With a steady breath, I whispered, “Goodbye,” to the space—and to the girl who had once believed that love alone could hold people together.

Then I picked up my suitcase, stepped out the door, and didn’t look back. I checked into a modest hotel across town—something temporary until my flight. No goodbyes. No closure.

Just silence.

It wasn’t peace yet, but it was the closest I’d come in years.

I was sipping tea in the hotel room when my phone buzzed.

Nathan: What is happening? Why is there someone here picking up our things??

I didn’t answer right away. I let him stew in confusion for a moment. Then I typed back: Oh, that’s the eviction notice.

A second later, he called.

I answered.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded. “Eviction? Why are movers here? Is this some joke?”

“I’m selling the apartment,” I said calmly. “The papers were signed this morning.”

“You can’t sell it!” he shouted. “We didn’t agree to that!”

“I don’t need your agreement,” I said coldly. “It’s my apartment. You’ve never paid a single cent. Not for rent, not for electricity, not even for the groceries.”

He went quiet, but only for a second.