Chapter 6

The injury on my arm throbbed all night long.

The moment day broke, I got up to wash my face and brush my teeth, putting on a long-sleeved shirt to cover the bandages.

My last suitcase stood by the entryway, and my passport and the signed divorce agreement were safely tucked into my handbag.

When Lucas stepped out of the guest room, he was still wearing the same shirt from last night.

"Hallie's ankle is swollen. I need to take her to the hospital for an X-ray this morning."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone dripping with the exhaustion of someone who hadn't slept a wink.

"Get ready and come with me to apologize to her."

He looked at me like a lawyer handling an annoying but simple case.

"Emma, I don't want to make a big deal out of this. You were in the wrong here. Hallie isn't pressing the issue only because she's showing consideration for my feelings."

I looked at this man I had shared seven years of my life with.

He knew how to catch a lie from a slight pause in a witness statement, and he could piece together the truth from the smallest contradictions. Yet last night, he didn't ask a single question, nor did he give me a chance to explain.

Just because the person who fell was Hallie, he instantly pronounced me guilty.

"Okay."

Lucas visibly froze for a second.

"You agree?"

The tense look on his face finally relaxed.

He stepped closer and reached up to fix my hair, just like he always did after every argument we used to have. However, this time, I turned my head away, leaving his hand frozen in mid-air.

"My tone was a bit harsh last night. Once they move out, we'll talk, just the two of us.

"I didn't sign the divorce agreement, and I'm not going to."

I looked up at him. "Why?"

"Because we haven't reached that point." He spoke with absolute certainty. "I've just been too busy lately and ignored your feelings. Emma, a seven-year relationship doesn't just disappear because of a few bad days."

I raised my eyes to look at the blood-red "1" floating above his head.

He had no idea that there wasn't going to be a next time for us. Nor did he know that the relationship he swore wouldn't disappear had already been completely burned away, consumed by every single time he chose someone else over me.

"Mr. Bolton, Ben seems to be running a fever again." Hallie's voice called out from the guest room.

Lucas turned around immediately. He took two steps before turning back to instruct me, "Change your clothes and come downstairs. Don't keep them waiting too long."

Ten minutes later, Hallie emerged, leaning on his arm as she limped to the entryway. On his other arm, Lucas held Ben, the boy's face buried in his shoulder.

Standing together, they looked far more like a family of three than we ever did in our wedding photo.

When Hallie saw me, her eyes flickered. "Mrs. Bolton, are you going out too?"

"She's coming to the hospital with us," Lucas answered on my behalf.

He grabbed his car keys with his free hand.

"I'll bring them down to the car first. Come down right after."

The front door opened, letting in the cool morning breeze. I stood in the middle of the living room, quietly watching him walk out.

Right at the moment before the door swung shut, the "1" above Lucas' head flickered softly. The blood-red light flickered like a candle in the wind, fading until it finally hit "0".

I used to think that when the number above his head hit zero, I would fall apart completely. I thought I would recklessly rush forward and pull him back. But now that the moment was actually here, all that remained in my heart was total peace.

The door clicked completely shut.

I slid the wedding ring off my ring finger and set it down on the entryway console table. Then I grabbed my suitcase handle and took the second elevator down.

Ava's car was already parked right outside the complex.

The moment she saw the bandages on my arm, her expression changed instantly.

"What happened to you?"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

I handed her a signed authorization document.

"I'm leaving the entire divorce to you."

Ava took the paper. She didn't try to persuade me otherwise, simply helping me load my luggage into the trunk.

On the way to the airport, a text from Lucas popped up on my phone.

[Once you're ready, come down. Tonight, I'll take you out to make up for our anniversary.]

I looked at the message, leaving it unanswered. Then I blocked his number and social media accounts, and powered down my phone.

The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal. I dragged my luggage onto the jet bridge without turning my head back even once.

Half an hour later, the plane sliced through the clouds, and the city lights below shrank into the distance.

Lucas would never know that the infinity symbol that once represented forever had already reached its end. It had drained away, piece by piece, every time he turned his back on me.