The notification arrived just as the first light of morning crept through my window.
“Dear Ms. Trinidad Dela Torre, this is to confirm your one-way flight to Finland on June 20. We are thrilled to have you aboard. Your father has arranged all the details and eagerly awaits your reunion.”
For a moment, I couldn’t draw a single breath. My eyes clung to the screen, rereading the words over and over, as though doing so might somehow rewrite reality. But the message didn’t change. My father had truly arranged everything. At last… he had accepted me back.
I wrapped my arms around myself, forcing back the surge of emotion threatening to spill over. Finland. In just five days. It felt as if the universe had cracked open a small, gleaming door—one last chance to reclaim the version of myself I had long buried. The illness that plagued me for years—both in body and soul—no longer mattered.
Five days. I could endure five days.
“I can survive this,” I whispered to the empty room. “Just five days.”
I told myself I would behave. I’d prepare their meals with care, clean, make sure everything was perfect. I would leave the house in immaculate order, like a polite ghost—silent, unnoticed, forgotten.
The thought almost made me laugh.
I was still leaning by the window when a sharp knock rattled the door. Impatient.
I opened the gate to see a delivery man with an oversized cap shading his eyes, holding a medium-sized box.
“Package for Dela Torre?” he asked, tilting his head.
I nodded.
“No sender listed. Just… enjoy your trip?” He shrugged, handing me the parcel.
The box felt firm in my hands, surprisingly light yet solid, perfectly sealed. Something about it thrummed beneath my fingers.
Inside, I discovered five glossy travel pouches—first-class plane tickets, hotel confirmations, thick winter coats still scented of newness, and detailed itinerary booklets. Each piece was labeled clearly: Helsinki. Aurora Borealis. December Sky Tour. For five guests.
My knees weakened. Five tickets. The dream I’d clung to in secret, the fantasy of snow and foreign skies, shimmering auroras, and quiet forests—it was suddenly real, tangible in my hands.
I lifted one of the coats, feeling its soft lining. My size.
Had Adrian… done this?
He had humiliated me countless times before, lashing out and then softening with gifts, indulgent apologies wrapped in gold paper. Perhaps this was another attempt at amends. He knew how desperately I had longed to see the Northern Lights.
A fragile, dangerous spark ignited in my chest: hope.
And then the door opened.
Adrian. His stride faltered when he noticed me holding the box.
“What the hell is that?” he barked, eyes narrowing.
I turned slowly, clutching one of the tickets. “I… I saw the delivery. I didn’t know you were planning something. But… thank you, Adrian. Truly. I’m not angry anymore. You got me the Finland trip I’ve always wanted.”
He blinked, then let out a scoff, striding forward to snatch the ticket from my hands.
“Who said these are for you?”
My stomach dropped. “But… there are five tickets—”
“They’re for Bianca and me. Sofia and her family. Business. Enjoy your stay at home.”
I forced a weak smile, trying to reason with him. “But… I could come too. Maybe just help out—”
He laughed, sharp and cruel, cutting through me like glass. “Why would you even go? What could you possibly do there, Cassandra? Negotiate with CEOs? You can’t even manage online banking.”
I opened my mouth, but only hollow air came out.
Adrian sneered. “We need someone to manage the house anyway. You’re good for nothing else.”
And there it was—the final thread of patience inside me snapped.
The stairs creaked.
“What’s going on?” Sofia asked, barely lifting her gaze from her phone.
“She saw the tickets,” Adrian muttered.
“Oh, those? That’s my gift for Aunt Bianca. I arranged it weeks ago.”
Gift. My ears burned.
What about me? After decades of giving, all I received was silence, scorn, and a title no one respected.
“And you,” Sofia added, “can you handle this checklist? We’re taking all of this to Finland. Don’t screw it up.”
She left as abruptly as she arrived. I remained, swallowing bitterness and forcing back tears.
Adrian’s phone buzzed. I started to retreat, but his words stopped me.
“Hey, baby,” he said casually. “Yeah, she saw it. Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. I’ll keep her occupied… I can’t wait to see the aurora with you.”
That was all.
I walked away before he could see the way I crumpled inward, jaw clenched, hands trembling. I had never felt so replaced in my life—not loved, not acknowledged, barely existing.
That night, I didn’t cry.
I packed their clothes meticulously. Ironed Bianca’s coats. Checked off every item on their precious list. Not for them, but to ensure they couldn’t accuse me of leaving chaos behind.
The next morning, I dressed deliberately. A beige blouse, slacks untouched for years, my old brown handbag. A subtle swipe of lipstick. The routine restored a shard of control.
I walked to the lawyer’s office alone.
The waiting room was silent. The receptionist offered tea. I declined. When my turn came, I sat across from a young man in a dark suit.
“I want a divorce,” I said firmly. “And to sever every tie with the Dela Torre family.”
