Gianna's phone rang. It was a notification for a social media post by Maya.
"Thank you all for your concern. I'm fine now. And thank you, Ezra, for always being there for me when I need you. I will spend the rest of my life repaying you."
The attached photo showed Maya lying in a hospital bed, her fingers intertwined with Ezra's as he sat beside her. They looked like the perfect couple.
Gianna only gave the post a brief glance before locking her phone and tossing it aside. After all, she and Ezra were over.
Whether Maya was flaunting or trying to provoke her, it didn't matter. She felt nothing about this. There was neither joy nor sorrow.
Gianna then cooked herself a warm meal for dinner and then went to bed. With the house completely empty, she slept soundly for the first time in years.
The next morning, Gianna brewed a cup of hand-ground coffee and settled into a wicker chair in the courtyard. She stretched while listening to the morning radio.
After years of being weighed down by family burdens, she was finally enjoying life—perhaps for the first time. She should have lived for herself long ago.
After breakfast, she returned to her room, intending to gather the gifts Ezra had given her and return them. But she realized something as she sorted through her things. In all the years they had been together, Ezra had barely given her anything.
The few gifts he had given were nothing but cheap trinkets. Even so, she had once cherished each one, locking them away in a drawer as if they were treasures.
Now, as she took them out, she saw that time had worn them down. The edges had yellowed, and mold had crept in. It was just like Ezra's feelings for her—decayed beyond repair.
Gianna shook her head. Ezra had always been a clean freak. He wouldn't take these things back even if she returned them.
She tossed everything into a metal bin without hesitation, along with every photo they had ever taken together. She then lit a match. Flames quickly roared to life, devouring every trace of the past.
When it was over, she left to complete her leave-of-absence paperwork at school. She planned to travel for the next few days to clear her mind.
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