Chapter 10: Goodbye to the Old Life

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I saw that almost all my things had been moved out of the room. The photo of me and Evan by the bed had fallen to the floor. Glass crunched under my heel, and for once, I didn’t flinch.

There was a strange satisfaction in the sound of breaking glass, as if each shard carried away a piece of the pain I’d been holding onto. For the first time, I felt a flicker of freedom.

He’s not dead, but in my heart he is.

The finality of that thought struck me hard, but it was also a relief. Like closing a door that should’ve been shut long ago.

Walking out of the Parker house, Evan’s mother was still cursing behind me. “Don’t ever come back! You’re not even allowed to visit my son’s grave at Memorial Day!”

Her voice chased me down the driveway, shrill and desperate, clinging to me like a stain. I didn’t look back.

[This old witch is afraid the heroine will fight her for the inheritance, but the heroine’s family is so rich she doesn’t even care about that little bit.]

[Is your son the president? Visiting his grave is such a big favor, even a dog wouldn’t do it.]

“Mrs. Parker, please don’t say any more.”

Marcus and Derek walked me to the door: “Natalie, let us know if you need anything.”

“No need, I just want to be alone.”

“Actually, you might be right. Evan might still be alive. The police haven’t found his body yet. Maybe if we wait, there’ll be good news.” Derek added.

I heard the nervous hope in his voice, like he was clinging to a raft in a storm. It almost made me pity him.

[The main guy is afraid the heroine will hurt herself after moving out, so he’s having his buddies give her hope.]

[Little do they know the heroine already knows the truth. The three of them are just a bunch of clowns.]

Actually, I have a few properties, but they’re all rented out. I can’t just kick out tenants because I want to move in, so I accepted Aubrey’s suggestion and moved everything temporarily to the Hayes family’s empty townhouse.

There was something poetic about returning to a place tied to the past. The townhouse was clean, sunlit, the kind of quiet that settles into your bones and makes you feel safe—even if just for a little while.

When Aubrey handed me the keys, I asked: “Your brother won’t suddenly come back, right?”

“He won’t. I just asked him not long ago. He said he has no plans to return for now.”

“Even if he does, he hardly ever stays at that place. He always goes back to the old house. Just relax and live there.”

She squeezed my hand as she left, promising to bring over takeout later. In that empty house, surrounded by cardboard boxes and echoing silence, I felt the smallest glimmer of hope—like maybe, just maybe, I could build a life that belonged to me.

But this time, when I woke up, the house was quiet—and I wasn’t waiting for anyone’s footsteps but my own.