Founded On Goodbye Novels & Stories

That was when they discovered she had died at home. No one even knew when it had happened. She had starved to death. In the final days before his own death, Wade came to see me and Thora. Thora had already taken my last name. She was now Thora Carter. The little girl I raised had grown bright and full of life, always smiling. Wade stood in the corner of the park. He looked like a shadow of himself. His body was thin and fragile, his hair completely gray. His cloudy eyes looked at me, filled with something that felt like regret… or maybe longing.

Nathan reassures me, echoing my earlier thought. “Well, I don't really know what's wrong with me. It has nothing to do with my parents or the fact that they’re so happy to have me that they’re throwing a big party to introduce me to all their friends and their circle. It's just that I can't get rid of this bad feeling, which is crazy, because there’s no reason at all for it. It's just a sense of foreboding ... like something bad is going to happen, that has refused to leave me alone. Maybe when the party is over, I'll feel better."

Of course, I used his wealth to surround myself with a new, younger crowd. You see, this was why it was important to be content. Contentment led to happiness. The End.

He typed it into the search bar. The results were spare. A small legal software company. Chicago. Founded eight years ago. Minimal public profile — a website that had been taken down, a handful of trade references, a corporate filing record accessible through the state database. He clicked through. Clean structure. Almost too clean. The kind of clean that came from someone who understood how to build things so that only certain people could find them. He found the absorption record. Three years after founding, absorbed into a parent entity. He clicked the link.

… I went to the public phone booth and dialled the familiar number once again, expecting no one to pick up like before. But to my surprise, before I could even say anything, a voice—both strange yet familiar—came through. The voice said, "Hello, this is Joseph Coleman. How can I help you?" It turned out that Joseph wasn't dead at all.

Mom seemed genuinely surprised. She was never fond of Jared Hammond, but she knew how much I loved him. If he hadn't broken my heart the way he did, I would've never let him go so easily. Dad, who was also a professor, spoke up. "If you've decided to end it, at least talk it through with him. It's best to part on good terms." I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest and shook my head. Just last week, while I was still in the hospital, Elsie Sandberg posted on Instagram. "A spontaneous getaway, all thanks to Professor Hammond's generous sponsorship."

It felt as though something had been ripped out of his life—something he could never get back. When his phone finally buzzed with an incoming call, he answered it without hesitation.

I noticed the scratches on the back of Carl's hand, and he instinctively pulled it back. I chuckled. "Give it to Wendy. It suits her well." Why would I go down that same dead-end road again? Once I made up my mind not to look back, that was it—no turning back, not even if the memories were wonderful. … I left the city where I had spent six years of my life and set off with my best friend to start over. I used my savings to invest in a publicly traded company, and the returns were way better than expected. I bought a new place, traveled to the cities I'd always dreamed of visiting, and took in the views I'd dreamed about for years.

Please give me another chance. I scrolled through them, but I felt nothing. Finally, I typed a reply. [Shane, let’s break up.] After sending it, I removed the SIM card and tossed it into the trash. From that moment on, I shut out the noise of the outside world. Spending my days with the children, I felt a peace I had never known before. Three years later, I had built a simple, stable life for myself here. Then, a man entered it. His name was Nolan Etzler. He had a gentle, scholarly air about him and owned a small bookstore nearby.

I meant it. However, Lucas just broke down. "I'll never be happy again... I've lost it all," he sobbed. ... I left the house to Lucas, wanting to keep nothing but the memories. Still, I wired 150 thousand dollars to Patrick's account. Not because I was soft, but because I was done with that chapter. I was financially secure, and Lucas had quit his job. I did not want any loose ends. Life got brighter from there. My college buddy and I started an outdoor club right there in town. I met folks who shared my love for the wild, and we would head out on adventures whenever we could.