Seven Days of Goodbye

Six days flew by.

Brian dragged me back to our old high school, the food street where we used to sneak off for dates—every memory he could dig up, trying to make me forgive him.

Sometimes, when he looked so broken, I almost cracked.

Then Ruby would send me another piece of proof. Every text was like a slap, and it kept me steady.

That morning, I told him I wanted to go back to Montedra.

I'd already gathered enough dirt on him, sent it to a friend last night.

Now I just wanted to go home—the one I built myself—and say goodbye.

Brian hesitated.

"I can't go with you. I've got a flight to Ferovia for a deal. You should head back first."

He held up his phone, all apologetic. "See? Booked this ticket before Christmas. I'm not making it up."

I just nodded. "Fine. I'll go back after breakfast."

Once we ate, he rushed to get me in the car, way too eager.

What he didn't know—I ditched the plan halfway and went straight to the airport.

Didn't take long before I spotted him, arm around Ruby, both of them laughing like nothing mattered.

Guess a few days apart was too much, because they started kissing right there on the stairs. No shame at all.

I recorded everything, pulled on sunglasses and a mask, and slipped onto the same flight.

Four hours later, we landed.

The second we stepped outside, gunfire erupted.

People screamed, bolting back inside. I froze, my brain only locking onto one thought—Brian.

Then someone slammed me down. A boot pressed into my back, then another. Pain shot through me and I cried out.

"Brian! Brian, it hurts..."

Through the chaos, I spotted him. He had Ruby clutched against him, almost at safety.

Our eyes locked. He hesitated. For a heartbeat, I thought he'd come.

Then he turned—dragging her back inside.

The heart I swore had already gone cold twisted hard.

Even facing death, I still loved him.

But his love? All fake.

He didn't stay in our marriage because of me—he stayed because of the prenup. Divorce meant losing everything.

If I died, though... contract gone.

No wonder he left me there, crushed under strangers' feet, and didn't even try.

Love, at the end of the day, is about conscience.

And someone who never loved me—how could he have one?

Brian Ashton, I hate you.

Maybe that hatred burned too strong, because the next second, everything went black.

When I woke up, I was back in Montedra City.

My body started to fade. I knew I was about to disappear for good.

So I did everything I could before I vanished.

***

Right then in Ferovia—

After dropping Ruby off, Brian bolted.

Before, he'd only thought about the woman beside him. Now all he could think about was Shiloh.

But the crowd shoved in from every direction, boxing him in. No way out.

The attack didn't last long, though.

Two hours later, Brian finally made it back to the hotel with the others.

He kept dialing Shiloh's number the whole time, but it never connected.

Panic ate at him like something vital was slipping out of his chest.

He even asked around for help searching. That's when his phone lit up—Carmoria calling.

"Hello, is this Brian Ashton?"

His chest seized up. He grabbed at it. "Yeah... who's this?"

The voice on the other end cracked with sorrow. "Your wife, Shiloh Quinn, died in an accident seven days ago. We just found her body. Please come back right away."