The Night Before Goodbye Novels & Stories

… 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.

Renato Moretti—the true king of a fallen empire—was gone. His funeral was held with solemn grandeur. The oldest mafia families in Stonehaven gathered in full black suits, their expressions carved in stone. Every man bowed his head with silent reverence. The final chapter of a legacy had closed. I stood apart from the crowd, no black veil, no bouquet in hand, just a plain white blouse beneath the tree’s quiet shadow, silently saying my goodbye. By evening, I walked along the far end of Fifth Avenue. Police sirens, the hum of tires, and the bustle of the city echoed around me.

And even though I knew this wouldn’t work out, not the way either of us wanted it to, I didn’t want us to part just yet. Eventually, he stood and reached for his shirt. “I should go.” I nodded, swallowing that weird lump in my throat. “Yeah.” After getting ready, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, and I almost melted all over again. “Goodbye, Sky.” “Bye, Tobias.” And just like that, he was gone.

Even the sharp corners of tables and chairs were filed down. I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. I felt hollow and lifeless. How could dying be this hard? I walked over to the window, my gaze falling on what used to be a vibrant garden. Once, it bloomed with roses—my favorite. But Maynard had burned them all down after Darlene pricked her finger on a thorn. I scanned the room, searching for something I could use to smash the window and escape. That was when the door creaked open.

"You're sure?" I scanned the room. The wardrobe was empty. The desk was bare. The shelves were clear. The bathroom had been stripped down to essentials. The kitchen contained almost nothing. "Yes." She smiled. "Then tonight is goodbye." The word landed differently. Tonight. Goodbye. I looked away. That afternoon, my friends insisted on taking me out. Not somewhere expensive. Just our favorite little restaurant near campus. The place was crowded, loud and familiar. We squeezed around a table that suddenly seemed too small for all of us.

On the night before the college entrance exam, my boyfriend misdialed and called my number to confess his feelings to the school beauty. "Adele, you promised that if I willingly skipped the exam for you, you'd be my girlfriend. "That idiot Sadie already gave up her university early admission spot for me. Tomorrow, I'll be standing right outside the testing center with a massive bouquet of flowers waiting for you. I'm going to prove to you once and for all that my heart is yours!" In the background, a rowdy chorus of his friends cheered him on. "Trading a top scorer for the prettiest girl in school. You're a legend, Mark!" "When you two officially get together, you better throw a party!"

“Aren’t you supposed to be packing?” “Packed. Bag’s by the door. Came to say goodbye.” He said it easy, no weight on it at all. “Damian wants me back at Shadow Moon. Something about being useful, which I’ve disputed in writing. Everything’s done. All that’s left is saying goodbye to the people I’m leaving behind, which, lucky for you, is now.” “So this is goodbye. Watching me count.” “Watching you count twice.” He leaned back into the shelf. “It’s a better send-off than the border stores gave me. I bid farewell to a shed of dried grain this morning. It didn’t say anything back. Low bar. You’ve already cleared it.”

And none of you will see me cry again. But tonight, I sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for the morning that promised nothing but another goodbye.

And in that silence; honest, terrible, the silence of a good man who will not lie, I had everything I needed. "I thought so," I said gently. I stepped back. Out of his arms. The music still playing in the empty space between us. I looked at him, at the candles, the moved furniture, the whole careful beautiful thing he'd built for tonight. And I felt the full specific sorrow of something that arrived in the wrong season. Not anger. Just sorrow, clean and complete. "Thank you," I said. "For tonight. For all of it. I mean that." I went upstairs.

"You got what you wanted. I'll keep my word — I won't pursue your brother. Just let me finish this, and I'll go." Her expression didn't soften at all. "I need to get back inside." She glanced past him, toward the gate. "Pick up your cigarette butts before you leave. Don't leave your mess all over a decent city." A pause. "Goodbye." She turned to walk away. Beside the car, Lucas went very still.