Chapter 9

Everyone around us was busy making wishes upon the golden mountain.

I looked up and saw Charles with his eyes closed, as if he were whispering a wish in his heart.

I couldn't help but wonder: Right now, was he thinking about me in his arms, or was he hoping for a lifetime with Sophia?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Charles opened his eyes and met my gaze.

He looked genuinely happy, grinning as he teased, "Why are you staring at me like that?

"It's not every day you get to see the golden mountain. Did you make a wish?"

Back then, when my love for him was at its fiercest, I made wishes at every holy mountain and every monastery I visited.

And every single wish was the same, to be with him forever.

I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. "I already made my wish back at the Coralmere Overlook..."

Before I could finish, Charles's phone rang.

Sophia was calling.

I quietly moved away, slipped on my coat, and wrapped my scarf around me.

Charles glanced at me, paused as if he wanted to say something, then stepped aside to take the call.

As the golden mountain slowly faded, I hesitated for a moment, then pulled out my phone, snapped a photo, and posted it to my feed.

I captioned it with just two words: "No regrets."

This was my final note to the world.

Even if I'm leaving with so many regrets, I still want to say "no regrets".

"Emily..." Charles called out.

After finishing his call, he came over with a hint of reluctance and said, "We should head back."

I knew he meant going back to Riverside City.

We've come far enough on this journey.

So I said, "Alright, let's go back to the hotel and pack up."

Charles looked like he wanted to say something else, but I didn't ask. I just walked away.

We packed up and took a different route back to Highland City.

That night, we were back in Highland City.

After returning the car, we had dinner on Gallery Lane.

Charles pulled out his phone to check the flight info. "There's a flight to Riverside International Airport tonight. We can just grab a cab and head straight there."

But I was thinking, let's just part ways here.

I cut him off, keeping my expression icy.

"You promised you'd road trip with me for seven days, and now it's only day five and you're already in a hurry to leave? What, is your little girlfriend acting up or something?"

Charles looked stunned for a second, then his face darkened.

"What little girlfriend? I'm going back because..."

"Stop making excuses," I cut him off again.

"Sophia called you at the Coralmere Overlook. You were already thinking about leaving then, weren't you?

"And the night before last, you spent the whole night soothing her. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

I started out just trying to pick a fight, hoping he'd leave, but as I kept talking, my anger really started to flare up.

I let go of the pride I'd been clinging to, and I couldn't keep lying to myself anymore.

Even though Charles pretended to be fully present with me these past few days, his mind kept drifting away.

Charles stared at me, stunned. "You heard that?"

I pulled the divorce papers out of my bag, didn't even bother to look at them, just signed and tossed them to him.

"Take these and go patch things up with her. I'll finish this journey on my own."

With that, I stood up and walked straight out of the restaurant.

I hadn't gone far when Charles called out from behind me, "Emily!"

I stopped and turned to look at him.

Gallery Lane was lighting up, tourists weaving through the crowds, and pilgrims prostrating every few steps along the street, their devotion on full display.

As the sky faded into dusk, Charles stood at the edge between faith and reality, his eyes full of conflicting emotions as he looked at me.

"Emily, come back with me."

He softened his voice. "There are things I'll explain to you, slowly, in time."

My breath caught, and it felt like every part of me was seizing up inside.

I knew. He was telling me we didn't have to end things.

But it was already too late...

In that instant, a tidal wave of regret crashed over me. I could barely breathe.

I clenched my fists, fighting back tears. "I don't need it. Your explanations don't matter anymore.

"I made a vow, and I hope you'll keep your word."

When he heard me, the emotions in Charles's eyes faded like the tide, and he retreated back into his cold, unreadable shell.

He was silent for a long moment before finally saying, "Alright, I'll head back to Riverside City first. If you change your mind, just let me know."

With that, he turned and walked away, each step taking him farther from me.

Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of loss crashed over me.

I knew. This was truly the end. This goodbye was forever.

I was hit with regret for all the hurtful things I'd said, and realized I hadn't even given him one last hug.

There could have been a better way to say goodbye, so why did it have to end like this, so painfully and undignified?

I counted every step he took away from me, thinking to myself.

If he just stopped and turned around, I'd run to him and hold him tight, without caring about anything else.

If he just gave me one more glance back...

But as his figure disappeared at the end of the street, he never once turned back.

I couldn't hold back my emotions any longer. I crouched in the corner, buried my face in my hands, and sobbed uncontrollably.

What I didn't realize was, while I was waiting for Charles to turn back, he was hoping for the same thing.

If I'd just called out to him, he would've stopped, turned around, and stayed by my side.

So this was our ending.

We walked away from each other in silence, and there was no turning back.