The Real Goodbye

His phone rang and he patted my shoulder apologetically. "Zoey, there's an urgent matter at the company. I have to go back!" Just like that, Keith left me alone at the birthday party. I wasn't a naive girl anymore—I could clearly sense the mockery, schadenfreude and pity in the eyes of others. When I returned to Keith's house feeling disheartened, his parents were still awake. As soon as Camilla saw me, she let out a cold scoff. "Six years and you're still such a useless thing. My poor son." "Enough! Don't say any more," Charles said as he pulled her away, but I could still hear the disdain in her voice. I shut the door to my room and gently traced the edges of my parents' photo. Perhaps it was the cool night breeze, but tears began to fall. "Mom, Dad, I don't want anything. I just … I just want a home, I whispered." I sat on the floor the entire night, waiting. Unfortunately, Keith didn't come back. Instead, I woke up to see the paparazzi's photo of Keith kissing a woman. When he returned in the morning, his explanation was casual. "A kiss? Zoey, you believe such things? I was merely helping a woman who had fallen." His excuse was weak, but I forced myself to believe it. After all, Keith had been kind to me for six years. He wouldn't betray me, would he? Looking back now, the fact that he didn't love me was so obvious, yet I had never seen it. I ran out of the restaurant and wandered through the pouring rain for what felt like forever. The cold raindrops on my skin couldn't compare to the chill in my heart. So, all these years—was I the one who mistook gratitude for love? Was it all just my wishful thinking? There were so many ways to repay a debt of gratitude. Why did Keith have to get engaged to me, needlessly causing me to lose myself for six years? I returned to Keith's house soaking wet, ignoring Camilla's usual sneers. After so many years, I had grown used to their disapproval. They never liked me, believing I wasn't good enough for Keith, but Elizabeth had always shown me kindness. With Keith's protection, I foolishly believed I could one day win them over. Now, I realized how ridiculous that was. How could Keith's parents not know his true feelings? In a daze, I dreamt of my parents. They waved at me, telling me to take care of myself and to take care of Keith. I screamed back at them, "No! I don't want to be with Keith anymore. I want to leave!" When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. It took me a few seconds to realize I was in a hospital. Turning my head, I saw Keith leaning against my bed, holding my hand as he slept. He looked so handsome—his high nose bridge, thin lips and delicate features exuded a cold, distant charm. Even in his dreams, the grip on my hand didn't lessen. If this had been before, my heart would've melted at his tenderness, but now, all I felt was bitterness. I tried to pull my hand away and the movement woke him up. His voice, still heavy with sleep, carried a trace of weariness. "Zoey, you ran off again, didn't you? What now? Is this because I didn't take you with me last night? You know those business gatherings are dull. You wouldn't even understand the conversations. Why not just go shopping with your friends instead?" He had claimed the night before that he was going out for work, but it was obvious he'd been drinking with his friends. He didn't want me to know what they discussed. His lies were paper-thin, so easy to tear apart, but what was the point of confronting him? I obediently nodded, keeping my gaze fixed on the window. "It won't happen again." Keith, I won't chase after you anymore. The gentle sunlight lit up his handsome face, devoid of any real emotion. It seemed as if, as long as I was obedient, he could continue to "love" me like this forever.

It's time to wake up from this shattered yet beautiful dream. "Zoey, you're still weak. I'll go buy you garlic bread and cream soup from Candor Street, okay?" Every time I got sick, Keith would buy me garlic bread and cream soup from that place. It wasn't because the food was particularly delicious, but because Candor Street was far away and the shop always had a long queue. I loved watching Keith busy himself for me—it felt like I could piece together evidence of his love for me through his actions. I smiled and nodded, hiding any trace of emotion that might betray me. Just as Keith reached for the door handle, his assistant hurried in. I caught a name in their hushed conversation—Sadie. Keith turned back to me, his face showing a hint of hesitation. "Zoey, there's an urgent matter at work. I have to go, but I promise I'll come back tonight and spend time with you. I swear!" "It's okay, go ahead and take care of it," I replied. There was no "I promise," only self-deception. Keith hired a caregiver to look after me, but I didn't have much of an appetite. My head was heavy and throbbing and the smell of disinfectant constantly dragged me back to the scene of my parents' death. They had been hit by a truck while saving Keith, who had snuck out. There was so much blood and the white gauze couldn't stop it. My mom held my hand. I cried loudly as if the sheer force of my sobs could snatch them back from Death's grip. Sadly, the heavens showed me no mercy. Keith's grandmother knelt before my parents' bodies and vowed to take care of me. I moved into the Jordan household. At first, everyone treated me well. However, things changed as time went on. I was just an orphan—how could I ever be worthy of Keith? When Elizabeth suggested an engagement between us, I was so nervous my fingers clenched tight and my heart skipped a beat. I looked at Keith with cautious hope. He smiled at me warmly, like the sun breaking through clouds. He unexpectedly agreed with this. I thought he liked me, but the phrase, "Zoey is just clinging to the favor her parents earned by saving my life," lingered in my mind like an unshakable shadow. Tears soaked into the sheets and I slept for a long time. So, long that night quietly descended. A cold gust of wind woke me when the door opened. A surge of joy bloomed in my chest when I saw Keith. He kept his promise; he really came. Unfortunately, the beautiful figure behind him easily and completely shattered my poor expectations. The way Keith looked at her was a gaze filled with tenderness mixed with caution. I recognized it too well. It was the look of someone gazing up at another person, full of affection and restraint. "He touched my forehead gently. "Good, no more fever." "Zoey, this is Sadie. Do you remember her? She used to live next door to my house. She went abroad six years ago and now she's back to work here. Her hand was injured, so I brought her to the hospital. When she heard you were sick, she insisted on stopping by to see you. You two chat for a bit—I'll go check with the doctor about your condition." I'd met Sadie once before. It was during a fireworks party, but I couldn't find Keith and went out to look for him. I saw him standing outside her building, holding a trembling rabbit in his arms. His feet shuffled nervously and he didn't even notice the snow on his hair. I recognized the rabbit—it was one Keith had picked out after a long search. Elizabeth had teased me, saying, "That boy really cares about you. He spent an entire day at the pet market finding just the right rabbit and it nearly froze him to death!" Now, I was the one frozen to the bone. Keith eagerly handed her the rabbit as if presenting a treasure when Sadie came out, but she turned her nose up at it. "Keith, it's so dirty!" After saying that, she ran back home without looking back. When Keith came back in despair, his arms were empty. I rushed out like crazy to find the rabbit, secretly took it back and hid it in the attic.

Still, the rabbit died three days later. I should have known then that what isn't meant to be yours can't be forced. Yet, I foolishly and naively tried to hold on to Keith's love. Keith went to the doctor's office while Sadie sat calmly by the bedside, her gaze steady on me. She was different from me—her face carried a poised and dignified smile and her flawless makeup exuded a mature elegance. "Zoey? That's a nice name, but what a pity you're not lucky in life." I frowned at her, unsure why she was saying this. She stretched out her hand under the light and chuckled, "Look at this. It's just a tiny cut, barely broke the skin, yet Keith panicked and rushed me to the hospital. He insisted on getting scans and blood tests—afraid of an infection. Honestly, by the time we finished, the wound was probably already healing. So, it's understandable that he didn't have time to buy you that garlic bread and cream soup from Candor Street, right?" "How do you know about the garlic bread and cream soup?" I asked, startled. Sadie looked at me playfully, with disdain in her eyes. "Why wouldn't I know? Those were comfort foods that Keith would buy for me whenever I was sick before I went abroad. You see, after all these years, some habits never change." My fingertips pinched the quilt a little tighter and finally dug into the palm. As a woman, I couldn't miss the provocation in her words. My numb heart suddenly stirred with the desire to fight back. I scoffed. "But he's still engaged to me. He’s, my fiancé. Whatever he did for you in the past is just that—the past. You're just someone living in past fantasies." Sadie didn't get angry. Instead, she leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Do you know why Keith agreed to be engaged to you?" I bit my lip, stubbornly refusing to yield even though I didn't have an answer. "Of course, it's because he loves me." Her red lips curved into a mocking smile and her cold fingers brushed against my cheek. "Six years ago, Keith confessed his feelings to me three days before he agreed to be engaged to you, but I rejected him. I told him I didn't like dating younger men. I told him to go find a younger girl, have some fun and then come back to me. I never expected he would actually do it. Isn't that hilarious?" As the pain in my heart surged, I stood up and pushed Sadie to the ground with all my strength. I shouted, "Then why did you come back? Get out! Get out!" Before Sadie could respond, Keith's angry voice rang out behind me. "Zoey, what are you doing?"

That night, I watched helplessly as Keith pulled Sadie into his arms, his face full of concern as he asked repeatedly if she was hurt. Then, without sparing me a second glance, he helped her out of the room. Before leaving, he threw one disgusted remark over his shoulder, "If you've lost your mind, clean it up and apologize when you're thinking straight." He never gave me a chance to explain and never asked why I acted that way. In his eyes, I was just a rude, brainless orphan—someone who would never understand proper behavior. The next day, I packed my things and checked out of the hospital. I went to see Elizabeth, the only person in this world who truly cared for me. She held my hands in sorrow, her voice trembling. "Zoey, are you really leaving? Keith has feelings for you. Won't you reconsider? That foolish boy—I'll set him straight for you. Please, don't go." I looked out at the bare trees outside the window. Parting was always sad, but things would get better eventually. "Grandma, I've already made up my mind. Please don't tell Keith for now." That afternoon, Keith called me. His voice had lost all its warmth. Ever since Sadie returned, everything had changed beyond recognition. "Zoey, why didn't you wait for me when you were discharged from the hospital? I rushed there for nothing! And about last night, no matter the reason, you shouldn't have resorted to violence. Can't you see that Sadie's hand is hurt? She told me you misunderstood our relationship. Zoey, can you stop being so unreasonable? We're not even married yet—what gives you the right to control who I can be friends with? With your attitude, I think we should postpone the wedding for a few years!" I didn't bother worrying about what Sadie had said about me to Keith. Instead, when I heard the words "postpone the wedding," I felt an unexpected sense of relief. "Keith, can you come with me to visit my parents the day after tomorrow?" I asked calmly. He was stunned, clearly not expecting such a quick change of topic. Normally, I'd have cried and explained that I only acted that way because I cared about him, but not this time. I was as calm as still water. "We'll see," he replied. After hanging up, I packed my belongings from Keith’s house and moved to a hotel while his parents weren't around. That evening, I called Keith again and asked him to come with me. Perhaps my humble tone made him think I was apologizing in a roundabout way, so he agreed. Two days later, I bought a bouquet of daisies and went to the cemetery. After tidying up around my parents' graves, I received a text message from an unknown number. "Zoey, you really have a bag of tricks. How long do you plan to use gratitude to manipulate Keith? Aren't you tired of these tactics? Believe it or not, with just one phone call from me, you definitely won't see him today." I didn't need to guess—it was Sadie. I indifferently turned off my phone. Meaningless things done by meaningless people were not worth my time. Keith and I had agreed to meet at 10 a.m., but as time passed, he still hadn't arrived. I called him, but there was no answer. I called again, but still no response. Finally, I made one last call and his assistant answered it. "Hello, Miss Sherman. Mr. Jordan is busy right now and can't take your call. Do you need me to pass along a message?" Through the faint noise on the line, I could hear Keith's anxious voice in the background. "Sadie, are you okay? Don't scare me! I'll take you to the hospital right now!" Then, I heard him mention me. "Zoey, what's your problem? Can't you visit the cemetery without me? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Stop calling me!" I let out a long sigh and hung up. "Keith, you don't know this yet, but I'll never visit the cemetery with you again." I placed the daisies at the base of my parents' gravestone, finally feeling a sense of true relief. "Mom, Dad, it's your Memorial Day and I'm here to see you. I wanted to bring Keith along to explain everything and say goodbye, but he's too busy. Maybe that's for the best—starting today, we're strangers. Mom and Dad, please forgive me and forgive Keith too. Let's end this debt of gratitude here." That night, I boarded a plane to France. The outsiders assumed I relied on the Jordans to survive for years. Still, they didn't know that I had never given up on my dream of becoming a fashion designer. Recently, I received an offer to collaborate with a well-known French brand. I thought my parents would be proud of me if I chose my dream over a messy love story. I changed my phone number and cut all ties with Keith.