Without Sebastian in my life, things would be more than fine.

…

It was 2:00 p.m. when I finally left the train station. Five hours had passed since he promised to come with me to see my mother off. An hour had passed since I broke up with him.

I was about to hail an Uber when he called.

"I just got back from the vet, and this is what I see? 'We're over'?" His voice was sharp with disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you this time?"

This time. He made it sound as though I had a habit of causing trouble.

Maybe he was right. I had been the one who cried and begged him for explanations more times than I cared to count. Those conversations always ended the same way. I would concede to his indifference and quietly patch myself together afterward.

I shook my head and said nothing.

His fury sharpened. "Madelaine Goode, I asked you a question. Answer me. Where are you, and what does this mean?"

"I'm at the train station," I said at last.

Silence followed. It felt as though he had finally remembered the three separate promises he made to meet my mother before she left Annsberg.

"Tell your mother to wait at the station," he said. "I'm coming right now."

I watched my mother's train pull away without expression. My phone rang again.

"Maddie, Suzy's dog is throwing up again. I need to check on them real quick. Tell your mother I'm sorry I couldn't make it this time. Next time, I'll go with you to your hometown and meet her. I'll apologize to her myself."

I hummed in response.

I did not feel disappointed or upset. This was his favorite refrain. "Next time, I will not miss our date. Next time, I will remember our anniversary. Next time, I will find the time to meet your mother."

Sebastian knew I would always grant him that grace. That certainty made it easy for him to offer promises he never intended to keep, no matter how much they hurt me.

There would be no next time. Not anymore. It was time to go home.

…

Leaving proved easier than I expected. One afternoon was enough to cancel my lease, pack my belongings, and submit my resignation.

Sebastian never showed up once that day.

That evening, my coworkers threw a farewell party. Lily, the intern, started crying before she finished her first drink.

"Promise you'll still talk to me after this, Maddie," she said, holding out her hand. "Pinkie swear."

My rival at work handed me a USB drive. "This is some information I gathered on my own related to our field. Don't lose it."

Even my employer, the man we jokingly called Capitalism's Lil' Soldier, pressed a bank card into my hand. He had heard about my mother.

"There's 72,000 dollars on it," he said quietly. "Everyone contributed. Use it for your mother's treatment."

I nodded, raised my glass, and drank a blend of wine and tears.

I thought about the days when Sebastian stayed away. My mother had been on the thirteenth floor, and his office was on the seventeenth. A ten-second elevator ride or a two-minute walk down the stairs would have been enough.

Even so, he never found the time. Not once in twenty days. Not once to see the woman he claimed he wanted to meet during our five years together.

I looked at my coworkers instead. I had only worked there for two years, and we were not especially close. That did not matter. They knew I was leaving to care for my mother, and they responded with generosity.

Sebastian had never even bought my mother a five-dollar towel.

I thought about my train ticket and knew, without doubt, that I had made the right choice.

As the party wound down, I reached for my wallet to pay the bill.

Lily suddenly tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "Maddie, is that Dr. Ross?"

I turned around.

She was right. Sebastian stood there in a sharp gray suit. He cradled Suzanna Locke's puppy in one arm and stroked its fur with the other.

Sebastian had a bag slung over his arm. I recognized it at once as the restaurant's signature dish: a stew of baked cod piperade, mussels, and chorizo. His colleagues stood beside him.

Sebastian hated the smell of fish.

Half a year ago…

My mother brought our hometown's signature snack when she visited me: fish pies. They were baked to a golden crisp and filled with haddock and prawns, with almost no trace of a fishy odor.

Sebastian still threw a tantrum. He did not care that my mother was watching when he dumped every last one into the trash.

"If I see anything related to fish at home again, we're breaking up!" he shouted at me, his voice sharp with threat.

My mother said nothing. By evening, she had bought a train ticket home, claiming she was worried about a possible flash flood.

On the way back, she called me and asked in a small voice, "I'm so sorry I messed up, Pumpkin. I caused trouble for the two of you, didn't I?"

…

I remembered how anxious she had sounded, how heavy her guilt had been. It felt as if someone had stabbed me in the chest.

I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, the warmth was gone. "No. It has to be someone else."

Sebastian suddenly turned and stared straight at me. Then he started walking over. "Why are you here instead of home? Where's Mrs. Goode?"

This was the first time in twenty days that he had shown even a trace of concern for my mother.

I ignored him and nodded to myself. "Yes."

"I didn't mean to stand you up, Maddie. There were too many people at the vet, and I couldn't leave when I wanted to," he said.

I paid the tab. "Okay."

"I'm taking my annual leave. Once Suzy's puppy fully recovers, I'll visit your hometown with you."

I motioned to my colleagues. It was time to go. "I'm fine."

Sebastian paused. His gaze swept over the room, and his tone turned accusatory. "Are you having a gathering with your colleagues? Why didn't you tell me?"

I froze.

Why was he upset? He had spent day after day with Suzanna while my mother lay in the hospital.

Did he ever inform me? He had promised to drive my mother to the station after her discharge.

Did he keep that promise? He used to loathe the "stench" of fish, yet now he ate it without complaint because Suzanna wanted it.

On what grounds did he think he had the right to be angry about me meeting my colleagues?

I slid my card back into my wallet without looking at him. "Who knows? You're always busy. No time to read a text."

I pointed at Suzanna and smirked. "Are you really going to make Suzy wait?"

Sebastian turned, startled, and met Suzanna's pleading eyes. Color crept into his face. "Listen. Her parents are on vacation abroad, okay? Someone has to look after her. That's why I'm bringing her out. Don't misunderstand."

"Mm-hmm. I didn't misunderstand," I said.

I turned to my colleagues. "Ready to go? Let's head out."

They understood at once. They ignored Sebastian and left with me, without a single greeting.

I could still feel his confused stare burning into the back of my neck as I walked away.

…

When I got home, I started cleaning.

Couple-themed outfits went into the trash. Our Christmas couple photo shoots were torn apart. Every message I had exchanged with him over the years disappeared with a tap of my finger.

Sebastian came back just as I finished. He had not returned home once during the twenty days my mother was hospitalized, yet he showed up now, when I was already preparing to leave.

His eyes landed on the shredded photos in the trash. He stopped short and rushed over without even removing his coat. "Why did you tear those up?"

I did not look at him. "They're out of style. I don't like them anymore."

He was about to speak when he noticed my suitcase. His expression eased.

"Well, trends change. We can always take new photos," he said. "The vet said Suzy's dog needs follow-up visits, so I won't have time to go on vacation with you."

He set a bag on the table. "I brought you dinner. Eat it while it's hot."

I stood there, stunned. Had I really heard him correctly?

This was the first time in five years that Sebastian had shown any concern for my well-being. I was, admittedly, touched.

Then I noticed the logo on the bag and the chilled stew inside. I realized it was the same meal he had bought for Suzanna. She probably could not finish it, so he had decided not to waste it.

I looked up at him in silence.

"So… anyway, could you, I don't know, exchange your unit with Suzy?" he said awkwardly. "The landlady won't let her keep a pet where she's staying right now, and she's being evicted over it. It would be such a hassle to find a new place, so I thought… You know, yours is pretty much perfect already."

I laughed bitterly to myself. He had even set his sights on my accommodation for her. Was that what this "supper" had been for?

It did not matter anymore. I was leaving Annsberg and returning home to Downwarren, after all. This property would no longer be mine, so if she wanted it, why not?

I could even give her Sebastian.

I nodded. "Sure."

He looked stunned. "Wait, you agree?"

He studied me from the corner of his eye, then added, "You know I treat Suzy like my little sister, right? You're basically her big sister by extension, so it's pretty reasonable for you to take care of her too.

"Anyway, you've mentioned marriage for a while now, right? I think it's time. We've been together for five years. You should meet my parents."

He seemed suddenly moved and stepped toward me for a hug.

I stopped him with my arm. I wanted to talk about the breakup right then. This was the last chance we had to discuss it face to face.

His phone rang. Unsurprisingly, it was Suzanna.

Sebastian glanced at the screen and declined the call.

It rang again almost immediately.

I stared at him. "Answer it. What if it's an emergency?"

He did. Suzanna's whiny voice came through the line as she cried about falling at home and needing help.

Sebastian ended the call and avoided my gaze. "You know she's living alone right now, right? I think I should go check on her, just in case it's serious. Okay?"

He was asking for my permission. He rarely did.

I decided not to bring up the breakup. I forced a smile. "Yeah. You're right. You should go."

He let out what sounded like a relieved sigh and stood up.

"Remember, we're going to my parents' place tomorrow," he said. "Get ready for that, Maddie. See you tomorrow."

With that, he was gone.

I pressed my lips together. In the end, he could not even respect me enough to talk about the breakup in person.

…

I went to the train station that afternoon after I finished packing. As I boarded, Sebastian sent me a message.

Sebastian: [Suzy sprained her ankle and asked me to drive her home. I can't come pick you up. Sorry. Please get to the venue with Uber or something.]

Nothing surprised me anymore. I sent two replies and boarded the train.

-

Sebastian set his phone down absent-mindedly and drove to the venue under Suzanna's directions.

To his surprise, it was a hotel. She got out of the car and went straight to his parents, wrapping them in a hug. She smiled brightly.

She hooked her arm through Alice Ross' and reached for Sebastian's. "I met your parents earlier today, Bastien! Come on, let's go eat!"

He froze. When reality sank in, he slapped her hand away. "Why did you bring me here? My parents are here for Maddie, not you!"

He pulled out his phone and hurried toward them. "Mom, Dad, Maddie is on her way, okay? She's my girlfriend, so don't do anything inappropriate with Suzy—"

He stopped mid-sentence. He finally saw the messages Madeleine had sent.

Madeleine: [Why should I meet your parents when you never once visited mine? I don't see the point. I quit my job, Sebastian. I'm going home. As I told you, it's over between us.]