When the Contract Ends in Goodbye Chapter 3

Julian was silent for a long time. He looked at me and said, "Day after tomorrow. I have time then. I'll take you to the Vanderbilt Steakhouse."

"I heard there's a violin performance there that night."

I counted the days.

That day was exactly when our divorce would officially come into effect.

That day was also Ava's birthday.

Would he really come back to be with me on a day like that?

"Isn't that Ava's birthday? Aren't you going to be with her?"

Julian's expression turned awkward. He evidently hadn't expected me to be so direct.

His voice hitched for a second. "Since I said I'd be with you, I will be with you."

After that, the air between us fell into silence.

I didn't argue with him. I just lowered my head and gave a noncommittal hum.

Getting divorced on Ava's birthday seemed kind of nice, actually.

Countdown: The final day.

Since Julian gave me that promise, I haven't seen him.

For the past two days, he must have been by Ava's side the whole time.

However, Marco had been looking for me quite frequently.

Probably at Julian's request.

Michelin-starred meals delivered in boxes today, designer gifts sent yesterday, and a phone call from him tonight.

We were acting like countless ordinary couples, living a simple, mundane life.

I didn't know what got into Julian these past two days, and I didn't want to guess.

I was tired.

Seven years of marriage.

We had never been this "normal."

For these three days, I was busy liquidating assets. I turned all the real estate, stocks, and jewelry he had given me as compensation into cash.

I had already scouted a location. Serenity Valley on the West Coast is a healing place.

I planned to start a new life there.

He might have sensed something.

He called to ask, "Marco said you've been very busy these last two days. Did something happen?"

I used a casual tone. "I just had nothing to do and wanted to find something to occupy my time."

I didn't mention a word about flying the coop.

He obviously breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. It's good to have hobbies. Tomorrow night, go straight to the Vanderbilt Steakhouse and wait for me."

I said okay, looking at the train ticket on the table with a smile on my face.

He reminded me again over the phone, "Remember, you must be there. I'll wait for you."

Sure enough, that night, he didn't show up.

Just as I expected, he went to celebrate Ava's birthday.

When Marco came to find me, he looked incredibly embarrassed. He only said Julian had an emergency and told me not to be sad, that he would just be a little late.

But listening to the other guests in the restaurant discuss how Julian Costello had rented out the entire top floor to celebrate a certain lady's birthday...

I decided not to wait anymore.

My train was leaving in three hours.

Subtracting the hour to get to the station, only two hours remained.

And in one hour, our marital relationship would completely fall apart under the eyes of the law.

I stood in the restaurant, looked at the girl playing the violin, and gave her a big thumbs up.

The melodious music filled my ears, lingering in the air. Not being able to listen to it with him counted as its own kind of closure.

If he knew this was the last day of our seven-year marriage, would he have tried to make me stay?

I took all my luggage and the freedom I had bought with his one hundred compensations.

I stepped onto my solo journey.

Countdown: Two hours. My lawyer arrived at the train station and handed me the final divorce decree.

"Ms. Moretti, congratulations. You are free."

I finally held my proof of divorce.

My marriage to Julian Costello was finally over.

The train station was packed with people from all walks of life, coming and going.

I looked at the newspapers displayed at the kiosk next to the station. The front page featured a report on Julian’s excellence as a business tycoon. I used to be proud of him; now I only felt relief. This was goodbye forever.

I reached out to take a copy of the paper, but I saw another hand reaching for the exact same copy.