Chapter 15: The Last Goodbye

Cecilia's phone slipped from her grasp, falling into the rain-soaked ground as its screen faded to black. Leaning against her father's tombstone, she clutched her puppet, braving the relentless downpour. It felt as if she could see her father approaching, a gentle smile on his face. Those who loved deeply were idealists; those who seldom loved, realists. Regardless, regrets always remained.

At Daltonia Villa, Nathaniel stared at the disconnected call, unease gnawing at him. He redialed, only to hear the automated voice: "Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later…" He rose, donned his coat, and started for the door, pausing before he reached it. Cecilia was playing hard to get, he reasoned. They were on the brink of divorce—why should her actions matter to him?

Returning to his bedroom, sleep eluded him. Cecilia's words echoed in his mind: "If I had known what my mother and brother did, I would never have married you. If I had known you always had feelings for Stella… I would never have married you. If I had known my father would be in a car accident on my wedding day… I wouldn't have married you."

Almost unconsciously, Nathaniel found himself outside Cecilia's room. Over a month had passed since she left. He opened the door and stepped inside. The room was plunged in darkness, the emptiness suffocating. He switched on the light; the room was barren, devoid of personal belongings.

Nathaniel sat heavily, opening the bedside drawer. Inside, he found a small notebook. On one page, a single sentence was written: "I believe that the one who truly chooses to leave experiences the greatest pain. This is because her heart has already endured countless struggles before she finally made up her mind."

Nathaniel scoffed at the elegant script. "Pain? All these years I've spent with you, don't you think I've suffered too?" he muttered, tossing the notebook into the trash. But when he left the room, the notebook lay neatly on the bedside table. Nathaniel did not sleep that night.

Meanwhile, Calvin also lay awake. He sensed something was amiss with Cecilia in recent days, but couldn't pinpoint it. Around four in the morning, Martha called. "Cal, please check on Ceci. I had a strange dream."

Concerned, Calvin sat up. "What dream?"

"I dreamt something happened to Ceci. She came to me, drenched in rain, begging me not to forget to take her home," Martha said, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her face. "I was terrified, but when I called her, no one answered. A few days ago, she told me to pick her up on the fifteenth. Something feels wrong…"

Hearing this, Calvin recalled Cecilia's recent behavior. He quickly dressed. "Don't worry, I'm going to find her."

Their houses were close. Within ten minutes, Calvin arrived and opened her door. An eerie silence greeted him. The bedroom door stood ajar; the room was completely empty. Cecilia was gone. He couldn't imagine where she had gone.

Beside the pillow, he saw two envelopes. He opened one, finding a will addressed to him. It read:

"Calvin, I've already transferred the rent to your card. Thank you for looking after me these past few days. You know, ever since I arrived in Tudela, I haven't had any friends. Before we met again, I thought I was such a loser, not even having a single friend. Thankfully, I met you again. You showed me that I wasn’t as bad as I thought, and for that, I’m truly grateful… Please, don’t be upset. I’m just going to see my father; he’ll take care of me."