All Chapters of I Crossed Two Thousand Miles to Let Go: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

By the time I dragged my 30-inch suitcase to the airport, the handle had rubbed my palms raw, leaving them red and sore. Three waves of arrivals had come and gone, but I still hadn't seen any sign of Audrey Collins, my girlfriend. So, I called her. The phone rang seven times before she finally picked up. The first thing I heard through the receiver was the soft chime of an air conditioner kicking on. "I'm here. Which exit are you at?" "We've already left," Audrey replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Nathan got airsick and was feeling awful, so I took him home to rest for a while." Nathan Cole's cheerful laughter came through the phone. "Vincent, you're way too slow! But if you can sit on an economy-class train for 20 hours without a problem, walking a little farther shouldn't be a big deal, either. "Unlike me. My legs were still wobbly when I got off the plane, and I had to lean on Audrey just to walk."Audrey chuckled helplessly. "He's just joking

Audrey furrowed her brows, clearly displeased by my question. "Nathan travels to Northbridge for work pretty often, and finding a hotel on short notice can be hard. I have a spare room, so I let him stay here from time to time." Nathan handed me a pair of unopened hotel slippers. "Vincent, don't get the wrong idea. I only stay here once in a while when I'm in town. Audrey only looks after me because of you." I walked into the living room, my gaze sweeping over the dark jacket draped across the couch, the electric shaver beside the coffee table, and a black cup that was unmistakably a man's.Every corner of the apartment bore traces of Nathan's presence. Suddenly, the low table in the living room wobbled. When I looked down, I spotted half of a white envelope sticking out from beneath one of its legs. I pulled out a letter, and the familiar handwriting on the envelope stung my eyes. It was the very first line I'd written to her three years ago. "As you read these words, may

When Audrey returned to Nathan's ER bed, her steps were still a little unsteady. The doctor flipped through the two examination reports in his hands before addressing her. "Ms. Collins, you need plenty of rest after a miscarriage. As for Mr. Cole, he only has a soft tissue injury to his ankle. There's no damage to the bone, so he can go home and rest."Audrey let out a long, weary breath as the tension finally left her shoulders. Just then, her phone screen lit up with a message from me. "Don't rush back to meet me. I'm never coming back, either." She froze for a moment before immediately calling me, but my phone was switched off. Nathan caught sight of the message and tugged at her sleeve. "Vincent is just angry right now. You two made it through three years of a long-distance relationship. Do you really think he'd be willing to break up with you now?" The furrow between Audrey's brows gradually eased. "That's true. He spent more than six months preparing to transfer to N

During my first week back in my hometown, I deleted the alarm I'd set for one in the morning, the time Audrey usually finished work. I'd gotten used to splitting my sleep into two stretches, so I wouldn't miss her video calls. Now, at 10:30 pm, Mom would knock on my bedroom door and scold me, "You can finish your work tomorrow. Do you think electricity grows on trees?" But even as she scolded me, she was already standing outside my room with a freshly sun-dried comforter, waiting for me to turn in early.I shut down my computer. For the first time, there was no one I needed to stay up waiting for. After canceling my transfer to Northbridge, I applied for an opening at the branch in my hometown. The position was still in project planning, but there were fewer projects to handle, and the pay was slightly lower. My supervisor asked if I was sure about my decision. "Once this transfer is approved, you'll have to apply all over again if you want to transfer to Northbridge."

As I was leaving work the next evening, Nathan was waiting for me outside the office. He'd lost some weight, and the moment he saw me step out of the building, he moved in front of me, blocking my way."Vincent, we need to talk." "We have nothing to talk about."He glanced at my coworkers as they began filing out of the building, then raised his voice slightly. "You don't want everyone here finding out what really happened between the three of us, do you?" I stopped walking and looked him straight in the eye."You're making it sound like I'm the one who should be ashamed." His expression stiffened for a moment, but he still refused to move aside. I pointed toward the café across the street. "You have 20 minutes. When we're done, don't come to my workplace again."Once we sat down, Nathan pulled a copy of a pregnancy test report from his bag, then slowly folded it along its existing creases. "The baby is gone, and now even Audrey refuses to see me." He let out a bitter