One Last Pic And I'll Be Gone Novels & Stories

However, it was far too late. I wanted to tell her I didn't blame her, but I knew she could never hear me. In my final moments, I would never know if Mom truly spent her life atoning, nor what path Ryan would take in the orphanage. All I could sense was freedom from every burden. And with the wind, the life of Jessie Hartwell faded away.

"This afternoon. I'll go, and I won't come back to this place. I won't send people. I won't search for you. I won't contact you or the boy. You'll never hear from me again." She looked at me, and I saw the pain flash across her face before she could hide it. The same pain she was asking me to accept, the knowledge that this was permanent, that the goodbye happening between us in this corridor was the last one, that every word we spoke now was a word we wouldn't get back. "Thank you," she said. Beatrice's POV We went home.

The last fragment of hope inside me vanished. I was finally, completely done.

"Why did you block all of us? It's been five years with no word from you. We thought something had happened to you!" Before I could answer, Joel rushed toward me. He looked worn out, his eyes red and hollow. He had an air of sadness I'd never seen in him before. "Soph… are you okay? I've missed you so much." His voice was heavy with longing. Back then, I might've felt my heart stir. But now, I simply stepped back and calmly said, "I told you I was calling off the engagement five years ago. We're over." When I boarded the plane back then, I had blocked them all. Before blocking Joel specifically, I'd sent him a breakup message. That was my way of giving our failed relationship a decent goodby

Pillows. Everything I'd left behind, getting yeeted like trash. A whole vibe: 'Thanks for playing, don't come back.' Then came the grand finale—our wedding photo. There I was, standing all stiff next to Calvin, smiling like I didn't know better. That girl? Total stranger now. The frame hit the ground and shattered—glass everywhere. I took a breath, stepped right over the mess, and kept walking. Last night's rain had passed. So had mine. ***

Over the next few days, I quietly packed my bags, wrote a letter to the station chief, visited my family's graves, and stopped by the veterans' home to see my father's old friends. On my last day, Samson happened to be off work. I was nervous, already thinking up excuses in case I needed to leave early. However, he found me first. "Celia can't ride a bike, so I'm taking her out for a picnic today." "Alright." I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. That meant I could leave before he got back. He then added, "Celia's inviting friends over for dinner tonight. Make sure everything's ready ahead of time."

I smiled sincerely and turned away from the prison. After seeing Vivian for the last time, I would never need to see her again in this life. She would disappear from my world forever. And my world would finally see the warmth of spring.

The guilty look on his face had vanished, and I knew instantly that he was telling me that he won, but who cares? Jesse and I moved to another house that night, but Janine showed up unannounced at around 11 pm. She looked upset when I opened the door without saying a word, and she said brusquely, "It's only a divorce. Why would you move out of the house? This is only temporary since we'll be getting remarried in a few days." Janine walked casually into the house, sitting right on the couch and admiring the decor. However, she was stunned when she saw the family photo on the wall.

"My silly boyfriend canceled a million-dollar meeting just to stay with me while I got my wisdom tooth removed." Attached was a photo taken inside an upscale private dental clinic. In one corner of the picture, half of a man's back was visible. A tailored suit. Broad shoulders. A familiar silhouette. I had looked at that back for seven years. I stared at the photo until my screen went dark. "Has your family member still not arrived?" My attending physician looked at me, concern etched across his face. "This is a consent form to discontinue aggressive treatment and transition to hospice care. We need a direct family member or legal representative to sign."

He said. "It's okay Babe, I can go in the condo alone." I said then a staff knocked at the door. "But if I still have time I'll see you before I came into the venue." He sweetly said. "No need Quen, it's okay." I said. "Please, I wanna see you before I get to work." He said. "Thanks but I need to end this call, our shoot will start shortly." I said then he gave me a flying kiss before he turned off the call.