Chapter 9

On the day she left, Madeline made a call to her lawyer. "Today is the last day of the divorce cooling-off period. Do I need to complete any final procedures?" she asked. The lawyer responded with gentle certainty, "No, nothing further is required. As of today, your marriage is officially dissolved. Congratulations on your new beginning, Ms. Lockhart. You're free now." A genuine smile touched Madeline's lips as her hand drifted to her belly. From now on, she and her child could begin anew. She would find a beautiful place, where they could remember Anthony every single day. After the call, she packed lightly, careful to include every memento of Anthony that she had quietly collected from Bradley over the years. She was just about to step out when she unexpectedly bumped into Bradley, who had just returned. Seeing her with luggage in hand, he stopped short. "Where are you going?" he asked. Still, Madeline gave the same answer she had before. "Traveling." Bradley recalled the flight confirmation he'd seen before and asked, "Where? I've actually got some free time. I'll come with you." His offer caught Madeline off guard. Throughout all these years, he had never expressed a desire to travel with her voluntarily. Bradley seemed to realize he'd shown too much interest and quickly recoiled into his unusual indifference. "Consider it compensation for last time. And let's stop harping on it after this," he added coolly. Madeline was still deciding how to turn him down when his phone rang. It was Louise again. Her gentle voice was unmistakable, even through the speaker. "Bradley, can we meet? I need to talk to you." Under normal circumstances, he would have said yes immediately and driven over without hesitation. But today, surprisingly, he hesitated. "Maybe next time," he said. Louise was clearly stunned. Bradley had never turned her down before. After a pause, she insisted, "But it's important." Bradley furrowed his brow, visibly torn. Then, finally, he gave in. "Alright. I'll be there soon." Madeline quietly exhaled at his response. She lowered her gaze, afraid he'd see too much in her eyes. Bradley, noticing her silence, misread it entirely. He thought Madeline was sad. "I know you've loved me for years, but I can't give up Louise for you. She'll always come first. So let's skip the trip this time. I'll make it up to you later." Madeline knew he misunderstood again, but she didn't bother to correct him. It was their last day as anything at all. He could believe whatever he wanted. Seeing she still didn't speak, he assumed she was upset and offered to drive her to the airport. As the car sped along the highway, Madeline gazed out the window, quietly saying her goodbyes. She would never return. The car soon pulled up in front of the departure entrance. When Madeline stepped out of the car, she held her suitcase close like it was precious. Bradley watched her, a smirk playing on his lips. "Do you adore me that much? Even going on a trip, you're bringing my stuff. Isn't it a bit much?" Before she could respond, Louise called again, urging Bradley to hurry. He ended the call and turned to Madeline. "Call me when you're back. I'll come pick you up." With that, he got in the car and drove off. Madeline watched his car disappear into the stream of traffic. A quiet smile broke across her face, as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She wasn't coming back. They would never see each other again. From her pocket, she took out her phone and swapped in a new SIM card—one she had prepared long ago. She snapped the old one in half and tossed it into a nearby trash can without a second thought. Then, she tightened her grip on her suitcase and walked into the airport.