Chapter 3

Ryan came home at three that afternoon.

The moment he pushed open the front door and saw the three large boxes stacked in the living room, he froze.

"What are you doing?" He walked over quickly, his brows furrowed in a tight knot. "Are you packing away seasonal clothes?"

I sealed the last box with a final, crisp layer of packing tape. "Just clearing out some old clutter."

His eyes shifted, landing on an unsealed box nearby. Inside lay our matching couple's mugs from college and the stuffed animal he had bought me.

His face instantly darkened. "Seriously, are you ever going to give this a rest?"

He snatched one of the mugs out of the box and slammed it heavily onto the coffee table. "You've been throwing a tantrum since last night over a single bracelet! Now you're tossing out our things? What's next? Are you going to tell me you're moving out?"

I straightened my back and looked him dead in the eye. "Yes."

He let out a harsh, incredulous laugh. "Fine! Look who suddenly grew a spine."

He yanked his tie loose, threw himself onto the sofa, and stared up at me with ice in his eyes. "And where do you think you're going? To your best friend Cecily's place? Or back to that freezing apartment in your hometown?

He paused. "Eliza, you're 27 years old. Can you stop throwing tantrums like a child and threatening to run away every time you're upset? Do you honestly believe that if you stay away for a few days, I'm going to come begging you to come back?"

He was completely certain that I couldn't survive without him. He was convinced this was just a pathetic, clumsy play to force his hand and make him compromise.

I didn't bother correcting him. I simply picked up the mug from the table, placed it gently back into the box, and taped it shut.

"Believe whatever you want," I said evenly.

My quiet, systematic movements annoyed him even further. He stood up, closed the distance between us, and forced his voice to soften into a soothing purr.

"Alright, let's stop fighting. Tomorrow is our fifth anniversary." He reached out, attempting to smooth things over. "I booked a table at your favorite Michelin-starred restaurant. After dinner, we'll go pick out a diamond ring."

He shrugged carelessly. "As for the property in the south suburbs... I'll have my assistant wire the deposit tomorrow and put the deed entirely in your name. How does that sound?"

To him, this was the ultimate gesture of generosity. I looked at the face in front of me—a face that felt so deeply familiar yet entirely foreign.

A faint smile touched my lips. "Sure. See you tomorrow."

He let out a sigh of relief and ruffled my hair. "Good."

He had no idea my suitcase already held tomorrow's plane ticket. There were only 14 hours left until takeoff.

...

Ryan woke up early the next morning, pressing a practiced kiss to my forehead. Just before leaving for the office, he said, "I'll pick you up at six tonight. Wear that pink dress. You look beautiful in it."

The second the front door clicked shut, I turned and walked straight into the walk-in closet. The pink dress hung in the most prominent spot. It was the same style he had bought for Sabine.

I didn't touch it. Instead, I pulled on a simple white button-down and a pair of faded blue jeans. It was the outfit I used to wear most often when Ryan and I first met.

I dragged the three sealed boxes out to the hallway and arranged for a courier to pick them up. I was shipping them to a friend who dealt in secondhand resale.

"Eliza, these things are practically pristine," she muttered over the phone, sounding confused. "Are you sure you want to get rid of them?"

"Completely," I said, my voice steady. "Do whatever with them you see fit."

After hanging up, I took one last look around the apartment that used to be overflowing with pieces of my life. The throw pillows on the sofa were hand-embroidered by me. The succulents were nurtured by me from tiny trimmings. Even the mugs in the kitchen were artisanal pieces I had carefully brought back from a trip.

They were all still sitting in their designated places. And yet, every lingering trace of my personal presence had vanished. It was as if I had never existed within these walls.

Right then, my phone vibrated with a message from Ryan.

[Babe, I'm so sorry, but we're going to have to cancel dinner tonight. Sabine just got clipped by a delivery courier right outside the office building.

[Her ankle is badly swollen. I have to take her to the ER for X-rays. We'll look at rings in a few days, okay?]