C08
I glared at Jenna’s tear–streaked face and snapped, “It was just a fling, Jenna. Can you stop hanging onto me?”
Her eyes widened in shock before the tears came back full force. She hit me weakly on the chest, crying even harder. “You didn’t say that before! You said you cared about me!”
“Stop it!” I shouted, my patience gone.
“You think I’d throw away my whole life for you? I can’t marry you, Jenna. You threw yourself at me and yeah, I didn’t stop you, but let’s not act like I made promises I never kept. It was just fun, that’s all it ever was.”
Her sobs stopped as she stared at me, stunned. Then, before I could say another word, she slapped me hard
across the face.
“You’re disgusting,” she spat through her tears before jumping out of the car and running off.
I watched her go without a word, too drained to feel much of anything. Lighting a cigarette, I grabbed my phone
and started calling Sydney’s friends, hoping one of them had seen her.
Call after call, the answer was the same–no one had heard from her.
Frustrated, I went through almost a whole pack of cigarettes before deciding I had to try her office. Even though I
had already made a scene there. I didn’t care about the embarrassment anymore. I needed to find her.
7:37 AM
Goodbye, Lover
When I got to her company, the security guard stopped me before I could even get inside.
“I’m here to find my wife,” I said, showing him a document with Sydney’s name. “She works here, right?” The guard barely glanced at it before shaking his head. “She hasn’t been here in days. No point coming in.” His words hit me like a gut punch. I drove home feeling like the world’s biggest failure.
By the time I stepped inside the empty house, the silence was suffocating. I sat down, staring at nothing, as the
truth finally sank in.
I was an idiot. When Sydney loved me, I pushed her away, taking her love for granted and treating her like she
didn’t matter.
And now that she was gone, all I could think about was how much I needed her. Seemed like it was too late to make it right.
I searched every place Sydney and I had ever been together, hoping I would catch a glimpse of her, but it was like chasing a ghost. She was nowhere to be found.
I called her number over and over, each time holding onto a tiny shred of hope. But all I got was the same cold message, “The number you are trying to reach is currently out of service.”
Every time I heard it, it hit like a gut punch, but I couldn’t stop.
***
Sydney’s POV:
Altherra, a whole ocean away.
I came here on my own and it took a while to adjust to the way things worked. But watching Gregory’s company grow day by day under my guidance made all the awkwardness and homesickness fade.
The satisfaction of building something new filled the emptiness I might’ve felt.
Every morning, I threw myself into work, tackling meetings, organizing tasks and ironing out every detail.
Charles? I didn’t even have the energy to think about him. Between handling deadlines and reviewing plans- sometimes even while soaking in the bath–I barely had time to breathe.
The job was demanding, but I didn’t care. Knowing that if I succeeded here, I would finally achieve financial freedom made every late night and early morning worth it.
In just a month, the Altherra branch was thriving. Gregory seemed impressed, offering praise that felt more valuable than gold.
Six months later, we were making waves in the industry and I was hearing my name pop up in conversations with important people. I had never felt so validated in my life.
The best part was I had built this life without Charles.
Sometimes, friends from Tianara would give me updates about him, though I never asked.
They told me he had gone a little crazy after I left, calling everyone I knew and demanding to know where I was. My friends, loyal as ever, didn’t say a word. They knew exactly why I left.
But Charles was nothing if not determined and eventually, he tracked me down.
One evening, after another long day, I walked out of the office with my mind buzzing about work. The agenda for tomorrow, emails I still needed to reply to–it was all playing on a loop.
And then I saw him.
Charles was sitting on the curb near the car park, his head bent like he was lost in thought. When he looked up
and saw me, I froze.
It was like the air got sucked out of the world for a moment. My hard–earned peace wavered as his eyes locked
