Chapter 9

The scene at the cafe played in my mind, but it felt distant, like a movie I had already seen. Danial's grand, foolish promises to Judi were just noise. I sat in the quiet airport lounge, a sense of peace settling over me.

I finished my work, sending off a few final emails, severing the last professional ties to Los Angeles. I packed my laptop away and looked out at the runway, at the planes taking off into the night sky. Each one was an escape.

I heard their voices before I saw them. Danial and Ismael, their voices urgent as they came through the lounge doors. They must have tracked my flight.

"Angelina!" Danial called out.

I didn't turn around. I kept my eyes on the planes.

"We need to talk," Ismael said, his voice closer now.

I finally turned, my expression unreadable. "There's nothing left to say."

My phone rang. It was the car service, confirming my pickup on the other side. "Yes, I'm on my way," I said into the phone, my voice calm.

Danial and Ismael were standing in front of me now, blocking my path.

"Don't go," Danial said, his voice raw. "Please."

The emotional distance I had cultivated over the past two weeks was a fortress. "I have to," I said.

"Why are you doing this?" Ismael asked, his voice cracking. "Is it because of Judi? We know we messed up. We were just trying to... I don't know, we thought she needed help."

"You think I'm jealous of her?" I asked, a small, humorless smile touching my lips.

"Aren't you?" Danial challenged. "You've always had us to yourself. Now there's someone else, and you can't handle it."

His words were meant to be a blade, but they couldn't pierce my armor. I was too far away.

"Why do you need to explain yourselves to me?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Your relationship with her has nothing to do with me."

"Of course it does!" Ismael insisted. "You're... you're us. You love us."

I looked him straight in the eye. "No, Ismael. I don't. I'm your friend. I was your friend. That's all."

The words hit them like a physical blow. They stared at me, speechless.

Danial was the first to recover, his face hardening with a desperate resolve. "I love you, Angelina," he said, the words tumbling out. "I've always loved you. More than a friend."

Ismael looked at Danial, then at me, his eyes wide. "Me too," he whispered. "You have to know that."

Confessions. After all these years, after all the pain, they chose now. It was too little, far too late.

"I might have felt something once," I admitted, the memory a faint whisper. "A long time ago. But you killed it. Both of you. With every choice you made, every time you looked past me to see her."

I stepped around them. "This is goodbye."

A porter appeared, ready to take my single suitcase. "Ma'am?"

"I've got it," I said, waving him off.

I turned back to them one last time. "Go take care of Judi. She needs you." The words were laced with an irony they couldn't appreciate yet.

Just then, Ismael's phone rang. It was Judi, of course. Her voice was a high-pitched wail, even from a distance. She'd locked herself out of the house. Another manufactured crisis, another demand for their attention.

Ismael looked at the phone, then at me, his face torn.

Danial made the choice for him. "We have to go. We'll fix this, Ange. I promise. We'll come to New York. We'll make it right."

They left. They chose her, again. It was the final confirmation.

I watched them go, a sense of grim finality settling over me. They would always choose the drama, the person who made them feel like heroes.

My phone buzzed one last time. A text from Judi.

They're coming for me. They'll always choose me. You lose, Angelina.

I typed out a single reply.

You can have them.

Then, I blocked Danial's number. I blocked Ismael's number. I deleted their contacts. I wiped every digital trace of them from my life.

I picked up my suitcase and walked towards the gate, not looking back. The house was sold. The friendships were over. Los Angeles was behind me. I was free.