Chapter 5

The final four days passed painfully slowly.

For Elena, every morning meant that the moment of her departure was drawing closer.

As for Alexander, he saw nothing in her calmness that gave him reason to worry.

She acted normally around him, speaking whenever he asked her something, smiling occasionally, and going about her usual routine.

Whenever he noticed the paleness of her face or her prolonged silences, he assumed she was still tired.

He had no idea that everything around him was changing in silence.

On the morning of the seventh day, Elena woke up before sunrise.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds.

Then she remembered.

Today was the last day.

She sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath.

She didn't know how she would feel when she walked out of this house for the last time.

This place wasn't just a mansion.

It had been her home for four years.

Here, she had lived through her most beautiful memories with Alexander.

And here, she had also discovered that the man she loved no longer saw her as the same woman he had once fallen for.

She got up quietly and dressed in simple clothes.

Then she began checking her bags.

She had already removed almost everything that belonged to her without Alexander noticing.

The clothes she had bought herself.

Her books.

Her documents.

Her personal belongings.

And a few photographs that belonged to her alone.

As for everything Alexander had bought for her, she had left it where it was.

The dresses he had given her.

The jewelry.

The perfumes.

The gifts.

Even the little things that held great sentimental value for her.

She hadn't taken a single one of them.

She closed the last suitcase, then looked around the room.

She walked toward the jewelry box.

Opening it for a moment, she spotted the necklace Alexander had given her on their first wedding anniversary.

She touched it with her fingertips.

Then she withdrew her hand and closed the box.

"It stays here."

She said it quietly.

Then she left the room.

---

Alexander was sitting at the breakfast table when Elena came downstairs.

He raised his eyes toward her.

"You're up early."

"Yes."

He studied her face.

"Are you all right?"

She offered him a small smile.

"I'm fine."

He continued looking at her for a moment.

"You still look tired."

"I'll be fine after I get some rest."

He nodded.

Then he stood up and picked up his coat.

"I'm going to the office."

Elena stopped moving.

She knew this would be the last time she heard him say those words while she was still his wife.

Alexander stepped a little closer.

With a gesture he had grown accustomed to over the years, he placed his hand on top of her head.

"Take care of yourself, my little angel."

A sharp pang went through her heart.

The nickname she had once loved now carried an entirely different memory.

Even so, she revealed nothing.

"You too."

Alexander left.

Elena waited until the sound of his car had completely faded away.

Then she went upstairs to his office.

---

She stood in front of Alexander's desk for a few moments.

This was the place where he spent most of his time when he wasn't at the company.

That was precisely why she had chosen it.

She entered quietly.

She placed a white envelope on the desk.

Inside were the divorce papers.

Beside it, she placed a letter she had handwritten.

She stared at the envelope and the letter for a long time.

She didn't want to leave behind too many words.

But she wanted him to know the truth.

That she knew.

That she had seen the pictures.

That she had watched the video.

That she knew about Victoria.

And that she had realized he no longer loved her the way he had once claimed to.

She opened the letter one last time and read what she had written.

Then she placed it on top of the divorce papers.

She took a deep breath.

"It's all over."

She whispered.

Then she left the office and closed the door behind her.

---

After that, Elena carried her bags out of the mansion.

Her heart felt heavy, but she didn't turn back.

A black car was waiting for her at the gate.

Standing beside it was a twenty-six-year-old man.

Ryan Cole, Elena's close friend.

He was of average height, with neatly styled dark brown hair, calm green eyes, and a gentle smile that made him look more reassuring than intimidating.

He wore simple yet elegant clothes, and there was nothing extravagant about his appearance.

The moment he saw Elena, he walked toward her.

"Let me help you."

He took one of her bags before she could object.

"Ryan, I can carry it."

He smiled.

"I know. But let me do it this time."

He placed the bag inside the car, then picked up the second one.

He treated her with remarkable gentleness, without asking too many questions or making her feel weak.

Once he had finished, he opened the car door for her.

"Are you ready?"

Elena looked at the mansion behind her.

"I don't know."

Ryan closed the door after she got in, then walked around to the other side and settled behind the steering wheel.

Before starting the car, he looked at her.

"That's all right. You don't have to be ready for everything today."

She looked at him in silence.

Then she offered him a small smile.

"Thank you, Ryan."

"Don't thank me."

He started the car.

"I'm just keeping my promise."

The car pulled away from the mansion.

A few minutes later, Elena asked, "Did you find the apartment?"

"Yes."

"Is it really suitable?"

He chuckled softly.

"I told you it was. One bedroom, a living room, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. The neighborhood is quiet, too."

"That's enough for me."

"And the rent is within the amount you told me you could afford."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sophia told me she'd be waiting for me."

"She told me that."

Silence settled between them for a while.

Then Elena looked out the window.

"I feel as though I'm starting my life from scratch."

Ryan spoke gently.

"Sometimes, starting from scratch is better than staying somewhere that hurts you."

She looked at him.

She didn't know what to say.

She simply smiled.

Having him beside her was enough to make leaving a little less painful.

---

Meanwhile, Alexander had arrived at his office.

He had no idea that his life would change the moment he returned to the mansion.

He didn't know that the woman he assumed would be waiting for him that evening had already left.

As for Elena, she gazed through Ryan's car window at the streets she had grown accustomed to traveling along with her husband.

Everything looked the same.

But she was no longer the same.

She placed her hand over her bag and closed her eyes.

For the last time, she left behind everything that tied her to Alexander...

Except her memories.

Those alone were not so easy to leave behind.