On the pillow, right where he would see it, I placed a large, velvet-wrapped gift box. Beside it, I placed an envelope.
Inside the envelope were two tickets to Italy—a fake itinerary I had printed out.
Inside the box were the divorce papers, wedding ring, and also the proof of his affair.
Two hours later, I was standing at the gate, clutching my passport. The boarding announcement for the flight to Zurich echoed through the terminal.
My phone rang.
It was Nathan.
I stared at the screen for a moment. Then, I answered.
“Karylle?” His voice was breathless, panicked. “Where are you? I’ve been looking everywhere. You just vanished from the party.”
“I’m leaving now, Nathan,” I said, my voice calm.
“Leaving? What do you mean? Leaving the party?”
“No,” I said. “I’m leaving for our vacation. I couldn’t wait. I took an earlier flight.”
“What?” He sounded confused. “Without me? But… we were supposed to go tomorrow. I haven’t even packed.”
“I know,” I said, injecting a note of sweetness into my voice. “But I wanted to surprise you. I left your ticket and a gift on the bed. It’s all arranged. Just go home, get your things, and follow me. I’ll be waiting.”
“Oh,” he exhaled, the relief palpable. “Oh, okay. You crazy girl. You scared me again. Grandpa thought we fought, so tell him we didn't, so he would also talk about the inheritance.” He laughed. “I’m leaving the party now. I’ll head straight home, grab the ticket, and catch the next flight out. I’ll see you soon, baby.”
“Sure,” I said. “Goodbye, Nathan.”
“I love you,” he said.
I didn’t respond. I pulled the phone away from my ear.
I walked over to the nearest trash bin.
I looked at the device one last time—the connection to my old life, to his lies, to the pain. I dropped it in. It landed with a dull thud among the coffee cups and wrappers.
I turned around, straightened my spine, and handed my boarding pass to the attendant.
