Unfortunately, the French authorities hadn’t exactly been cooperative and Thomas had clearly planned his exit better than I’d given him credit for. Or maybe I just hadn’t wanted to see it coming.
I released a long, quiet breath and moved to the window, glancing down at the taxi again, knowing I had to get down there soon. I’d already said my goodbyes to Jessica, her family, and my parents. I’d had farewell drinks with my friends and a last coffee with my former colleagues.
Today, I was leaving behind the quiet, persistent hum of London that had become the background soundtrack of my life. I’d fielded my fair share of rumors as to why Thomas had left, what had really happened, and whether I’d driven him away with my hours, my ambition, or my refusal to bend.
I hadn’t corrected any of them. Truly, it didn’t matter because even as I’d heard the rumors, I’d known that I wasn’t looking back. I was focused on the future.
With that thought in mind, I grabbed my suitcase and didn’t hesitate again as I headed for the door, snapping it shut firmly behind me. After finally climbing into my taxi, my first stop was a pawn shop not far from the flat.
The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped inside. The scent of metal and something faintly musty settled around me asI approached the counter. The man behind it barely looked up. “Can I help you?”
“Yes.” I slipped the ring I hadn’t worn for weeks onto the glass countertop. “I would like to sell this. Please.”
He finally glanced away from his computer. His gaze swept toward the ring before he arched an eyebrow at me. “Engagement?”
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“There’s no changing your mind once I pay you.”
I inclined my chin in a nod. “Trust me, there’s already no changing my mind.”
He hummed, swiped the ring up, and pinched it between two fingers, turning it this way and that. When he told me how much he would pay, I didn’t argue or negotiate. “That’s fine. I’ll take it in cash.”
After blinking a few times like he was surprised he’d gotten away with his first offer, he reached into the till and counted out the money, sliding it toward me when he was done. I slipped it into my bag without a second glance. As soon as I got to the airport, I used the money to upgrade to first class.
Rain was coming down in sheets outside now, and I stood in front of the windows, watching the plane through the glass at my gate. This was it, the end of my London era. For so many years, I’d wondered if this day would ever come, and now that it had, I didn’t feel the rush of excitement I’d thought I might.
I just felt… hollow.Gosh, I wish Hubert was coming with me.
When they called my boarding group, I tightened my grip on my handbag and shook my head, genuinely regretting having to leave the country before I’d managed to get my dog back. Ihanded over my ticket, waited for the soft beep of confirmation, and stepped onto the plane—without my dog.
Even so, as I settled in my seat, I silently vowed into my glass of champagne that I would never fall in love again. I toasted myself for the resolve and stared out the window. Once the flight was underway, I read until I finally fell asleep.
When I woke, it felt more like it had been a complete system shutdown than sleeping. I’d been out for apparently the whole flight. My eyes opened slowly, taking a moment to adjust to the soft light filtering in through the windows. It was brighter and warmer, altogether different than it had been when we’d taken off from Heathrow. A speaker crackled overhead, finally cluing me into what must’ve woken me. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve begun our descent into Chicago.”
As he droned on about the temperature on the ground, seatbelts started clicking into place and polite smiles were being flashed by flight attendants as they checked that everyone had complied with the instructions. Meanwhile, I raked my fingers through my sleep-tousled hair and dragged a makeup wipe from my handbag over my face.
I was absolutely sure that I looked like a wreck, but that hardly mattered. There would be no family or friends meeting me at the airport.
Once we landed, I let those who were in a hurry move around me and ahead of me because I wasn’t in a rush. For the first time in a long time, there wasn’t anywhere I needed to be and I fully intended on taking advantage of that.
By the time I finally stepped out into the warm, breezy air outside, the city stretched out in every direction like it was welcoming me. I stood there for a moment, just inhaling deeply as my suitcase and I took in the view. A slow smile spread across my lips.
I was finally here. After years and years of silent longing, I was back in America, ready to take up all those opportunities I’d passed on before. Eric Ellis had been my favorite law professor at Harvard. The man was brilliant, exacting, and didn’t tolerate laziness, but he rewarded precision and had made me want to rise to meet it. He’d retired from practice decades ago, but his daughter, Miranda, had taken over his firm.
She’d expanded it too, from what I’d heard. Now, I would get to be part of it. A position had opened rather unexpectedly a few months ago and Eric had reached out,taking a shot in the dark, or so he’d said to me.
The firm had covered my moving costs without hesitation. They’d found me an apartment before I’d even sent over the finalized paperwork, and overall, they’d made the transition seamless. Everything seemed to have fallen into place so perfectly, it was hard for it not to feel like it had been the right decision.
I wasn’t used to things being easy, but I wasn’t going to question it this time. Instead, I simply strode forward with a grateful heart, feeling like I’d been given a clean slate.
An Uber took me to the address I’d been sent on the Gold Coast. The sun was dipping low enough on the horizon to soften the light as we pulled up outside. It cast a golden, warm glow across the glass and steel of my new apartment building, making it feel like it was inviting me in.
I entered from the clean street outside into a grand lobby. This was much nicer than what I’d left behind, and I knew this neighborhood a little bit too, if only mostly by reputation. All things considered, it was a giant upgrade from what I’d had before, and I saw no reason to feel nervous as I walked into my new home. I even felt a little twinge of excitement deep inside as I ascended to my floor.