Countdown to Goodbye

One day left until the cooling-off period was over.

Maybe Lawrence and I had developed some unspoken understanding. It had become hard for us to appear together at project meetings.

Sometimes, when Kayla wasn't around, Lawrence would suddenly come downstairs. He wouldn't say anything during the meeting, just glance at me once or twice.

I didn't really understand what was going through his mind lately, and I didn't want to.

I started moving my things out little by little, trying not to let him notice.

But he still did.

That day, after the meeting, Lawrence took the initiative and invited me to sit in his office for a bit.

As soon as I sat down, he said, "You've moved a lot of stuff out recently. And you haven't been staying at home, either."

I nodded and used a reason I had already prepared. "Yeah. I'm staying at the old house for a while."

Lawrence hesitated, his expression uncertain. "About the wedding. I've thought about it a lot. We could still do the makeup ceremony…"

I cut him off. "There's not much time left. It's okay."

He looked surprised. "What do you mean, not much time left?"

I hesitated, wondering if I should show him the divorce papers he had already signed.

Kayla's call came at just the right moment and saved me the trouble.

I glanced at the name on his phone and smiled. "You should go handle that first. We don't need to talk about this right now."

Lawrence twisted the door handle. To make up for it, he turned back and repeated a promise.

"I'll definitely go to the old house to see you tomorrow."

The next day, he broke his promise anyway.

I sat on the couch in the old house, looking at my phone.

Twelve hours left.

A local news alert popped up. Kayla had appeared at a new project launch, with Lawrence standing behind her.

Thinking about the promise he had made yesterday, I let out a self-deprecating smile. If he knew these were the last 12 hours with me, would he still break his promise?

Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he still would.

Either way, the answer didn't matter anymore.

I spent a few hours tidying up the place.

The old house was empty. There really wasn't much of my stuff left.

Still, we had gotten married here, and I couldn't help feeling nostalgic.

I called Daphne. I had told her in advance, but I still said goodbye properly.

Then, I called my lawyer. "The divorce agreement was notarized a month ago. I don't need to redo any procedures now, right?"

His reply was brief. "No."

After a short pause, he added, "Congratulations, Ms. Neel."

I smiled and hung up.

I sat there quietly until night fell.

Three hours left. I packed all my luggage and bought a plane ticket for the next day.

Two hours left. I cut up every photo of us together, leaving only myself in the album.

Last hour. I neatly placed the divorce agreement on the table.

I thought about leaving a message, then decided against it.

At the exact moment the countdown ended, I dragged my suitcase and placed my hand on the door handle.

My marriage was over.

Right then, to my surprise, the door opened from the outside.

Lawrence stood there, sweat on his forehead, looking like he had run all the way. He was breathing hard, a guilty smile still on his face.

"I'm sorry, Rebecca. I just finished taking someone back. The car broke down on the way, so I rushed over…"

His voice trailed off as his gaze fell on my luggage and the plane ticket in my hand.

"Where are you going?"