Chapter 4

When I woke up, I was already lying in a bed in the recovery area.

My lower abdomen throbbed, each one leaving behind a heavy, dragging ache. I stared at the ceiling for a while before bracing one hand against the mattress and slowly sitting up.

A nurse came over and handed me a glass of warm water.

"You're awake. Take it easy when you get home, stay warm, and don't lift anything heavy for the next two weeks," she said.

I accepted the glass. "Thank you."

After changing back into my clothes, I left the hospital.

The sunlight outside was still painfully bright, so I pulled my coat tighter around myself and took a cab home.

The apartment felt unnervingly quiet when I opened the door.

I didn't bother turning on the lights. Instead, I went straight to the couch, sat down, and powered on my phone.

The moment the screen came to life, more than a dozen messages from Derrick appeared.

"Honey, the food here is so bland. I really miss your cooking."

"Why haven't you answered me today? Is all the wedding planning wearing you out?"

"Once I'm home, I'll do all the cooking. You won't have to lift a finger around the house."

He had also sent a photo of an elaborate, carefully plated meal.

Derrick had obviously tried to crop the picture strategically, but I recognized the pattern on the plate immediately. It was the dinnerware used exclusively by Luna Confinement Centre.

Looking through his messages no longer stirred any emotions in me.

If anything, I felt repulsed.

I called Mom.

"Mom, I'm moving to Somerby for work. Start packing, and come join me in a few days."

She went quiet for several seconds. "Did something happen?"

"No."

I looked around the empty living room. "I just want a fresh start somewhere else."

"Alright. If that's what you want, I'll come."

After hanging up, I called a moving company. "Hi, I need a moving truck as soon as possible."

An hour later, two movers arrived at my door.

"You're moving all of this?" one of them asked, looking around at the boxes and wedding decorations in surprise. "You've still got all the wedding stuff up. Are you moving into a new place before the ceremony?"

"The wedding's off," I said calmly. "I only need you to take the things that belong to me."

I pointed toward the black suitcase in the bedroom and several boxes of books in the study.

The mover blinked. "That's it?"

"That's it."

I'd lived in this apartment for six years, and there were traces of me everywhere. Still, I had no interest in taking anything that came with a memory of Derrick.

The clothes he'd bought me stayed in the closet. So did the jewelry he'd given me and the cups he'd picked out for the kitchen.

I left all of it behind.

The movers worked quickly, and before long, everything I wanted was downstairs.

I stood alone in the living room and took one last look around.

The receipt confirming the cancellation of our wedding photography package was still lying on the coffee table. I took my key from my bag and placed it on top.

Then, after a moment's thought, I walked over to the trash can and retrieved the dusty pair of baby shoes.

I set them in the middle of the coffee table beside the key.

With everything in place, I clicked Derrick's contact on my phone and looked one last time at the message where he'd said he missed me.

Then, I blocked him.

I cut off his number, his messages, and every other way he could reach me.

I zipped up my coat and walked out of the apartment. When the lock clicked behind me, I left six years of my life and one ridiculous lie on the other side of that door.

Once I climbed into the moving truck, one of the movers handed me a bottle of water.

"Where are we headed?"

"The train station."

Before we pulled away, I texted Mom.

"I'm going to Somerby first. Come over in a few days."

Her reply came almost immediately.

"Okay."

The truck started pulling out of the neighborhood, and the streets I'd known for years slowly disappeared behind me.

The cramps from the procedure still hadn't completely faded, but I knew I would wake up tomorrow, and it would all be fine.

I didn't need Derrick anymore.