Chapter 11

Those who truly wanted to leave would never make a grand farewell. They would simply put on a coat on an ordinary morning, push open the door, and never come back—like a withered leaf carried away by the wind. There would be no goodbyes and not even a single "see you later" as even that would be a waste. Ezra covered his face and broke into gut-wrenching sobs. He should have known. He had felt it coming. The moment he saw Gianna burn all their photos, he should have realized. That day, she had sat in the courtyard like always, but her eyes were empty and devoid of light. If only he had talked to her then, really talked to her—maybe things wouldn't have come to this. No… Perhaps the moment he stood by and let the Ramsey family force Gianna to give up her patent, the moment he became complicit in her suffering, her heart had already died. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment escape. This was the result of disappointment after disappointment until there was nothing left to feel. "No. I