Chapter 8

Lena sat alone on the bench in the police station, wrapped in a jacket a female officer had handed her, her body still trembling uncontrollably. Not far away, a few thugs were crouching in the corner, getting aggressively chewed out by a police officer.

When Henry rushed into the station, his eyes immediately fell on Lena’s disheveled state. The cut on her hand was still oozing blood, her right ankle was swollen, and her dress was stained with dirt and grass blades. Frowning, he walked over quickly and bent down in front of her.

“Lenny, what happened? Did you get into trouble again?”

When he received the call from the station, he did not even listen to the full details before racing over in a panic.

Lena raised her eyes, her gaze hollow. If she had not managed to grab her phone off the ground while fighting for her life, and if a passing patrol car had not happened to spot her, she probably would not have made it through. Yet, Henry’s very first reaction was to assume she had caused trouble.

A smile tugged at her lips, and tears began to stream down her face. That look made Henry’s chest tighten with a strange sense of unease. Just as he was about to speak, an officer walked over and signaled that they were free to go.

Without a single second of hesitation, Lena stood up and walked out. Henry could only nod to the officer and quickly follow after her. He reached out to grab her wrist, only to realize a large patch of skin had been scraped off, the dried blood looking exceptionally stark against her pale skin.

Concerned, he asked, “How did you manage to do this to yourself?”

Lena did not say a word, continuing forward in silence.

An inexplicable irritation washed over Henry. He could not wrap his head around why she was throwing a tantrum, but her cold, distant attitude made him feel uncomfortable.

“Fine, let’s just get you home first!” He frowned, his tone carrying a trace of helpless exasperation.

On the drive back, Lena remained silent, and Henry found the quiet unnatural. In the past, whenever she got into trouble, she would always make a huge fuss and demand that he clean up after her. However, her behavior today made it seem like her very soul had been sucked out of her.

The atmosphere inside the car grew heavier by the minute. By the time they reached her apartment, neither of them had spoken a single word.

“Lenny,” Henry called out to her.

Lena glanced back at him before turning into the apartment. A few moments later, she walked back out carrying a pile of things. They were all gifts he had given her over the years.

Right before his eyes, she dumped everything into the trash can and ignited a lighter. Flames began to burn at the wrapping paper, making a sharp crackling sound.

Henry froze for a moment before stepping forward quickly. “What are you doing?”

“Yesterday, you didn’t show up at the cemetery. Where were you?”

Lena stared at him, refusing to miss even the slightest flicker of emotion on his face.

Henry’s eyes darted away, and he let out a sigh. “Something urgent came up at the office and tied me down. Are you throwing a fit over this?”

Lena’s face turned pale, and the last spark of light in her eyes died out. She stopped looking at him. Instead, she quietly watched the fire consume the items she had once treasured above all else, until they finally turned into a pile of ash.

“Are you done throwing your tantrum now?”

Henry looked at her, a hint of hesitation in his tone. Just then, his phone suddenly rang. After answering and exchanging a few brief words, his expression grew visibly anxious. He hung up hurriedly and turned back to Lena.

“I’ll have someone deliver an identical set of everything you just burned to you.”

“No need,” Lena finally spoke, her voice raspy and hollow. “I don’t want them anymore.”

For some reason, Henry’s heart skipped a beat, but he shrugged it off as her simply being stubborn.

He massaged his temples and said, “Fine, once we’re married, I’ll get you whatever you want.”

Then, he glanced down at a text on his phone, his feet already moving toward the door.

“I have somewhere I need to be, so I have to run. I won’t be coming over for the next few days.

“Lenny,” he said, looking back at her with a hint of impatience, “you really need to rein in your temper. I can’t clean up your messes forever.”

With that, he turned and walked away at a brisk pace, never looking back.

Lena stood in place, watching his figure fade into the distance, a bitter smile gracing her lips.

“Goodbye, Henry.”

Her voice was very soft, and like the breeze, it dissipated into the air the moment it left her lips.

Henry paused for a second at the doorway, but thinking it might have just been an illusion, he quickly strode away.

Lena pulled out her phone. A message from Chase was sitting quietly on the screen.

[One billion dollars has been transferred to your account. Leave as soon as possible before the wedding.]

She packed her belongings, left the apartment in Sydney’s hands, and went to the embassy to pick up her documents. Then, she took a cab straight to the airport. Standing before a trash can in the terminal, she snapped her SIM card in half, tossed it inside, and walked toward the boarding gate without looking back.

The plane taxied and took off. As it soared through the clouds, the city outside the window gradually shrank into a speck before disappearing entirely. From that moment on, they would go their separate ways.