The yacht docked at port just after dawn. No one said a word to me. Not Jacob. Not Luther. Not even Lavenia, who had cried so hard last night I almost believed her. Almost.

I stepped off the deck in silence, soaked to the marrow with salt and humiliation, my skin still chilled from nearly drowning—and not just in water. Jacob had pushed me. Straight into the dark waves. And he hadn’t even flinched.

“That’s what you get,” he’d said afterward. “For being jealous. For acting like the world owes you something.” Not a sorry. Not a hand offered. Not even a glance of regret. And when that stranger dove in, dragging me back to the dock—he vanished like mist. No name. No thanks. Just a blur in the crowd. A ghost in human form.

I stumbled back to the apartment alone. Shaking. Done. The second I stepped inside, I didn’t cry. I didn’t scream. I packed. Drawers opened. Suitcases filled. Clothes. Passports. Hard drives. The necklace my grandmother gave me. Anything worth keeping—anything untouched by them—was coming with me.

I was folding my last coat when my phone buzzed. A message from Lavenia. Not even pretending to be subtle this time. “Hey Pearl~ Check out my Insta! New pics!” The nerve.

I tapped the screen, already knowing what I’d see. There she was again—crowned and smug. Draped in one of my silk robes, the pink one from Milan I’d left on the yacht. Jacob beside her, shirtless, half-asleep, his arm around her and his nose nearly grazing her almost-exposed breast. Luther on her other side, holding her like she was some kind of queen. A queen of snakes.

Caption: “Best night ever with my fav boys. Thanks for making my birthday unforgettable. I loved every whip and bit of cream you gave me.”

“And guess what, Pearl? Jacob gave me your brand-new car. Said it was his money anyway, and the color suits me better. But don’t worry—I’ll let you borrow it… if you say please.” Then she posted my car on her Insta. I just laughed.

I tapped the little heart under her post, let it turn red, and tossed my phone on the bed. Tomorrow, I’d be gone. And when I left, I wasn’t taking ghosts with me.

Chapter 1 4/4 3.7% 09:52 Mon, 26 May

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I submitted my resignation at the firm that afternoon, handed it in with a smile and shook a few hands like I wasn’t dismantling my entire life. When I got back to the apartment, it was time for the final cut.

I dragged out a worn leather box from under the bed—heavy with memories and promises. Inside were the tokens of my past with them, each one a shard of what we used to be. Jacob’s silver necklace, delicate and engraved with a secret phrase only we ever knew. Luther’s old cigarette lighter, battered and cold, but still weighted with memories of smoky nights and whispered secrets. The cracked glass of Jacob’s luxury watch, frozen in time, ticking no more.

I pulled out the crumpled love letters Jacob had written me when I was sixteen—folded poems hidden away, words I’d believed once were forever. Alongside them, notes from Luther—carefully folded, tucked beneath my door during sleepless nights at college. There was the leather jacket Jacob promised would be mine forever, its worn sleeves smelling faintly of his cologne. Luther’s dented motorcycle helmet, the one we’d joked about racing across the countryside with. And the tiny music box that played our song—the one we all loved—now silent and gathering dust.

Click. Flame. I set the edge of the leather jacket alight first. It curled, blackening quickly. I tossed in the letters, the necklace, the lighter, the watch. Each item caught fire, the flames licking hungrily at the remnants of us.

By the time Jacob burst into the room, half my past was already ash. “Pearl—what the fuck are you doing?!” His voice cracked, eyes wild. I didn’t flinch. “Getting rid of mold.”

“Bullshit!” He stepped closer, desperation in his voice. “These aren’t just things. They’re our memories.”

Luther followed, eyes darting to the burning pile. He lunged to grab the map but yelped when the flames bit at his fingers. “You’re insane. You just destroyed everything we had.”

I met his gaze, cold and steady. “You gave my car to Lavenia. She gets the gifts, she can keep the memories too.”

“You’re really doing this? Are you still not done throwing tantrums? You ruined her birthday last night with your immaturity.”

I smiled, bitter and calm. “Yeah. I’m done. This is the last time… you’ll ever see me.”

They watched the smoke curl up to the ceiling, the ashes settling like the end of us. Funny how they almost burned the city down for Lavenia’s fake tears—but when I was breaking apart, not one of them asked why. Now, they cried over what was left in flames.

Chapter 2