Part 2Ten Days to Goodbye

When I walked out of my room early the next morning, Alex was already making breakfast.

As if nothing had happened, he smiled and said, "Good morning. Come have breakfast."

I glanced at the food on the table and said tiredly, "I'm allergic to eggs."

He had been spreading mayonnaise on the toast. When he heard that, he froze. Then he threw the slice of toast in front of me into the trash. "I forgot. Then go grab something outside."

I gave a quiet "okay" and turned to leave when Alex suddenly asked, "Don't you think we've become strange? Charlotte, we're like strangers."

I looked into his distant eyes and laughed bitterly.

"No. Strangers don't argue. We're worse than strangers. But whose fault is that? Mine?"

After I asked, neither of us spoke.

We stood there facing each other, and neither one of us was willing to give in.

In the end, his phone rang and broke the silence.

He answered with a blank expression. "Okay, Grandpa. Charlotte and I will be there on time."

After hanging up, he rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily and looked at me with mixed emotions.

"Let's leave the past in the past. Tomorrow is Grandpa's 80th birthday party. Let's go together. Don't let him notice anything is wrong."

I sighed. "All right."

Then I went to the neighborhood café for breakfast, keeping the video call on the whole time.

She hadn't said a word. I was the first to speak.

"What are you thinking about?"

She looked lost.

"I just never imagined that Alex and I would end up like this. We don't share anything anymore. We don't tell each other we love each other. All that's left is blame and resentment."

I froze for a moment and didn't answer.

The leaves throughout the neighborhood had been knocked to the ground by last night's storm.

They made a soft rustling sound under my feet.

The sound reminded me of the days when Alex carried me on his back while walking over these same leaves after I got hurt. But everything had changed.

When the café owner saw me, he smiled and asked, "Good morning, Ms. Murphy. The usual? A bagel and oatmeal. And you're allergic to eggs, so no eggs, right?"

I smiled. "That's right."

Even the café owner remembered that I was allergic to eggs, but Alex had forgotten.

The next day, he picked me up to go to the Jensen Mansion.

I sat quietly in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing streets.

After a while, Alex suddenly asked, "You know Lydia saved Grandpa's life before, right?"

I turned to look at him. "What are you trying to say?"

He pressed his lips together. "So Lydia will be at Grandpa's birthday party today too. I didn't invite her. Grandpa did."

I didn't know how to react. Honestly, I wasn't surprised.

After forcing down the pain in my heart, I answered, "That's fine. I don't have a problem with it."

There were only three days left anyway. Three days from now, the Charlotte from the past would change history, and there would no longer be any future for us.

He looked surprised by my answer.

Then he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. After a long silence, he finally said, "That's good."

I could hear Charlotte crying through my earbuds.

I had gotten used to this cold way of living together. I had already accepted that our relationship could never be fixed.

But I knew this was cruel to her. It was like riding a roller coaster.

"How could he treat you like this?"

I didn't know how to comfort her, so I stayed silent.

Not long after that, we arrived at the Jensen Mansion.

The moment we got out of the car, a pretty young woman came running toward us from across the yard.

"Alex, I thought we'd never see each other again."

She was crying too, and Alex comforted her.

Without caring who was watching, he gently wiped away her tears.

"Don't cry. Now that I'm back, I won't let anyone send you away again."

The whole thing felt painfully ironic. I said honestly, "You can do whatever you want. I won't stop you. Just don't make me sound like the villain who's trying to keep you apart."

Lydia curled her lips in disdain.

Alex, however, frowned deeply, looking completely confused.

I knew exactly what confused him. He couldn't understand why I could be so calm about all of this.

I turned my eyes away.

It wasn't because I was being generous. I had simply let go.