Final Approach to Freedom

Chapter 21

"Alexander, let's end this here." Evelyn Montgomery's lips curved into a distant smile as she absently adjusted her wristwatch. "The divorce papers are signed. There's nothing left to say between us."

"But Evelyn—" Alexander Hartley's voice trembled as he reached for her, only to freeze mid-air.

She took a half-step back, her gaze icy. "Don't. The person you are now is nothing but a burden to me."

The word burden struck him like a knife. He staggered backward, colliding with a pillar behind him.

"I understand," he forced out, each syllable heavy. "I won't... bother you again."

Before the words fully settled, Julian Carter appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Evelyn, the meeting is starting." His glare at Alexander was glacial, but the moment his eyes shifted to Evelyn, they softened instantly.

"Coming." She strode toward Julian without hesitation, their retreating figures a perfect match.

"Evelyn!" Alexander suddenly called out.

She turned, her expression questioning.

"Take care," was all he managed before she walked away without a backward glance.

The airport announcement echoed overhead as Alexander mechanically headed for the boarding gate. Outside the window, turbulent clouds mirrored the storm inside him.

"Still can't let go?" Lucas Bennett handed him an iced Americano at the arrivals gate.

Alexander gave a bitter laugh. "Tell me—do I deserve this?"

Lucas clapped him on the shoulder. "Love doesn't come with rights or wrongs. But... it's time to move on."

Back in his empty apartment, Alexander stared blankly at the wedding portrait on the wall. His phone buzzed—his mother calling.

"Alexander, don’t forget to bring Evelyn to the family dinner this weekend! Your father hired a Michelin chef—"

"Mom," he cut in, voice hollow. "We're divorced."

Dead silence.

"What?!" Mrs. Hartley's shriek nearly shattered his eardrum.

Half an hour later, his parents stormed into the apartment. Mr. Hartley seized him by the collar. "You useless fool! How could you lose a woman like that?"

Alexander let his father shake him, his eyes empty. "Yeah. I really am a bastard."

Outside, dusk deepened into night.