Chapter 6

I wasn't a selfless saint. Not really. I was just planting seeds for my new life, hoping to cultivate something good.

The young man, guided by Dr. Evans, found me in the waiting room. He was tall, with kind eyes and a nervous energy about him. "Ma'am," he began, his voice hoarse with gratitude, "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"Don't," I said simply, handing him a card with Evelyn's contact information. "My lawyer will handle the details. Just focus on your brother." But he didn't leave. He followed me, a silent, persistent shadow.

He finally blocked my path, his face flushed. "At least... can I have your number? So I can keep you updated on my brother?" His eyes, earnest and pleading, held a desperate hope.

"Allison!" Brennan's voice, sharp and furious, cut through the air. He was there, storming towards us, his face a mask of rage.

He looked disheveled, his expensive suit rumpled, his tie askew. His eyes, usually so calculating, were now raw with a possessive anger.

I met his gaze for a moment, then deliberately looked away, focusing on the young man. "My lawyer will be in touch," I reiterated, a subtle dismissal.

The young man, sensing the tension, his ears turning bright red, gave a quick, respectful nod and retreated. He seemed to understand.

Brennan's anger simmered, his jaw tight. Cheri, appearing from behind him, her face a picture of feigned concern, touched his arm. "Brennan, darling, are you alright?"

I didn't spare either of them another glance. The sight of them together, his fake concern, her fake solicitude, was nauseating.

I turned on my heel and walked away.

"Allison! Leave now, and it's truly over!" Brennan yelled after me, his voice cracking with a desperate finality.

Over? I thought, a bitter laugh rising in my throat. It had been over for a long, long time.

Evelyn was waiting in the parking lot. I slid into the passenger seat of her car.

She handed me a small, official-looking document. "Your divorce certificate, Allison. And your invalidated marriage certificate."

I took them, my fingers tracing the official seal on the divorce papers. It looked so much like the marriage certificate, only redder, bolder, screaming finality. The irony wasn't lost on me. Two pieces of paper, so similar in form, yet signifying vastly different worlds.

"What about Brennan's?" I asked, my voice flat.

Evelyn gestured to the passenger seat. "He refused to sign for it. I'll have to mail it to his office."

"Keep it," I said, tossing the invalidated marriage certificate onto the empty seat. "I don't want it."

I pulled out my phone, removed the SIM card, and dropped it into a nearby trash can. New phone, new number, new life. My first stop: the international airport.

As Evelyn drove, we paused at a red light. I glanced casually out the window. My breath hitched. Brennan' s sleek black car, instantly recognizable, pulled up beside us. He hadn' t left the hospital.

I quickly pressed the button to raise my window, hoping he wouldn' t see me. Not now. Not when I was finally free.

The light changed. Evelyn accelerated, and Brennan' s car was left behind, fading into the rearview mirror. It felt like a symbolic departure, a final severing.