I don’t remember how I got out of bed, or how long it took me to walk from the general ward to the morgue.
My hands trembled as I lifted the white sheet. My mother lay there, peaceful, almost smiling.
A nurse walked in and handed me a folded note. “Your mother left this for you.”
I unfolded it, tears soaking the black ink on white paper. My eyes fell on the last line.
Allie, I don’t want to be the shackle that holds you back. You were meant to be free, not to keep bending yourself for my sake. Go fly, my little girl. I will always love you.
After the nurse left, I pulled out my phone and saw my plane ticket had been canceled—three hours ago.
The moment I rebooked it, David called.
I could hear fireworks popping in the background. His voice slid into my ears, every word sharp and deliberate.
“Allie, stop being childish. Once I wrap up work, I’ll take you to Europe for a vacation. And really—buying an oversea ticket without me? I don’t want you being sneaky like this again, understand?”
For a moment, that familiar teasing lilt in his voice made my chest tighten in a way I hated.
He used to talk to me like this all the time—back when he stayed by my side every day, when we couldn’t bear to part even for a moment.
But then Peyton’s voice cut in, bright and sweet.
“David, can I sleep at your place tonight? Please?”
My fingers clenched around the phone until my knuckles went white. I stayed quiet, listening.
Then came the dead tone—he’d hung up.
When I checked, the ticket was canceled again.
Something was wrong. Ignoring my body’s pain and the doctor’s protests, I forced my discharge papers through.
Under a pale moon, I finally found a shop that could check my phone after two hours of searching.
The clerk glanced at it and whistled. “This looks like a top-level intrusion system. Miss, did you offend someone from the Callahan Group?”
I never imagined David would use that technology on me.
I’d been the one to help him solve its final flaws back when he was still developing it. It had secured his standing in the Callahan Family.
I’d even joked once, asking if he’d ever use it on me.
And he had said never.
The ride back to the villa took half an hour.
In that time, my phone’s trending feed never stopped—
#Breaking! Downbury’s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Callahan, sets off fireworks for his beloved#
#Exclusive! Callahan’s grand fireworks proposal—sweet enough to melt#
There was a video attached. My finger twitched before tapping it open.
David was on one knee before Peyton, gazing up at her with open affection.
He said he couldn’t help himself and had to confess.
She said she’d already liked him for a long time.
The comments were full of congratulations, begging for a piece of wedding cake.
I stood frozen. David had never proposed to me like that.
Because he’d said, “We’re a contractual marriage. You’re just here to help me fight my family. Don’t expect more.”
And when we fell in love for real, he’d said, “Silly girl, you own my heart and my soul. Why do you care about those meaningless rituals?”
Now I understood.
If someone won’t take your hand in marriage, they were never the one.
By the time I got home, pale-faced, the smell of spicy fish filled the air. The sharp scent made me cough violently, saline from my IV still stinging my throat.
At the dining table, Peyton looked up as if only just noticing me. “Oh, Allie, you’re back.”
Then she turned to David, her tone coy. “David, did you tell Allie you were cooking, so she’d show up just in time for dinner?”
“If you’d told me sooner, I would’ve saved her the chopping work. Then maybe I wouldn’t have been so clumsy and cut my hand.”
She held up her hand with its cutesy cartoon Band-Aid, her gaze toward me full of smug triumph.
