Life in Full Bloom After Walking Away

"Gabriella, are you really going to fly abroad and leave Owen behind?"

In the quiet cafe, Gabriella Candola puts down the spoon in her hand. She then looks at Anne Lockwood, her best friend, sitting across from her at the table, who wears a flabbergasted expression.

In a casual tone, she replies, "We're already divorced."

"Divorced?"

Anne never expects to hear such shocking news coming from Gabriella's lips. As soon as the shock passes, she begins lamenting about the injustice on Gabriella's behalf.

"And Owen actually agreed to the divorce? You treated him so well over the past three years! Even if his heart were made of ice, it'd have melted by now, right? Does he really not have any feelings for you?"

Gabriella just smiles in return, a glint appearing in her eyes.

The truth was, she didn't know if her husband, Owen Wendell, had actually agreed to their divorce. After all, when she handed the divorce agreement to him two weeks ago, he had signed it while talking to someone else on the phone. He had then hurried away without hearing a single word that she had to say.

Owen didn't ask about the document that he signed, either.

As a result, Gabriella only had to wait two more weeks before their divorce was finalized. She would be free once she got the divorce certificate.

She was just about to explain the situation to Anne when a deep, masculine voice rang out from behind them.

"Are you done?"

Gabriella and Anne looked back simultaneously.

Owen was dressed in a black coat as he strode over to them.

Anne was still annoyed with him. Wanting to get to the bottom of things, she said, "Owen, Gabriella just told me that she—"

"Why are you here?" Gabriella interrupted Anne before she could finish her sentence. She patted Anne's hand comfortingly and shook her head, silently telling her to say no more.

"It looked like it was going to rain, so I decided to pick you up since I was in the area."

Gabriella smiled. She had bid Anne farewell before grabbing her bag and leaving with Owen.

Raindrops pattered against the car while they were on their way home.

It was completely silent in the car.

Owen's lips twitched as he looked at Gabriella, whom he had "accidentally" married all those years ago. He opened his mouth several times, looking as if he wanted to strike up a conversation with her, but he couldn't stop thinking about how he hadn't returned home in two weeks.

The silence stretched on before he finally came up with something that they could talk about.

"Gabriella, what did you ask me to sign two weeks ago?"

Gabriella was a little surprised that Owen was asking about the divorce agreement now, after so much time had passed. But after giving it more thought, she thought it made sense that he would only recall it now since he had spent the last two weeks orbiting Samantha Roth.

Gabriella's lips twitched. She was just about to answer his question when his phone started ringing.

"I drank too much, Owen. My head hurts so much. Can you pick me up?"

Owen's knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping the steering wheel as he listened to the coquettish voice echoing from the receiver. His face darkened in an instant.

"I've told you this many times, Samantha. I'm a married man now."

Samantha was silent for a few moments before she replied, "So what if you are? I was supposed to be the bride at that wedding."

Her nonchalant tone angered Owen.

Although he and Gabriella had been married for three years, it was the first time she had seen Owen lose control, his cool and reserved demeanor cracking.

Owen slammed his foot on the brake, causing the car to screech to a deafening stop.

"But you didn't show up!"

Samantha remained silent on the other end of the line after Owen's furious outburst. A few moments later, she choked out, "I'm sorry. I won't bother you anymore in the future."

Owen's expression remained stormy even after the line went dead. In fact, it darkened even more. He drummed his fingers against the steering wheel before finally giving in and resignedly typing out a message on his phone.

"Send me your address."

Owen shot an apologetic look in Gabriella's direction when Samantha sent her location to him.

Knowing what he wanted to say, Gabriella cut him off before he could utter a single word, saying, "You have something that you need to take care of, don't you? Go ahead. I'll just get a cab to go home."

Owen couldn't ignore the guilty sensation that spread through him as he watched Gabriella open the car door and slip out, shielding herself from the rain with an umbrella. "I'll come home after I'm done," he murmured.

Gabriella simply nodded.

A flurry of complicated emotions shone in her eyes as she stood in the rain and watched Owen's car until it disappeared from her line of sight.

Gabriella had been in love with Owen for seven years. She could still remember how she had fallen in love with him at first sight when she saw him for the first time on the basketball court.

Owen had been dressed in his basketball uniform. He made every shot and single-handedly broke through the rival team's defensive line, captivating everyone in the audience.

His fangirls screamed, cheering him on. Some of them also introduced him to the people who had just arrived.

Owen hailed from Ruthbelle's Wendell family. He was also a famous figure at Asora University and a member of the Department of Computer Science. Unfortunately for everyone else, the campus heartthrob had been dating his childhood friend, Samantha, for many years.

He was more than happy to splurge his money on her. For example, he would reserve the entire amusement park just to surprise her on her birthday.

Owen was also willing to throw his pride away and beg Samantha to take him back in front of everyone on campus just because someone else confessed to him, prompting her to throw a tantrum and block his number.

He would wait in the snow until his fingers turned red from the cold. He wouldn't say a single word of complaint even after finding out that she had stood him up because she went to get a manicure with her roommate.

During Gabriella's four years in university, she had heard countless stories about Owen's and Samantha's love life. She had always assumed that she would be just like a side character in a romance novel, watching from the sidelines until they settled down with each other.

However, everything had changed three years ago.

Owen couldn't wait to marry Samantha right after graduation.

Although Gabriella hadn't received an invitation, she had still attended what was supposed to be the wedding of the century as one of his classmates.

However, Samantha remained missing even after the wedding started.

Owen had looked like a madman as he called her 99 times.

In the end, Samantha sent him a message, telling him that she didn't want to get married so soon and had left the country.

Owen reached the end of his patience that day and refused to tolerate her antics any longer. He grabbed the microphone and said, "I've changed my mind. Is there a woman here who's willing to be my new bride?"

Gabriella had always been a quiet person who mostly blended into the background. However, at that moment, her heart was hammering wildly in her chest.

She knew that Owen had many admirers, so she immediately shot up to her feet the moment the question left his lips.

That day, Gabriella changed into a wedding dress that didn't fit her and married a man who didn't even remember her name.

They treated each other with respect and led a peaceful married life for the next three years.

However, Samantha returned to the country a month ago.

Gabriella knew that her dream was coming to an end when she saw how Owen couldn't control his urges to stay close to Samantha even as he rejected her advances. She knew that it was time to relinquish her position as his wife and let him fulfill his heart's desires.

It was time for Gabriella to set Owen free.

As she stood in the pouring rain, she sent a message to Owen.

"The document that you asked about is in the glove box. You can just take a look at it if you want to know what it is."