Chapter 8

"Why you!"

Quinton was completely enraged by the undisguised contempt and pity in Keith's eyes. His gaze shifted to the low, decorative railing behind Keith, and a vicious glint flashed in his eyes.

"Go to hell, Keith!"

He suddenly thrust out both hands and shoved Keith with all his strength.

Caught off guard, Keith immediately lost his balance and fell backward.

As he toppled over the terrace railing, his survival instinct made him reach out desperately. By sheer chance, he caught Quinton's wrist before the latter could pull his hand away.

Both men screamed at the same time.

More than half of Keith's body was already dangling in mid-air, his entire weight supported by one hand clamped in a death grip around Quinton's wrist.

Quinton was pulled toward the edge of the railing as well. Terrified out of his wits, he tightly grabbed the railing with his other hand. Only then did he manage to keep himself from falling over too.

"Help! Celine! Save me!" Quinton screamed.

The commotion drew everyone in the ballroom to the terrace.

Celine was the first to rush out. The moment she saw what was happening, her face turned as white as a sheet.

"Celine! Save me! I'm going to fall! Quick, pull me up!" Quinton reached out to her with the hand he had been using to grip the railing.

Celine's gaze darted between Keith, who was silently gritting his teeth, and Quinton, who was crying out for help.

The next moment, she barely hesitated before rushing forward and clasping Quinton's outstretched hand.

"Keith, just hold on a little longer!" Celine looked down at him, her voice trembling. "Once I pull Quinton up, I'll come save you right away."

Keith looked at her and suddenly smiled.

Then, he let go.

His body plummeted through the air as the wind roared past his ears.

He crashed into the swimming pool below.

Water splashed everywhere, and the icy water closed over him.

He shut his eyes and lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, he was lying in the bed in his own room.

Someone had changed him into clean pajamas and treated his injuries.

However, there was no one else besides him.

He picked up his phone and saw a message from Celine.

"Keith, Quinton is injured, so I'm taking him to the hospital first. Get some rest. I'll explain everything when I get back. I promise to make it up to you."

That was all she would ever say—"make it up to him".

Keith stared at those words, finding them utterly laughable.

If someone truly loved another person, there would be no need to talk about making it up to them.

Keith no longer loved Celine, so he had no interest in anything she could do to make it up to him.

All he wanted was to sever every tie between them as soon as possible and get as far away from this place as he could.

His phone chimed again.

This time, it was a text message from the courthouse.

"Mr. Blackwell, your divorce from Ms. Ingram has been finalized. Please collect your divorce certificate within three working days."

The divorce certificate was ready.

Keith held his phone and stared at the message for a long time. Then, he let out a long, slow breath.

It felt as though he were breathing out all the hurt, pain, struggles, and resentment that had accumulated over the five years of their marriage.

He threw back the covers and got out of bed to finish packing.

There wasn't much left to do. He had already packed most of his things. He put the last few pieces of clothing into his suitcase and zipped it shut.

Then, he took out his phone and booked a flight to Staror.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 3:00 pm that very day.

He wheeled his suitcase downstairs.

When Wallace saw him, he froze.

"Mr. Blackwell, what are you—"

"I'm leaving," Keith said. "Thank you for taking care of me all these years."

"What? But Mrs. Blackwell—"

"We're divorced," Keith said, smiling. "As of today, I'm no longer her husband."

He wheeled his suitcase out of the villa and took a cab to the courthouse.

When he received the divorce certificate, he glanced down at it. His and Celine's names stared back at him.

Relief flooded over him.

Finally, it was over.

He took another cab to the airport. After checking in, he took a seat in the departure lounge.

His phone rang.

It was Celine.

He didn't answer, but she kept calling repeatedly.

In the end, he switched off his phone.

The boarding announcement came over the loudspeaker.

Keith stood up and headed toward the gate with his suitcase in tow.

As the plane took off, he looked out the window at the city growing smaller beneath him. His heart was completely at peace.

"Goodbye, Celine. Goodbye, past," he whispered to himself.

From that day forward, Keith belonged only to himself.

The plane soared above the clouds, carrying him toward a new life.