Chapter 3

I couldn't help but sneer at Clara's absurd excuse. Who in the world would hold a meeting at a breakfast stand?

It was a little after 8:00 am when Thomas posted on his social media. "Someone who buys you a ring might not love you, but someone who wakes up at 6:00 am to get you breakfast definitely does!"

It turned out that Thomas had gotten both the ring and the breakfast. I could only wish both of them well from that point onward.

I got up and started packing my things. It wasn't long before I packed everything into a single suitcase. I didn't have many belongings to begin with, and I had thrown away everything that needed to be discarded earlier.

There was no trace of me left in the house.

…

Clara actually returned home at 6:00 pm.

That was one of the few times she had followed through on what she said, but by then, I had only 12 hours left before I boarded my flight home.

She came in with a box in her hand, slightly out of breath. She handed me the box and said, "I'm sorry for being so busy lately, Hunter. I picked this out just for you. Happy ninth anniversary, Hunter!"

I looked at the Rolex watch in the box. I had told her before that I really liked this model, but when it came to love, I finally knew the difference between something money could easily buy and something that required someone to actually care enough to do it.

I calmly accepted the gift and said, "Thank you."

Clara breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew you'd like it."

She then wrapped her arms around me and kissed me lightly on the lips. "We'll go to Northern Eschaton once things settle down at work, Hunter. Haven't you always wanted to go there to see the Northern Lights?"

I hummed softly in assent, knowing very well that I couldn't bring myself to believe her anymore.

I had dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights since my school days, but once work got too busy, I had put that dream on hold for years. I had also mentioned plenty of little things I wanted to do, but she had never followed through on any of them.

Clara was ready to leave again after a brief moment of intimacy.

There were still ten hours left until my flight. I watched her back as she walked away, then suddenly called out to her, "Clara…"

Clara stopped in her tracks, turned around, and asked, "What's the matter, Hunter?"

I looked directly into her mesmerizing eyes and asked one last time, "Do you still love me, Clara?"

Clara laughed as if I had said something ridiculous, then came over and patted me on the head.

She then replied without any hesitation, "Of course I love you! You shouldn't let your imagination run wild, Hunter. We'll celebrate our anniversary together once I come back tomorrow. I've even made a reservation at the restaurant for the occasion, Hunter!"

I could only nod since she spoke with such certainty. "I'll be waiting for you, then."

It was the first time in nine years that I had lied to her. I withdrew my gaze after saying that and turned to return to my room.

Clara, who had originally been in a hurry to head out, remained standing at the door, not leaving. She suddenly called out to me, "Hunter…"

She seemed to sense that something was amiss and just stood there staring at me, unwilling to leave.

I stood at the turn of the second-floor staircase and said, "You'd better go, Clara—someone's waiting for you."

She just stood there looking at me for a good while after I said that, only finally opening the door to leave once I headed upstairs to my room.

I watched her walk away from the second floor, knowing very well that the nine years of misguided love were finally coming to an end.

I still had nine hours left before my flight. I was leaving early the following morning, so I didn't sleep a wink all night.

I had three hours left. I printed out the evidence of Thomas provoking me and the intimate photos of him and Clara, then laid them out on the living room table.

I had two hours left before my flight. I took off the necklace I had worn for nine years.

It was the very first gift Clara ever bought me—back when she was 18 years old and working five jobs back-to-back to afford it. She told me back then that as long as I wore it, we'd be together forever.

I had no reason to keep wearing it now since we were no longer going to be together.

I had one hour left. I placed a blank sheet of paper on top of the evidence and wrote, "We've spent nine years loving the wrong person. There's no need for us to see each other again, Clara. —Hunter Johnson."

Having done all that, I waited alone in the vast villa until 6:00 am.

It wasn't long before the ride I had pre-booked arrived. I took one final look at the place, turned on my heel, and walked away.

I deleted and cleared out every account that had anything to do with Clara while I was in the car. I then snapped my SIM card in half and threw it out the window. I knew that from that point onward, Clara and I had nothing to do with each other.

I arrived at the airport, checked in, and headed toward security with my ticket and passport in hand. I would be starting a new life once I went through that gate.

Just as I smiled faintly and started walking forward, I heard a familiar voice behind me. "Hunter!"