On this day, twenty years later, they parted ways. From that moment on, they would go their separate ways and no longer have any connections to each other.
They ultimately became strangers.
Nathan began to pack his things. He submitted the transfer report and had to buy his own apartment in Maple City.
When the time came, he would just move his luggage in.
While browsing single-room apartments online, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was a notification for an update on Seraphine's social media account.
The post showed Willy, his face full of happiness, standing between the two women, holding a bouquet of white roses.
"May you sail through the winds and waves, my boy."
The bold confession was completely out of character for Seraphine. Nathan could immediately tell that it was Willy who had posted it.
What confused him even more was that Seraphine, who had a cleanliness obsession, never allowed anyone to touch her things, yet now, Willy was the exception.
Nathan knew exactly what Willy's intention was. He was showing off in front of him.
As expected, a private message popped up immediately after.
“Nathan, tonight, Olive and Seraphine aren't coming back. They insisted on staying with me to continue the celebration. Sorry about that. Please don't be mad."
If this had happened before, Nathan would have felt deeply hurt or would have confronted them.
Now, he felt no emotion at all.
He glanced indifferently at the message from Willy. In the end, he blocked him.
From this moment on, Olive and Seraphine were no longer part of his life
He chose a one-bedroom apartment, paid the deposit and began packing his things.
The apartment was spacious, with four rooms. Nathan slept in the master bedroom, which was filled with the items Olive and Seraphine had bought for him.
From the smallest toothbrush holder to the bed he slept in and the clothes he wore, none of these things would be going with him.
As he sifted through his belongings, something caught his eye, a jewelry box. It was carefully wrapped and tucked away in the cabinet.
He opened it and found a finely crafted wristwatch inside. In an instant, Nathan remembered the story behind this watch.
It was one of a set of watches that Olive and Seraphine had made. His name was engraved on the watch. Each of the three of them had one.
However, Nathan had been so busy that he kept it safely stored, fearing it might get scratched or damaged.
The watch face was exquisitely detailed and because it had been well cared for, there wasn’t a single scratch on it.
Nathan carefully ran his fingers over the engravings on the watch. Since he was leaving, he knew he had to get rid of the things that weren’t his.
With that in mind, he was about to toss the watch into the pile of miscellaneous items. Just then, the door to the hallway creaked open.
Olive and Seraphine had returned and saw this scene.
Olive reacted first. She rushed over, trying to save the watch.
The watch flew through the air in a perfect arc before crashing into the pile of clutter, instantly shattering into pieces.
In that moment, Olive’s eyes welled up with tears. Her voice trembled as she asked, "What are you doing?"
Nathan’s expression remained emotionless. “It’s been sitting there too long. It’s broken.”
He walked over to the pile of broken pieces and there was still one intact watch face remaining.
Olive thought he was going to pick it up, but instead, Nathan forcefully slammed it down onto the ground again, making Olive utterly shock.
This time, there was no chance of repair.
“Even if it was broken, you could have fixed it. Why did you smash it like this?” Olive gathered the shattered pieces into her hands, her eyes already filled with tears.
Seraphine, standing beside her, also had red-rimmed eyes.
Nathan felt a wave of mockery rise within him. Hadn't they already stopped caring about him?
