Chapter 9

The decision was made. Whether she would regret it or not was irrelevant; she would leave.

“I’ve arranged for Ken to take you to the pickup point the day after tomorrow,” Uncle Johnson finally said.

Calista nodded, knowing argument was futile.

As she left the study, she found Ken waiting by the door, his face troubled. “Why did you throw away everything I ever gave you?”

Calista’s heart skipped a beat. He’d found the letters and gifts at the dump. Once, she’d treasured every moment of their relationship. Whether a doodled note or an expensive watch, she’d carefully preserved them all. She remembered when their housekeeper had discarded her collection of letters without asking. That night, she’d frantically searched, retrieving every discarded piece in tears. Ken had been so angry he’d fired the housekeeper on the spot.

Now, Calista’s voice was empty. “They were taking up space. I needed to clear them out,” she paused. “They’re useless now, anyway.”

Ken searched her face intently, desperate for any flicker of emotion. But her expression remained perfectly blank. What she’d once considered precious treasures, she now dismissed as worthless. The realization tightened his chest inexplicably. He wanted to speak—anything—but the words wouldn't come.

Then Viola appeared. “Ken, don’t be so harsh with her. She’s just trying to get your attention again.”

Ken’s tension eased at Viola’s words, his expression hardening into disapproval. “Calista, you’re only making me more disgusted with this behavior.”

“You misunderstand,” Calista replied calmly. She walked to the kitchen, retrieved a match, and set the box of memories ablaze. Eight years of shared memories turned to ash in an instant.

Chapter 9

“Calista, what are you doing?” Ken instinctively moved to extinguish the flames, but Viola held him back.

Calista met his panicked gaze with a cold one. “What you don’t want to see—burn it, and it’s done.”

As the box crumbled to ashes in the yard, Ken felt as if something was being torn from his heart.

Perhaps out of spite, Ken spent the next few days flaunting his affection for Viola in front of Calista. But she remained silent, barely giving them any expression. When Viola asked for her opinion on their new house’s design, she offered practical suggestions without hesitation.

Her indifference frustrated Ken more than any reaction could have. He could feel her leaving his world, becoming a stranger.

The night before the satellite base transfer, Ken knocked on her door—something he’d never done before. “I’m driving the new researchers to the base tomorrow. I’ll bring you back something interesting.”

Calista smiled faintly. “Okay.”

Early the next morning, she loaded her bags into the car, ready to leave everything behind.