Chapter 7

Noah, still sobbing, tried to explain, "We just wanted to find a necklace to give Britney. Mom wouldn't let us, and she tried to take it back. I didn't mean to... It just happened..." Calvin crouched down and reached for Avery. "Where are you hurt? I'll take you to the hospital." Both boys hurried to help, guilt and panic all over their faces. Just then, a scream rang out from the dining room, and a panicked maid rushed in. "Mr. Grant! Ms. Walker has been burned by hot soup!" Calvin froze for a split second. "How bad is it?" he asked anxiously. "It's a large burn! Her skin's really red..." The maid hadn't even finished speaking before Calvin was already on his feet. "Avery, call the ambulance yourself. We're taking Britney to the hospital first." Noah and Simon immediately let go of Avery's hand. "Mom, you can go to the hospital by yourself!" "Calvin... Noah... Simon..." Avery reached out weakly, but all three of them ran for the dining room without a backward glance, gently supporting Britney as they hurried out the door. Blood blurred her vision. Trembling, Avery fumbled for her phone and, with her last ounce of strength, dialed 911. "Help... Please, help me..." As the call connected, everything faded to black. When Avery woke up, her hospital room was still empty. No one had come to visit her. Just then, a nurse came in to change her bandages. Seeing that Avery was awake, the nurse let out a sigh. "Your husband and kids are in the VIP room next door, taking care of Ms. Walker." She paused for a moment, then said with a hint of frustration, "Ms. Walker only has a minor burn on her hand, but they're acting like it's the end of the world. Mr. Grant is personally applying ointment on it, Noah's blowing on her burn, and Simon ran out to buy her ice cream. You're in much worse shape, and yet..." Avery listened quietly, her heart beyond numb. Right then, her phone vibrated. The screen lit up with a text from the courthouse. "Your divorce cooling-off period is ending. You may collect your divorce certificate in three days." She stared at the message for a long time. Then, for the first time in forever, she smiled. It was almost over. After she was discharged, Avery began preparing to leave for good. On the first day, she visited the cemetery. Next to her parents' gravestone was a small, new one—that of her brother Henry. She knelt and gently wiped the dust from Henry's smiling photo. "Dad, Mom, Henry," she said softly, "I loved the wrong person. I never should've fallen for Calvin. I never should've had those boys..." She tried to smile, but tears slipped down her cheeks. "I'm leaving now... I really don't want them anymore. I'll live the rest of my life the best I can. You don't need to worry about me. Maybe one day, when enough years have passed, we'll meet again down there." The mountain wind lifted her hair, and the white lilies on the grave seemed to shiver in the breeze, almost as if answering her. The next day, Avery went to Lover's Bridge. Years ago, she and Calvin had placed a lock there, carved with their names. She found the lock, took out a pair of pliers, and clipped it free, tossing it into the river below. As the lock splashed into the water, she thought she could hear her younger self laughing. How foolish it was to believe in "forever." Those promises only lasted five years. After that, she visited every place that held a memory with Calvin—their favorite restaurant, the park where they had their first date, the church where they were married... One by one, she erased every trace of their love. When she got home, Avery packed up every gift Calvin had ever given her and dumped them all in the trash. Finally, she finished packing her bags. Now, all she had to do was pick up her divorce papers tomorrow, and she would be gone for good.