Chapter 6
Fabian stood by, coldly watching Valerie. Knowing that she had just suffered a few broken ribs from the collision, he couldn’t help but interverie.
“Don’t dirty my mom’s grave. Go wait in the car.”
Valerie struggled to her feet. She stumbled as she made her way out.
Only then did Matthew realize that Fabian had been keeping Valerie by his side all this time. His expression darkened, his brows furrowed, and a hint of sorrow flickered in his
eyes.
“Fabian, tell me the truth. Do you still love that woman?”
Fabian turned his gaze away, refusing to look at Matthew, but his body trembled slightly. “No, I don’t love her anymore. The only thing I feel for her now is hatred. Nothing else.”
For the first time, Matthew’s tall frame seemed fragile. He looked at Fabian. His white hair was a stark contrast to Fabian’s youth, while his eyes carried the weight of age.
“You’re my son. You can’t hide anything from me. Fabian, Valerie killed your mom. Even if you still have feelings for her, you can never be together. How can you love the person who killed your mom? How could she rest in peace if she saw this from above?”
His words froze Fabian in place.
For all these days, he had been numbing himself by telling himself he only hated Valerie. Keeping her close was just for revenge.
But deep down, he knew that was a lie he told himself to cope.
After a long silence, he finally said, “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll marry Sasha soon. And I’ll make sure Valerie leaves. She’ll never show her face before us again.”
In the final days leading up to the wedding, Fabian didn’t try to torment Valerie with any more tricks. Instead, he drove her out alone.
They went to the place where they used to date–Lover’s Bridge.
When they came here for the first time, Valerie had sprained her ankle, and Fabian had carried her all the way to the bridge. Together, they had locked a padlock on the bridge, which symbolized their happily ever after.
But this time, the scene had changed. The once deeply connected lovers were no longer the same.
Fabian searched for a long time before finding the spot where they had left their lock.
He took out a pair of bolt cutters and silently cut the lock off. Without hesitation, he tossed it into the lake.
Next, he took Valerie to Salvation Church on the outskirts of the city, where he untied the wish ribbon they had tied together.
The ribbon still bore their wishes. “Fabian and Valerie will be forever together.”
As the wind blew, the ribbon drifted down the cliff, disappearing out of sight.
After that, they visited the seaside where they had first declared their love and the park where they had buried a wishing tree together.
Valerie knew exactly what Fabian was doing. He was erasing every trace of their love.
Just like her, Fabian had decided it was time to completely cut each other out of their lives.
After visiting all the places they once cherished, Fabian leaned against the car door and chain–smoked heavily.
Once the cigarette butts burned down to nothing, he pulled a check from his pocket and handed it to Valerie.
“The money in here should cover the broken bottles at the club. The rest is for you to buy a plane ticket. Never come back into my life again. Don’t tell me where you’re going and don’t let me find you.”
Valerie’s palm bled from where her nails dug into her skin. It felt like her heart was being twisted, which made her struggle to breathe.
After a long while, she finally took the check and replied calmly, “Okay.”
Their eyes met, and they both spoke at the same time.
“Farewell, Valerie.”
“Farewell, Fabian.”
Fabian lowered his gaze, not sparing her another look. He turned and walked away without a second glance.
Valerie stood silently. She watched his figure fade away before she slowly turned and walked in the opposite direction.
