pizza, pasta, and tiramisu. We talked about everything we had been through over the years.

No one knew that it was the last time I would ever meet them as Elena.

We laughed. We talked about old memories. We were happy.

Because after today, I would leave this world behind under a new identity.

Seeing them again in the future would probably be impossible.

So before I disappeared, I wanted to see them one last time.

Two days before our fifth anniversary.

Isabella: The baby is only a little over a month old, and he's already researching how to raise children.

Isabella: For a first-time father, he's already so responsible. I can't wait for our little family to begin.

Attached was a photo of Damian's desk. A thick stack of parenting books sat on top.

I glanced over them casually.

The titles were:

Newborn Parenting Guide

The Science of Early Childhood Education

A Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Infant Care

Damian: Baby, I've been reading these books all day.

Damian: What did you do today?

That day, I went to the bank.

I converted all the money in my accounts into cash. Then I closed every financial account registered under Elena Blackwood's name.

From that moment on, there would be no place left in this world that carried my name.

One day before our fifth anniversary.

Isabella: He knows how exhausting pregnancy has been for me, and he didn't want the hotel staff touching my things.

Isabella: So he did my laundry himself.

Isabella: A man like this is really impossible not to love, right?

In the photo, Damian was standing in the laundry room, folding clothes.

I stared at the photo and couldn't help laughing.

Five years of marriage.

I was the one who made sure his suits were perfectly tailored, his shirts were pressed, and everything he wore was taken care of.

I had spent years looking after him in ways no one else saw.

And now, he was taking care of another woman's clothes himself.

The irony was almost laughable.

How ironic.

The night before our fifth anniversary, I went alone to the Blackwood family pier.

The ocean wind swept across the harbor.

My hair whipped across my face, but I didn't feel the cold.

I simply stood there, staring at the endless darkness beyond the water.

The waves crashed softly against the shore. The moonlight reflected on the surface of the sea.

For the first time in a long while, everything felt strangely peaceful.

By the time Damian called, it was already late at night.

His voice sounded unusually cheerful.

"Baby, I just landed. I'll be home soon. I even brought your favorite dessert. Are you happy?"

"I'm not at home."

There was a pause on the other end. "It's so late. Where are you?"

"Harbor."

"Why are you there?"

"I wanted to see the ocean."

"Wait for me. I'll be there right away."

Just then, a burst of noise came from his side of the call. It sounded like someone was talking. A woman.

Damian lowered his voice and said something. But the woman didn't seem to leave.

After a while, the phone became quiet.

And then, I heard a sound that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The sound of a man and a woman kissing. Intimate. Passionate. And they weren't even trying to hide it from me.

I let out a soft laugh. "Damian, are you still coming?"

There was silence for several seconds. His voice was slightly hoarse.

"Baby, starting tomorrow, I'll spend all my time with you. Tonight, I just need to finish handling the remaining family matters. So I can focus on you afterward. Okay?"

I looked at the distant city lights across the water. Then softly replied, "Okay."

"You are so understanding." Damian laughed. "Then I'll see you at the ceremony tomorrow morning. Oh, and remember to bring the gift you prepared for me. I'm really curious what surprise you made."

"Damian." This was the last time I called his name.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

Nothing anymore.

Because starting tomorrow, there would be no Elena Blackwood in this world.

I took one last look at the dark ocean.

Then I hailed a taxi.

"Hello. To the airport."

The driver glanced behind me.

Noticing that I had no luggage.

He asked with concern, "Miss, do you need help with your bags?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't have any luggage. Just drive."

Only a passport, a plane ticket, and the cash I would need for my new life.

Everything else that belonged to Elena Blackwood had already been taken care of.

Things worth donating were donated.

Things that needed to be destroyed were destroyed.

Everything connected to this identity would disappear completely.

Half an hour later, the taxi pulled up outside the airport terminal.

I stepped out of the taxi and walked away without looking back.