Noelle said, "A friend lost her passport and asked me how to get a new one."

Shawn hurried forward and held her tightly. "You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were leaving the country without me."

Noelle turned away from him and retched again. She could smell the sickly sweetness on him, mingling with a woman's perfume.

He rubbed her back with a pained expression. "What did they feed you? I already told them to be careful because your stomach's been acting up lately… I'm going to fire them right now!"

She shoved him away with all her strength. "You can fire whoever you want to fire, but don't use me as an excuse for your actions!"

Her sudden anger left him bewildered. "Are you mad at me, Elle? Is it because I've been too busy with work to spend time with you? I'll postpone all the work I have tomorrow so I can be with you. How does that sound?"

She almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous the situation was. "You'll only be with me?"

"Yes, I will."

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I hope you can keep your word."

That night, it poured. Noelle kept puking since returning home. Shawn wanted to get close to her, but she told him to stay away. "Don't come near me. The smell on you only makes me more nauseous."

He sniffed his sleeve. "Maybe you don't like the smell of my cologne. I'll wear a different one next time."

"You should know very well that it's not about the cologne, Shawn!" she snapped.

"Alright, alright. Don't be mad. I'll stop wearing cologne from now on, okay?"

Noelle washed her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She also saw Shawn waiting anxiously for her outside the bathroom, a glass of warm water in his hand.

She still couldn't understand. How could he act like he loved her when he reeked of sickly sweetness and Jessica's perfume? How could he betray their relationship like it meant nothing to him when he seemed like he cared for her so much?

Was he trying to prove that the senior executives were right? That it was fine for men to fool around with other women as long as their wives weren't aware?

Well, he'd read her wrongly. She wasn't that naive and easily fooled, nor would she give up on her principles for him. Since his love was no longer pure and whole, she didn't want any part of it.

The following morning, Shawn brought Noelle to the hospital. After a series of tests, the doctor came to a conclusion. "This appears to be emotional gastroenteritis."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shawn asked.

"It means the patient has recently experienced significant emotional distress that has substantially impacted her, resulting in gastrointestinal dysfunction and vomiting."

Shawn asked Noelle, "Have you run into any problems lately, Elle? Tell me what's bothering you. Maybe I can help you resolve them."

She turned away from him, avoiding his affection and intimacy. "You can't."

"Why don't you tell me first? There are few things in this world that I can't resolve."

He was right. This truly was an issue that only he could handle. For a split second, Noelle wanted to ask him who he would save first if she and Jessica were to fall into the water at the same time.

Then again, it occurred to her that no one should leave their lives in another person's hands. Relying on others would only lead to devastation if those people let her down.

She could swim, so she could save herself. She didn't need Shawn anymore.

Noelle had applied to an art academy in Neloria under the name Aria Byrd. She'd given up on her dream of going into art when marrying Shawn. In the future, she would only live for herself.

"How about we catch a movie together this afternoon, Elle?" Shawn suggested. "A new comedy has just premiered, and it'll cheer you up."

"This afternoon? Don't you have work?" Noelle asked.

"We agreed that I would spend the day with you today, remember? I'm keeping my word. I don't go back on any of my promises."

Just then, his phone rang. He wanted to reject the call but hesitated after glancing at the caller ID. She watched as his expression went from annoyance to conflicted.

She smiled. "Answer it. Work is more important."

"I'll be right back, okay? Give me five minutes."

"Okay."

He was about to leave with his phone, but she stopped him. "Answer it here. It's not like I can understand your business jargon, anyway. I won't leak any secrets."

He froze, looking awkward. After a few seconds, he answered the call, pretending to look angry. "Didn't I already tell you not to call me today? What's going on?"

Noelle didn't know what Jessica said, but she vaguely heard weeping. Shawn's tone turned cautious as she watched. "Alright, got it. Give me a second."

He hung up and said a little apologetically, "I need to sign an urgent document, Elle. A manager has brought it to the hospital—he's downstairs. I'll be right back after signing it, okay? I'll be back in half an hour, at most."

She nodded, and he practically ran out of the room.

The doctor chuckled and said, "Mr. Pitt really loves you, Mrs. Pitt. He was willing to throw his work aside for you."

"Is that so?" Noelle curled her lip. "Excuse me. I need to use the restroom."

"Of course."

She left the room and saw Shawn run to the emergency stairwell because he was too impatient to wait for the elevator. He hadn't lied—he'd indeed gone downstairs.

However, the department downstairs was the gynecology department.

Just then, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Jessica. "Sorry about this, Ms. Anderson, but he might not be able to spend the rest of the day with you. You should've seen how he rushed to me after I called him, right?"

Jessica continued texting Noelle. "Oh, right. Take a look at this. It's a photo of my ultrasound scan—I'm pregnant."

She sent Noelle a photo. Noelle zoomed in and saw the words on the scan. "8-week embryo. Threatened miscarriage."

Jessica: "We did it on the rooftop countless times yesterday and tried all sorts of positions. Maybe it's because he was too rough with me, and now I'm showing signs of a miscarriage.

Jessica: "It's all his fault. He said there's no fun in sleeping with you because you're like a dead body in bed. He wanted to do something exciting with me.

Jessica: "The doctor said the baby's father needs to sign a form, regardless of whether we want to keep the baby. I had no choice but to ask him to join me. After all, his baby should be more important than your gastric issues, right?"

…

Noelle took a cab from the hospital and headed to a law firm. "Hi, I'd like to have a divorce agreement drafted."

Since she didn't want anything from Shawn, the lawyer didn't take long to prepare the agreement. In half an hour, she got the completed agreement.

"This agreement doesn't require your husband's signature," the lawyer explained. "It'll automatically come into effect once you two have lived separately for two years."

As she left the law firm with the divorce agreement, her phone rang with a call from Shawn. "Where are you, Elle?" he asked. "I couldn't find you after scouring every inch of the hospital."

"You took too long, so I went home," she replied.

"Alright, then. It's okay as long as you're home safe. I'm sorry about this, but I need to head to the company to deal with an urgent matter. I might also need to leave on a business trip for a few days, so take good care of yourself at home. I'll definitely clear out the whole of next week to be with you."

Noelle sighed heavily. No one would believe a lie once it had been told too many times. His words could no longer affect her emotions. "Alright, go ahead."

"You're the best, Elle. Be good, okay? I'll bring you your favorite freesias when I'm back."

"I'm the best, huh? Don't you like women who cling to you and act coquettish, Shawn? I'm boring because I'm too sensible, right?" Noelle asked.

Shawn was taken aback. "Why would you think that? I love you the most. Whichever type you are is the type I like."

"Will you fall in love with another woman, Shawn?"

"Of course not."

"I'll leave you forever if you fall for someone else."

He snorted. "Go ahead and try. I can put the airport and train station on lockdown. There's no way I'll let you leave me as long as your name is Noelle Anderson."

It was too bad the name on her passport was no longer Noelle Anderson. It was Aria Byrd.

Noelle said, "I'm serious, Shawn. I can find a way to leave you, and I can make it so that you can't find me."

Shawn laughed, sounding like he was teasing her. "Alright, then. Go ahead and run—I'll give you a three-day head start before I look for you. As I said, I'll find you as long as your name remains unchanged, no matter where you go. You're not getting rid of me."

Wasn't she?

Noelle laughed to herself.

She would try him, then.

There were three days left until Noelle's flight.

Jessica sent her a photo of Shawn grilling something by the seaside. "He brought me to Moldova for a holiday as a reward for carrying his child! He told me to lie here and let him handle the cooking since I'm pregnant."

Noelle didn't reply. She merely invited a few close friends out to have a final gathering. After all, it was likely they would never see each other again. She had a lot of fun during the gathering.

…

There were two days left until her flight.

Jessica sent her another photo of Shawn reading a book titled "What to Expect When You're Expecting".

Jessica: "Looks like our new daddy is really concerned about his child. The baby's barely the size of a bean in my belly, but his father is already talking to him every day."

Noelle still didn't reply. She went to the bank to convert all the money she had to Nelorian dollars. Then, she canceled all her bank cards.

…

There was one day left until Noelle's flight.

This time, Jessica sent her a video. It showed a romantic fireworks show over the sea. Jessica was so touched that she cried, and Shawn comforted her tenderly. "Why are you crying? There will only be more surprises like this in the future."

Jessica: "He reserved the whole island for me and bought out all the fireworks they had in Moldova to celebrate my birthday."

So, it was Jessica's birthday. Noelle supposed this was a double celebration—the news of the pregnancy and Jessica's birthday came at around the same time.

She merely smiled faintly after watching the video. Then, she called a local charity organization. "Hi, I'd like to donate some clothes for people in the mountainous regions."

Not long after, a representative from the organization arrived in a car. Noelle had packed everything while Shawn was away. There were five huge bags of clothes and shoes. She donated all of them, leaving nothing behind.

As for personal items like her identification, degree certificate, and daily necessities, Noelle brought them to a crematorium and paid them to burn them for her.

When she returned to the home she'd lived in for five years, she couldn't help finding the place unfamiliar. She'd cleaned the place so thoroughly that there were no longer any traces of her ever being there. All she brought with her was a satchel containing her passport.

The only other item she brought with her was her phone. She used it to call an Uber so she could head to the airport.

The driver pulled over outside the terminal. Noelle was about to pay him when Shawn called her. "I'm back from my business trip; I'm going to head home to pick you up now. Let's have dinner together."

He was indeed back, but he had Jessica with him. Noelle sat in the Uber and watched as they came out from the terminal together. He was pushing a cart with their suitcases on them—one pink and one blue. It was obvious they were a matching pair.

Jessica had her arm in his as she leaned against his shoulder.

"Was your trip tiring?" Noelle asked.

"No, it was fine. Oh, right. I remember you mentioning that today's the day I can unwrap the gift you got me."

"Yeah, it is."

"I'm looking forward to it. I can't believe you kept me waiting for a whole week! Every day, I tried to guess what it could be. It must be something meaningful since it's an anniversary gift," he said.

"It means the world. You'll understand when you see it."

"Alright. Wait for me, okay? It'll take me about two hours to get home."

Two hours was enough for her. By then, the plane probably would've left this airspace.

"Okay," she replied.

"See you later, then. I love you, Elle."

After hanging up, Noelle saw Jessica pout in dissatisfaction. Meanwhile, Shawn leaned down to kiss her, seemingly appeasing her.

The driver said, "You haven't paid for the ride, miss."

Noelle retracted her gaze and transferred all the money she had in her account to him. He was startled seeing the amount. "You've made a mistake, miss. It's 130 dollars, not 13 thousand dollars! I'll transfer the balance back to you."

"No, it's fine." She opened the door to get out. "I won't be using the money in the future. Thanks for taking me here."

"You're welcome. I was just doing my job. Besides, I had to bring you here since you paid me."

"It's different. You've brought me to the start of my journey to being reborn."

After getting out of the car, Noelle turned off her phone, removed the SIM card, and threw it into a trashcan. Then, she gave the phone to a child.

He was happy. "Thanks, miss!"

She ruffled his hair with a smile. "You're welcome."

His mother felt embarrassed. "We can't accept something so expensive."

"Are you guys going abroad?" Noelle asked.

"Yes, we are. We're heading to Arilla to look for his father," the woman replied.

Noelle smiled. "Take it, then. It might be of use to you there."

"Alright, then. Thank you."

She waved them goodbye. "Have a safe trip."

She entered the airport to hear an announcement. "Ms. Aria Byrd, please proceed to gate H23 once you hear this announcement. Your flight is about to depart…"

Noelle turned one last time to look outside the airport. Then, she headed to the boarding gate while holding her passport, feeling resolute.