Chapter 3
Three days after her divorce, Isabel's mom called me.
Her voice was choked with emotion. "Scott, Isabel told me you gave her 60 thousand dollars. You're such a good kid."
"I already gave her the money. Please don't let it weigh on you," I said.
"But I just can't help feeling guilty," she said.
"You really don't need to feel guilty," I replied.
"Scott." She paused. "I have a favor to ask you."
I tightened my grip on the phone.
I knew that it was coming.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Isabel and that Mr. Cleveland... I'm really not sure about him. He's divorced, and I heard his ex-wife is still causing trouble.
"Isabel's so gentle. What if she gets hurt? Could you maybe keep an eye on her for me?"
"Madam." I cut her off. "We're already divorced."
"I know, but you spent four years together..."
"That's in the past," I said. "Her happiness from now on is her own concern, and Mr. Cleveland's. It has nothing to do with me."
There was silence on the other end.
"I should go now," I said.
I hung up and tossed my phone onto the table.
That was when it really hit me just how important that clause Jonas made me add was. "No further financial or legal obligations."
Helping someone out wasn't just about being kind.
I had to set boundaries.
Otherwise, I would always be the one who got taken advantage of.
The next day, I started packing up my things.
I gave away the clothes I didn't want, left the old furniture for Isabel, and left all the new stuff behind.
I only took three things, a vintage fountain pen set my mom left me, a notebook from my college days, and a small box with thirty-six photos of me and Isabel from our four years together.
I didn't burn them or throw them away. I sealed the box and tucked it away in the back of my storage cabinet.
That night, Jonas came over to see me off.
He brought a bottle of wine, and we sat in the empty living room.
"You really don't have any lingering thoughts?" Jonas asked.
"What are you talking about?" I replied.
"What if she comes back to you one day?"
I smiled.
"She won't," I said.
"How can you be so sure?" Jonas asked.
I said, "It was never about leaving me. She just wanted to go after the life she truly wanted."
Jonas stared at me for a bit, then let out a sigh. "Scott, you really take a lot, huh."
"It's not about enduring," I said, taking a sip of wine. "It's about seeing things for what they are."
"Seeing what, exactly?" Jonas asked.
"Figuring out what I actually have in my hands, and what I never did," I replied.
I set my glass down.
"Right now, I can't hold on to her," I said.
"What about in the future?" Jonas asked.
I didn't answer.
The day I left for Amraeryn, it was raining.
As the high-speed train pulled out of Rivertown Station, the rain started coming down hard.
I leaned against the window, watching the gray city fade into the distance.
My phone buzzed.
It was Isabel.
[Scott, I dropped off the property deed this afternoon. Left the keys with the property management. Got the 60 thousand dollars too, thanks.]
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Then I replied with just two words: [Take care.]
After that, I deleted her from my contacts.
Not blocked, just gone.
It was a clean break.
The first year in Amraeryn was the toughest.
I took over the AI backend and built it from the ground up with just eight people. The boss wanted a working model in six months and the whole thing turning a profit within a year.
The three guys before me didn't quit because they weren't good enough. They just couldn't take the heat.
But I stuck it out.
Every day, I was at the office by 6:30 AM and didn't leave until after 11 PM.
I hardly ever took a day off on weekends.
I lived in a cramped studio apartment near the office, just 200 square feet, and the rent was 600 dollars a month.
Most days, I survived on takeout and company cafeteria food.
That year, I dropped about thirteen pounds, and my neck acted up on me twice.
But the algorithm model went live right on schedule, and by the second year, we were already making money.
By the third year, our product line got bought out by a big group, and I ended up as their new tech director.
The company was called Thaldan Technology.
Their headquarters were in Thayar.
The chairman was Ewan Byrne.
The day the merger was finalized was the first time I ever met Ewan.
There were a dozen people in the conference room. Ewan sat at the head of the table, barely saying a word, his gaze deep and unreadable.
"Scott," Ewan called out.
I stood up.
"You built the algorithm platform?" he asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Started from nothing and made it profitable in just two years. That's pretty rare," he said.
"It was the team's hard work," I said.
Ewan looked at me, said nothing, and simply nodded.
After the meeting, he asked me to stay behind.
"Scott," he said.
"Mr. Byrne," I replied.
"You used to be in Rivertown?" he asked.
My heart sank.
"Yeah, that's me," I said.
"What did you do there?" he asked.
"I worked as an algorithm specialist at a tech company," I replied.
"Why did you come to Amraeryn?" he asked.
I paused.
"Personal reasons," I said.
He didn't ask anything else. He just looked at me for a bit and said, "Keep at it."
When I walked out of the conference room, my shirt was sticking to my back with sweat.
Back then, I had no clue Ewan and his daughter's last name was Byrne.
Rivertown was a huge city, and there were tons of Byrnes around, I never thought twice about it.