Chapter 5 The Departure

"Are you really leaving?" Lottie asked, her voice cracking as she folded another blouse into Maya's suitcase.

Maya zipped her makeup pouch shut, her movements sharp and precise. "I have to, Lottie. There's nothing left for me here."

"But Europe? That's... that's forever."

Maya paused, staring at her reflection in the vanity mirror. Her eyes looked sunken, shadowed with exhaustion and grief. "Forever sounds about right."

Lottie sat heavily on the edge of the bed. "Does he know?"

"Does he care?" Maya shot back, her voice biting. Silence stretched between them before she sighed, shoulders slumping. "No. He doesn't know. And I don't plan on telling him."

Lottie reached out, squeezing her hand. "I know you hate him right now... but are you sure this isn't about running away from how you feel?"

Maya pulled her hand back gently. "This isn't about feelings, Lottie. This is about survival."

Her phone buzzed on the dresser. She ignored it, snapping her suitcase shut with finality. The sound echoed through the quiet apartment like a slammed door.

"Help me take this down to the car?" she asked softly.

Lottie nodded, blinking back tears as she stood. Together, they wheeled the suitcase towards the door, each step echoing like goodbye.

The winter wind sliced through Maya's coat as they stepped onto the icy sidewalk. Her cab waited by the curb, trunk open. Lottie shivered beside her, blinking back tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"Promise me you'll call every day," Lottie whispered, her voice tight.

"I will," Maya said, forcing a small smile. She hugged her friend tightly, inhaling the faint scent of vanilla lotion that always comforted her. "Thank you... for everything."

Lottie pulled back, eyes searching hers desperately. "Are you sure you want to leave without at least telling him goodbye?"

Maya felt her chest tighten painfully. Liam's face flashed in her mind, those cold blue eyes that once burned with fleeting warmth now etched with rejection.

She shook her head. "There's nothing left to say."

The cab driver cleared his throat impatiently. Maya opened the trunk and helped him lift her suitcase inside. As she reached for the car door, her phone buzzed again. She glanced at the screen.

Liam Knight – Incoming Call

Her breath caught. For a brief, foolish moment, hope fluttered in her chest.

"Answer it," Lottie urged softly.

Maya stared at the phone, her thumb trembling over the green button. Then she pressed decline and slipped it back into her pocket. Her eyes met Lottie's one last time.

"Goodbye."

She climbed into the cab, shutting the door firmly behind her as her chest burned with unshed tears.

The cab pulled away from the curb, merging into the early morning traffic. Maya pressed her forehead against the cold window, watching the city blur past in streaks of grey and gold. Snow fell softly, blanketing the sidewalks in quiet white.

Her phone vibrated again in her pocket. She ignored it. The tears she had held back now slipped down her cheeks silently.

This is the right choice, she told herself. This is freedom.

But deep down, her heart twisted painfully with every block the cab drove further away from Knight Enterprises, from him.

The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Airport, miss?"

She opened her mouth to answer when her phone buzzed yet again, insistent and urgent. With shaking hands, she pulled it out. Another call from Liam. Her pulse hammered.

Before she could decline, the phone stopped ringing and a message flashed across the screen.

Liam Knight: "Don't leave. Come to my office. Now."

Her breath hitched as her heart flipped painfully in her chest. She read it again, gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles whitened.

"Miss?" the driver asked, glancing at her again. "Airport or Knight Enterprises?"

Maya's vision blurred with tears. Her chest ached with confusion and desperate hope.

She closed her eyes, Liam's voice echoing in her mind from their last night together. Because with you... I forget who I am.

"Miss?" the driver asked again.

She opened her eyes, the snow falling heavier now outside the window.

"Take me to Knight Enterprises," she whispered.