Chapter 8

After leaving the hospital, Ryder got a call confirming that his visa had been approved. He picked up his documents and began packing.

Every day, he tore another page off the calendar. Soon, there were only a few left.

The year was almost over. And before long, he would be leaving Northvale, the city he'd called home for more than twenty years.

Mona hadn't come home once all week. Kieran, meanwhile, seemed determined to remind Ryder of his presence every single day.

Seven days before Ryder was due to leave, Kieran sent him a video. Mona was kneeling beside him, gently massaging his calf.

Ryder watched it, then gathered everything he'd bought Mona over the years and threw it in the trash.

Five days before his departure, Kieran sent several photos. Mona had brought him an entire box of jewelry. In one photo, she was slipping a ring onto his finger.

Ryder took their wedding portrait off the wall, smashed the frame, and threw the photograph into the fire.

Three days before he left, Kieran sent an audio recording. Mona was murmuring Kieran's name in her sleep, her voice full of affection.

Ryder packed up every gift she'd given him during their marriage and donated them all to charity.

Little by little, the villa he'd once called home grew empty. All that remained of his belongings was what he'd packed into his suitcases.

The housekeepers noticed how much he was throwing away and grew concerned. Several of them asked what was going on.

Ryder just smiled. "We're getting divorced. That's all."

"Ms. Brent agreed to that?"

Ryder didn't know. But he imagined Mona would be delighted once she finally read the divorce papers. After all, Kieran was all she cared about now.

Two days before his departure, Kieran sent another message. This time, instead of showing off Mona's attention, he sent a photo of himself with his parents. The three of them were gathered around his hospital bed, laughing and talking.

Ryder looked at the photo without feeling a thing. He didn't bother replying. Instead, he opened his contacts and deleted Kieran, Mona, and everyone else connected to them.

The first snow of the season fell on the day Ryder was leaving. He carried the diaries and unsent love letters he'd sorted through the night before out into the garden.

Then he set them on fire. Orange flames flickered across his face as years of memories and feelings he'd never dared confess went up in smoke.

Ryder tipped his head back and watched the snowflakes drift down. He wondered how long it would take for the snow to cover the ashes.

He was still staring at the sky when the front gate swung open. Mona had finally come home.

She was in a hurry. After a brief glance at Ryder crouching beside the fire, she went straight into the house. When she came back out, she stopped beside him.

Her eyes fell on the pale pink envelopes near the flames, and she remembered the letter that had been read aloud at the reunion.

She'd been angry with Ryder for days, but seeing those envelopes softened her a little. "I've been busy lately. Once things calm down in a couple of days, we should have a proper talk."

Ryder had nothing left to say to her. He'd already given her the divorce papers. There was no point discussing their marriage now.

He gave her a faint smile. "There's no need. I already gave you what you've wanted all along. A month ago, actually."

Mona looked puzzled. She was about to ask what he meant when her phone buzzed. She glanced at the messages, and her face lit up.

Ryder watched her smile. Then he tossed the last few letters into the fire and stood, blocking her view of the flames.

By the time Mona finished replying, the letters had burned to ash. She'd already forgotten what she'd been about to ask.

Ryder walked her to the front gate and opened the car door for her.

A cold wind swept past them. Mona noticed how thinly he was dressed and spoke gently. "Go back inside. You'll catch a cold standing out here."

But Ryder insisted on seeing her off. Through the car window, Mona saw him raise his hand in a small wave.

His lips moved, but she couldn't quite hear what he said. She assumed it was something about driving safely.

He'd reminded her to be careful countless times over the past three years. She barely gave it a thought.

The car pulled away and soon disappeared down the road. Ryder stood alone in the snow for a long time. Eventually, he went back upstairs, put on his coat, and came down with his suitcase.

The snowfall had grown heavier. Flakes settled in his hair until, from a distance, it looked almost white.

A taxi was waiting outside the villa. Before getting in, Ryder turned to look at the house one last time.

Then he softly repeated the words Mona hadn't heard. "Goodbye, Northvale. I'm never coming back. Goodbye, Mona Brent. I'll never see you again."