The Last Leaf of Devotion

"Just wait for me. I'll be right back," Ansel reassured Sydney. Without another word, he grabbed Odessa by the wrist and pulled her out of the venue.

She didn't resist, letting him lead her into a quiet study.

A heavy silence hung between them.

Ansel's eyes remained fixed on Odessa. After a long, tense pause, he finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse. "What if we don't go through with the divorce? I'll end things with Sydney."

Odessa let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. "If you were truly capable of letting her go, you wouldn't have needed to drag me in here to say it. Maybe you haven't realized it yet… but you've already fallen for her."

Besides, Sydney was only the beginning. Even if she vanished, there would always be someone else waiting to take her place.

Ansel clenched his fists, still refusing to back down. "What if I sent her overseas? You'd be in separate cities, living separate lives. Would that finally satisfy you?"

A sharp ache tightened in Odessa's chest. Too weary to argue, she simply shook her head. "No."

Ansel's eyes burned red, frustration creeping into his expression. "Why do you have to make this so hard? Why can't you just—"

Before he could continue, Odessa struck him sharply across the face. "Ansel, I don't love you anymore. Do you understand? The moment you betrayed me, everything ended. There's no going back!"

In an instant, the atmosphere thickened, plunging into an eerie, suffocating silence.

Ansel stood with his head slightly tilted, staring at the floor in disbelief. His bloodshot eyes held a fierce, unsettling glare.

Snapping back to himself, he raised his hand, but the slap never came. Instead, his fingers trembled as they curled tightly into a fist.

"Fine! If you want a divorce, then so be it! But don't you dare regret it!"

Without warning, he grabbed the divorce papers from Odessa's hands and signed them without a second thought. In a burst of anger, he slammed the papers against her cheek. "Are you happy now?" he shouted.

The sharp sting flared into a burning red mark across her face.

Odessa staggered back, shocked into silence. After a long pause, she bent down and gathered the papers, holding them close to her chest. "At last, I'm free," she whispered.

Seeing her relief only ignited Ansel's fury even more.

"You'll regret this," he hissed through gritted teeth. Without looking back, he spun around and walked away.

"Ansel!"

Odessa caught his sleeve, her tear-filled eyes slowly softening as the anger drained away. At last, a bitter smile flickered across her lips.

"Will you come with me to the red maple grove behind the hill?" she asked. "Let's make it our final farewell."

Ansel hesitated for a heartbeat before pulling his hand away. His voice was cold and cutting. "No! From this moment on, whether you live or die is none of my concern."

Without another glance, he turned and walked away.

Odessa remained frozen, watching his figure disappear into the shadows. Her heart was numb.

Maybe this was for the best. When the news of her death reached him… at least he wouldn't mourn.

Night had fallen. While clutching the divorce papers to her chest, Odessa gazed up at the pale, distant moon as she made her way toward the red maple grove.

The moonlight was crisp and radiant, bathing the fiery red leaves in a shimmering glow.

She wandered among the trees for what felt like hours. At exactly 11:58 pm, she pulled out her phone and typed a message to Ansel.

"I don't regret falling in love with you, Ansel. The happiness we shared was real, and so were the good times. But if I could start over, I'd choose never to have met you. I can't accept an ending like this."

The moment she hit send, the clock struck midnight.

The castle's bell tolled, its chime cutting through the still night air.

Odessa's eyes lingered on the chat screen, realizing the message had failed to send. A shiver ran down her cheeks.

Bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, she let out a quiet breath and closed her eyes. In that very moment, she vanished without a trace.

At the same time, in a foul-smelling, shadowed gutter on the outskirts of Brightmoore, a frantic call came through to the police. A woman's mutilated body had been discovered.