Chapter 7

There were three more days before Emily's flight to Verusa. Jessica sent her a photo of Samuel preparing a barbecue on the beach. Jessica: "He's celebrating the fact that I'm carrying his baby by rewarding me with a holiday to the Mardorca Islands. He says that pregnancy is hard on a woman, so he wants me to just lie still and wait for him to prepare the food for me." Emily didn't bother responding to Jessica. Instead, she got in touch with a few of her closest friends, including Grace Moore, her best friend, and planned a meetup. After all, once she left, she wouldn't be able to see them anymore. She had a lot of fun during the gathering with her friends. … Two days before the flight to Verusa, Jessica sent another photo—one of Samuel engrossed in a book titled "Handbook of Infant Education". Jessica: "The soon-to-be father cares a lot about the baby's early development. Our baby's still the size of a pea, but he's already talking to the baby every day." As usual, Emily didn't respond. She went to the bank and withdrew all the money from her account. After exchanging everything into the currency she needed for Verusa, she closed her bank account and cancelled all the cards. … It was the day before Emily left for Verusa, and this time, Jessica sent a video of a lovely fireworks display by the ocean. In the video, Jessica was moved to tears, and Samuel held her gently while coaxing her, "Why are you crying? There will be plenty more surprises for you in the future." Jessica: "He booked the entire island for me and even bought all the fireworks available in Mardorca Islands just to celebrate my birthday." So, it was Jessica's birthday today. Emily figured the two must be thrilled to be celebrating both Jessica's birthday and their baby. After watching the video, Emily chuckled faintly before calling a local charity. "Hi. I'd like to donate some clothes to charity." Soon, a representative from the local charity organization came over for the pick-up. While Samuel was away, Emily packed everything up. She donated five large bags of clothes and shoes without keeping anything for herself. She also gathered the identification documents, academic credentials, and other things that belonged to "Emily Anderson", as well as all of the things she used daily. She took them all to the nearest crematorium and paid the staff to burn them all for her. Now, as she stood in front of the house she had lived in for five years, it felt a little foreign to her. She had gone through the entire house and removed every trace of her. All Emily had with her was her purse with her passport. The only old belonging she kept with her was the phone she was still holding, which she used to hail a cab to the airport. When the cab pulled up outside the airport, Emily was just about to pay for the ride when she got a call from Samuel. "I'm back from my business trip, Emmy. Let's grab some food together. I'll drop by the house now to pick you up." Samuel was back, alright, and Jessica was right beside him. Still seated in the car, Emily happened to see the two exiting the arrival hall together. Samuel was lugging two suitcases along—a blue one and a pink one that obviously looked like a matching set. Meanwhile, Jessica was holding his arm and leaning her head against his shoulder. "Are you tired from the trip?" Emily asked over the phone. "I'm fine. I'm not that tired. Oh, by the way, if I recall correctly, you said I could open the gift you got me today, right?" "That's right." "I can't wait! You made me wait an entire week. It's been on my mind every day. I kept wondering what it could be. Since it's for our wedding anniversary, I'm sure it's something extremely meaningful, right?" "It's very meaningful, alright. You'll understand once you see it," Emily replied. "Okay. Wait for me. I should be home in about two hours," Samuel said. Two hours? That was enough. By then, Emily's flight would've left the country. "Alright." "I'll see you later. Love you, Emmy." Once the call ended, Emily saw the way Jessica pouted in displeasure. Samuel leaned down and pecked her on the lips as if to appease her. "You haven't paid for the ride yet, miss," the driver reminded Emily. Emily withdrew her gaze and transferred all the money in her Venmo account to the driver. After checking the amount, the driver grew flustered and exclaimed, "You entered the wrong amount, miss! The ride is only 50 dollars, not 5,000! I'll transfer the difference back to you right away." "No need," Emily said as she opened the door and disembarked from the cab. "I won't be needing the money anymore. Thanks for bringing me here." "Not at all. I'm only doing my job. You paid for the ride, so it's my duty to bring you here." "You don't understand. The ride you gave me is allowing me to embark on a new life." After getting out of the cab, Emily turned off her phone and took out her SIM card. She tossed the SIM card into the nearest trash bin before handing the phone to a child. The child was thrilled. "Thanks, miss!" "You're welcome," Emily said with a smile as she stroked the boy's head. The mother, on the other hand, felt awkward about it. "We can't possibly accept such an expensive gift from you." "Are you two heading abroad?" Emily asked. "That's right. We're heading to Abrantia to meet up with his father." Smiling, Emily insisted, "You should take it then. You might need it when you get to Abrantia." "Very well then. Thank you very much." Emily waved them off, saying, "Have a safe flight." Just then, the airport intercom rang out. "Attention. This is the final boarding call for Ms. Aria Skye. Kindly proceed to Gate H23 immediately. Your flight is about to depart…" Clutching her passport, Emily took one last look around before heading to the departure gate.