Chapter 8

Two days later, the final day of the divorce cooling-off period arrived. Clarisse discharged herself from the hospital and took a cab straight to the courthouse. As soon as she sat down in the back seat, her phone lit up with a new social media post from Bianca. The caption read, "Daddy took time off to take our boy to the beach! Loving these sweet moments as a family of four!" The photo collage showed their faces radiant with happiness. Once, scenes like this could have torn Clarisse's heart apart, leaving her gasping for air from the pain. But now, she felt nothing at all. She didn't even bother to zoom in on the photos. She just closed the screen. The car soon pulled up at the courthouse. Four years ago, she had walked into this place hand in hand with Theodore, hearts full of love and hope, their steps light with excitement. Today, she came alone. No one was by her side, but every step she took was steady with resolve and determination. The clerk asked the usual questions and verified her identity. Then, the stamp came down on the paperwork, finalizing everything. The divorce decree was pushed across the counter to her. "Here's your divorce decree. Please keep them safe," the clerk said. Clarisse picked up the divorce decree, its cold edges brushing her fingertips. She tucked the papers away carefully and walked out the door. A soft breeze brushed her cheeks, bringing with it a sense of relief and freedom. Back at the villa, Clarisse headed straight to her room and opened the box where she kept her "keepsakes". The first thing she saw was a thick stack of sheet music, rare editions that Theodore had spent years tracking down for her. Inside each front cover, he'd written a loving message in his own hand. "To my one and only star, may music always be by your side!" "My wish is for Clarisse to love me as much as she loves the piano!" She pulled out a finely carved wooden box. Inside it were 99 handwritten letters, all tied together with ribbon. She picked up a random letter. The date was marked shortly after they first met. "To Clarisse: At today's recital, you played on stage with such focus and devotion, as if your whole world was in the music. What you didn't know was that I sat in the audience, my eyes only on you, my heart racing for you. Secretly, I wished that one day you would look at me the way you look at your piano." Another letter, dated not long after their wedding. "To my wife: I'm grateful to fate for bringing you into my life. Marrying you is the greatest happiness of my life! Taking that knife for you was the bravest, least regretted thing I've ever done. "I love you more than my own life. Thank you for trusting me and for giving yourself to me. I'll protect you for the rest of my days!" Clarisse's fingers brushed over the familiar handwriting. Once, every word would have made her blush and smile. Now, all she felt was bitter irony, each phrase a sharp twist of the knife. One by one, she tossed the sheet music and letters back into the wooden box, picked it up, and carried it into the backyard. She took out a lighter and flicked it on. She fed a few letters to the fire, then tossed them into the box. The orange glow quickly swallowed everything. All those sweet promises and love letters curled and blackened in the flames, turning to ash—just like their love, gone with the wind. Once she was done, Clarisse returned to her bedroom and took out the suitcase she'd packed long ago. It held only her documents, passport, and a few clothes. She turned on her phone, closed her bank accounts, and deleted all her social media. Then, she removed the SIM card and snapped it in half. After settling everything, Clarisse picked up her suitcase and walked out the door. At the threshold, she paused for a final look at the villa—a place that had held every joy and every heartbreak of the last four years. Without a second thought, she turned away and left it all behind.