Chapter 5

Alexia POV

The silence in the office wasn't just heavy; it was suffocating.

I didn't wait for a response.

I simply turned and walked out.

I didn't run. instead, I walked with the measured rhythm of a woman who had absolutely nothing left to lose.

I returned to my apartment in a daze.

My flight was scheduled for 48 hours from now.

That night, the phone didn't ring, but the doorbell did.

It was 2:00 AM.

I opened the door, keeping the security chain taut between us.

It was Jacob. Again. But this time, the regret was gone, replaced by a frantic anger.

"Open the door, Alexia."

"Say what you need to say from there," I replied coldly.

"Cassandra's cut was deep," he lied, the words tumbling out in a rush. "She almost hit an artery. She did it because she loves Anton. She wants him to have a complete family, and she thinks you're the obstacle preventing that."

I looked at him through the narrow crack. The harsh hallway light cast deep shadows over his eyes, making them look like hollow, skeletal sockets.

"Cassandra didn't cut herself for Anton," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "She threatened him. She told him that if he didn't say he hated me, she would tell you that he was the one who broke your vintage watch collection."

Jacob recoiled as if slapped. "That's insane. Anton loves her. You're lying. You're just jealous."

"And the suicide attempt?" I asked, cutting him off. "Let me guess. A horizontal scratch? Shallow? Just enough blood for a photo op?"

"Stop it!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "Why are you so bitter? I thought you were kind."

"I was kind," I said softly. "That was my mistake."

The memory of the car crash washed over me. The way he had pulled Cassandra from the wreckage first. The way he had looked at her. It wasn't just a matter of triage priority. It was instinct.

"You believe her," I said, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion. "That's fine. I don't need you to believe me anymore."

"Alexia, please. Just apologize to her. For the press. We can fix this narrative."

"Apologize?" I laughed, a dry, humorless sound. "For existing?"

I closed the door firmly.

I threw the deadbolt.

"Alexia!" he screamed, pounding his fist on the wood. "Alexia, open up!"

I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I let the water run full blast until the roar of it drowned out his voice completely.

The next morning, I left my key on the kitchen counter.

I dragged my suitcases down the stairs, the wheels thumping a final goodbye.

In the lobby, I ran into Jacob's mother. She was wearing oversized designer sunglasses and carrying an elaborate fruit basket.

She stopped in her tracks. Her gaze swept over my luggage.

"Going somewhere?" she asked. Her tone was light, but the underlying mockery was razor-sharp.

"Vienna," I said.

She scoffed. "To teach? With that hand? Don't be delusional, dear. What can you possibly do now? You're crippled."

She stepped closer, lowering her glasses to look at me with unfiltered disdain. "Go back to your father's farm. Or stay here and take care of Anton as a nanny. We might let you visit him if you behave."

"My hand isn't dead," I said, gripping the suitcase handle tighter. "And neither am I."

"Your hand is a claw," she spat. "It's ugly. Just like your jealousy."

I didn't flinch.

"Goodbye," I said.

I walked out the front door and into the blinding sunlight.

The street was blocked off. There were balloons. Streamers. A massive banner hung across the road: CASSANDRA, WILL YOU MARRY ME?

Jacob was down on one knee in the middle of the asphalt. Cameras were flashing in a frenzy. Cassandra was covering her mouth with her hands, pantomiming shock.

It was a circus. A grotesque, public display of ownership.

I stood on the sidewalk, completely invisible to them.

I watched him slip a ring onto her finger. It was massive-bigger than mine had ever been.

I felt a strange sensation bloom in my chest. It wasn't pain. It was lightness.

The anchor was finally gone.

I hailed a passing taxi.

"Airport," I told the driver. "International terminal."

As the car pulled away, I watched the scene unfold in the rearview mirror. The balloons, the fake smiles, the man I used to love.

They were getting smaller. And smaller.

Until they were nothing but a speck of dust in the distance.