Three days until I walked away from the life I’d been holding onto.
The following morning, I asked my mother to prepare a few farewell gifts for Aunt Lyra, as a thank-you for all the years she’d taken care of me.
That evening, while waiting for the delivery truck, I found Leonardo standing outside the building, watching me give instructions to the driver.
“What’s all this?” he asked, his gaze sharp.
“Just a few gifts,” I replied calmly. “They’re for my aunt.”
“Gifts?” His tone dropped. “Why?”
“Because I’m leaving soon.”
His eyes flickered with something unreadable, but he didn’t ask where or why. Perhaps he assumed I was bluffing.
Then Camila appeared, heels clicking against the pavement. She slipped effortlessly into Leonardo’s side, her hand looping through his arm as if it belonged there.
“Thank you for last night,” she said softly, looking up at him. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
I stepped back, unwilling to witness any more.
As I turned away, I heard her laugh lightly.
“She’s always so quiet, isn’t she? Sometimes I forget she’s even there.”
Whatever Leonardo replied didn’t matter anymore.
He had already chosen—again and again. And this time, I was finally choosing myself.
Anastasia's POV
Just as Aunt Lyra stepped down from the porch to welcome me, she froze halfway, her keen eyes darting from my face to the two figures standing beside me. I recognized that look immediately—she was about to speak her mind. I didn’t give her the chance.
“Mom asked me to drop these off for you,” I said smoothly, gesturing toward the stacked boxes. “Some of the items won’t last long, so you might want to organize them as soon as possible.”
I deliberately avoided looking at Leonardo—my former almost-everything. Over the past few weeks, his priorities had been painfully obvious. Still, today he surprised me by breaking the silence, his voice carefully neutral, as though rehearsed.
“Anastasia, don’t get the wrong idea,” he said. “Camila’s previous apartment was in a questionable area. I wasn’t comfortable leaving her there alone, so I helped her find a place nearby. I didn’t realize it was so close to your aunt’s house.” His gaze flicked to the crates. “Why are there so many boxes?”
As I directed the driver to move everything inside Aunt Lyra’s kitchen, I answered without emotion.