Chapter 8

Gabriella received a call from the embassy after she left the hospital, informing her that her visa had been approved. She stopped by the embassy to pick up her documents before heading home to pack her belongings.

She had a calendar on her desk that she tore a page from every day. It wouldn't be long before she reached the last page.

The year was about to end, after all, and she was about to leave this city that she had lived in for more than two decades.

Owen didn't return home even once that week.

Meanwhile, Samantha sent Gabriella messages every day, obviously meant to provoke her.

Seven days before Gabriella's departure, Samantha sent her a video of Owen kneeling on the floor, gently massaging her calves.

As Gabriella watched the video, she threw all the gifts that she had bought for Owen over the years into the trash.

Five days before Gabriella was scheduled to leave, Samantha sent her a few photos of Owen giving her a box of jewelry and personally slipping a ring onto her finger.

Gabriella tore her wedding photos with Owen to shreds and threw the pieces into the fire.

She received an audio recording from Samantha three days before her departure.

Owen was mumbling Samantha's name as he slept. His voice was colored with genuine affection even in his dreams.

Gabriella packed up all the presents Owen had given her after they got married and donated them to a charity.

The villa that she had once called home slowly became empty while she finished packing what little belongings she had into her suitcases.

The maids grew worried as they watched Gabriella remove all traces of her existence from the villa. Some of them even approached her and asked her what was going on.

Gabriella simply smiled and replied, "We're divorced now."

"Did Mr. Wendell agree to the divorce?"

The truth was, Gabriella didn't know whether Owen agreed or disagreed, but she guessed that he would be over the moon when he finally saw the divorce agreement. After all, Samantha was the only one in his heart.

Two days before Gabriella's departure, Samantha sent her another message.

This time, the camera wasn't aimed at Owen but at his parents.

Gabriella felt nothing as she looked at the photo that showed Owen and his parents gathered around Samantha's bed, smiling at her. As always, she ignored the message. She tapped into her contacts and deleted Samantha's and Owen's numbers, along with everyone else connected to them.

On the day of Gabriella's departure, she was greeted with the first snow of the year. She headed to the garden, carrying a stack of diaries and love letters she had never sent.

As she threw the stack of papers into the fire, the flames cast a golden glow on her face. She watched as the items that recorded the feelings of a young woman in love turned to ash.

Gabriella tipped her head back to look at the fluttering snowflakes, wondering how long it would take before the ashes were covered up by the snow. She was still caught in a daze when the door was suddenly thrown open.

Owen, whom she hadn't seen for a week, had finally returned, seeming to be in a hurry. He only spared her a brief glance before disappearing into the living room. When he returned, he stopped next to her.

His thoughts strayed to Gabriella's letter, read aloud at the class reunion, as he gazed at the pink envelopes she held.

His heart, hardened by anger toward her, finally softened at that moment.

"I've been really busy recently. I'll be done in the next two days. Let's talk then."

Gabriella wondered what Owen wanted to talk about. Did he want a divorce?

She chuckled and looked up at him. "We don't need to talk. I've already given you the thing that you want the most a month ago," she said indifferently.

The thing that he wanted the most?

Owen didn't understand what Gabriella was talking about. He was just about to ask her to elaborate when his phone chimed.

Mirth sparkled in his eyes as he read through the messages.

Gabriella tossed the last stack of letters into the fire as she stared at him. She then rose to her feet. Her skirt flared around her as she did, blocking the flames from Owen's view.

Owen finished replying to the messages just as the last letters turned to ash. He had also forgotten what he wanted to ask Gabriella.

Gabriella walked him to his car and opened the door.

A cold gust of wind blew past them.

Noticing Gabriella's rather thin clothes, Owen gently told her to go back into the villa, not wanting her to catch a cold. However, she insisted on seeing him off.

Owen watched through the window as Gabriella waved at him. She also seemed to be saying something. He couldn't hear her, but he guessed that she was just telling him to be careful while driving. He had heard her give him the same reminder for the past three years, so he didn't think too much about it.

The car hummed to life, and it didn't take long for it to disappear from Gabriella's sight. She stood alone in the snow for a long time before heading back to the bedroom to put on her coat. She then carried her suitcases downstairs.

The snow began falling in earnest then.

The snowflakes clung to Gabriella's hair, making it seem as if she had white hair if one were to look at her from a distance.

The cab stopped in front of the villa. Before she slipped inside, she took one last look at the villa before repeating what she had whispered to Owen earlier.

"Goodbye forever, Ruthbelle. Goodbye forever, Owen Wendell."