Leaving Was The Only War I Won Novels & Stories

He did not know how to bring all this to his excited friend's attention so he let him be to avoid sounding jealous. There were just some things a man had to experience. This was one thing that would change his friend forever. With an uneasy heart, Leo played the loyal friend and helped his friend put together a decent-looking outfit and offered him the best bottle of wine his motel had which was not much.

'Just a few more days,' I told myself. Once the paperwork was done, I could leave. ... I had exchanged most of my jewelry and properties for cash, stashing it away. Rory hadn't spoken to me all day until he came to my room that evening. He informed me that my father had been transferred to an overseas branch and would be leaving in three days, with my mother accompanying him.

"Don't worry about me, Rosie. "Wasting 30 years to see a person's true colors is a steep price to pay, but at least I'm awake now. From now on, we only have to live the way we want." At that moment, the banquet hall's doors swung open. Lori made her entrance in a lavish wedding gown. She made her way down the aisle, and Dad stood at the end, looking at her tenderly. Then, their son, Lionel Gray, placed Lori's hand in Dad's. He said, "I'll leave Mom in your hands from now on, Dad. She suffered a lot to raise me, so I hope you can treat her well."

But not immune. No one is immune. The device at Valentino’s side began to beep. Slow. Steady. Counting down. And for the first time since stepping onto their territory— I allowed myself to fully acknowledge it. I was winning. Not because they were weak. Not because I was stronger. But because I had already understood something they hadn’t. War is not won by force. It is won by preparation. And I had been preparing for this long before they even knew I existed.

After packing my things, I went to the orphanage where I grew up to say goodbye to the director, Madam Jones, whose hair had gotten grayer over the years. I had bought her several years' worth of gifts in advance, then gave her a big farewell hug. "My dearest Madam Jones, I'm leaving this place and going somewhere far, far away. I won't come back here for a long while." Madam Jones pinched my cheeks and asked, "Did someone bully you and make you unhappy, Joy? Where's your brother and Theodore? Why haven't those two looked after you? You don't look well at all."

“You’re mine now.” I leaned into him, tears of relief and joy slipping free. The battlefield hummed around us, soldiers lowering weapons, commanders signaling to hold the line. The war was not yet over, but in that moment, I had won the greatest victory of all: the freedom to choose whom I would love. And as the morning sun broke through the mist, I raised my head and spoke to both armies, voice clear and triumphant: “I choose them. I choose love.”

She looked at the court receipt on the desk and felt a heavy weight on her chest finally lift. This victory was not handed to her by anyone. She had won it herself, with her own hands!

Once I understood, leaving no longer felt impossible. It felt overdue.

I eliminate when I have had it up to the brim. Let him enjoy his little victory lap while it lasts. Because the moment he let me hear that bass through the wall, the war had already started. The last time I checked, I don’t lose wars.

They murmured thanks, but I was already gone, stepping back into the night. The war wasn’t over. It was just heating up. And I always played to win.