Chapter 15 The Last Goodbye

• The phone slipped from Cecilia's grasp, falling into the rain-soaked ground as its screen gradually faded into darkness.
• Leaning against her father's tombstone, she clutched the puppet tightly in her arms, braving the relentless rain. It felt as if she could see her father approaching with a gentle smile on his face.
• Those who loved deeply were idealists, while those who seldom loved were realists. Regardless of which one they were, in the end, there would always be regrets.
• At Daltonia Villa, Nathaniel stared at the disconnected call, a surge of unease gnawing at him.
• He dialed her number again but was only met with the cold, automated voice, “Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later...”
• He got up, put on his coat, and was about to leave. But as he reached the door, he paused.
• Cecilia is definitely playing hard to get. We're on the brink of divorce—why should it matter to me what she did?
• Returning to his bedroom, Nathaniel found himself unable to sleep. Cecilia's words kept echoing in his mind.
• “If... If I had known what my mother and brother did, I would have never... chosen to marry you. If I had known... that you've always had feelings for Stella... I would have never married you. If I had known that my father would be in a car accident on my wedding day, I... I wouldn't have married you.”
• Nathaniel found himself standing outside Cecilia's room, almost unconsciously. It had been over a month since she left.
• He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was pitch black, and the emptiness felt suffocating.
• He switched on the light. The room looked barren, devoid of any personal belongings.
• Nathaniel sat down heavily and opened the bedside drawer. Inside, he found a small notebook.
• On one of the pages, a single sentence was written: I believe that the one who truly chooses to leave experiences the greatest pain. This is because her heart has already endured countless struggles before she finally made up her mind.
• Nathaniel scoffed coldly at the elegant handwriting. “Pain? All these years I've spent with you, don't you think I've suffered too?” he muttered, tossing the notebook into the trash.
• But when he left the room, the notebook had been neatly placed back on the bedside table.
• Nathaniel didn't sleep again that night.
• On the other side, Calvin didn't sleep well either. He sensed that something was off with Cecilia over the past few days, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.
• Around four in the morning, he received a call from Martha. “Cal, could you please check on Ceci for me? I just had a really strange dream.”
• Calvin sat up, concerned. “What dream?”
• “I dreamt that something happened to Ceci. She came to me, drenched from the rain, begging me not to forget to take her home,” Martha said, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her face as she continued, “I was terrified, but when I called her, no one answered. A few days ago, she told me to pick her up on the fifteenth. Something feels wrong...”
• Hearing this, Calvin thought of Cecilia's recent behavior. He quickly got dressed. “Don't worry, I'm going to find her right now.”
• The two houses were close to each other. Within ten minutes, Calvin rushed over and pushed open the door to her room.
• An eerie silence greeted him. The bedroom door was ajar, and the room was utterly bare. Cecilia wasn't there.
• At that moment, Calvin couldn't imagine where she could have gone.
• Beside the pillow, he noticed two envelopes. He picked one up and opened it, finding, to his surprise, that one was a will addressed to him.
• It read: Calvin, I've already transferred the rent to your card. Thank you for looking after me these past few days. You know, ever since I arrived in Tudela, I haven't had any friends. Before we met again, I thought I was such a loser, not even having a single friend. Thankfully, I met you again. You showed me that I wasn't as bad as I thought, and for that, I'm truly grateful... Please, don't be upset. I'm just going to see my father; he'll take care of me.