The Heart That He Stole

The Day I Walked Away

I only answered calmly, "Okay."

My quiet compliance made Ryan frown, frustration simmering beneath the surface.

He grabbed my wrist, his grip a little too tight. "You are the reason Olivia's condition flared up again, and now you are acting like this. What exactly are you trying to prove?"

I looked up and met his eyes. "This is your house. If you want someone to live here, do I have the right to say no?"

He froze.

His hold slackened, uncertainty flickering in his eyes, as if words hovered just out of reach.

Then, Olivia's voice came from behind him.

"Ryan, I should leave. I do not want you and Emma to fight because of me."

She reached out and lightly tugged Ryan's sleeve.

Ryan took her hand at once. "Do not worry. As long as I am here, no one will make you leave."

He gave me a warning look, then carried Olivia upstairs.

…

The next day, sunlight still clinging to my skin, I stepped inside and found Ryan waiting in the living room.

His gaze locked onto mine, heavy with expectation. When he spoke, his tone carried the casual arrogance of an order. "Olivia has not been sleeping well lately. Give her your lucky charm for a few days."

I stopped walking.

I had worn that charm around my neck for more than ten years.

When I was little, I had run a fever for several days.

Ryan had gone to a church with his parents and brought it back for me.

Strangely enough, my fever broke the very night I put it on.

After that, I never had another serious illness.

Now he wanted to take it from me and give it to Olivia, as if every memory attached to it meant nothing.

When Ryan saw my silence, he added stiffly, as though he were doing me the courtesy of explaining himself. "Olivia has been weak lately. She will only wear it for a few days. Once she feels better, she will give it back."

I pressed my fingers to the charm at my throat, then tore it free in one swift motion. Setting it on the coffee table, I slid it toward Olivia.

"It was never really mine anyway. She does not need to return it."

After that, I turned and went upstairs.

Today marked the moment I would finally walk away.

Aside from my ID, I left everything behind, carrying only myself into the unknown.

…

When I came back downstairs, Olivia and Ryan were sitting together.

"Ryan, the food you made is so good."

Ryan was serving food onto her plate.

When he heard me, he looked up. The moment he saw me, suspicion filled his eyes. "Olivia is not well. I made this especially for her. Do not be greedy."

I did not stop walking.

I went straight to the front door.

…

At the airport, Ryan was still texting me, scolding me like I was a child.

"It was just one meal. Did you really have to act like this? Olivia is upset because of you again. Come back and apologize right now. Don't test my patience."

My face remained expressionless.

I pulled out my SIM card, snapped it cleanly in two, and let it fall into the trash, severing the last thread.

I boarded the plane and turned off my phone.

As the plane rose into the sky, I looked down at the city beneath the clouds, watching the place that held all my pain slowly fade from view.

Silently, I whispered farewell to the life I once knew.

…

Ryan held his phone, waiting for a reply that never came.

The screen went dark, and he pressed it to wake it again.

A restless irritation twisted inside him, sharper and more relentless than ever. He loosened his tie, trying to shake off the strange discomfort.

Then, he called his assistant, his voice carrying an urgency he did not even notice. "Contact Emma Sinclair. Now."

…

A few minutes later, his assistant called back.

"Mr. Walker, we still cannot reach Ms. Sinclair. However, the court just delivered a summons. Ms. Sinclair is suing you."