Owen only regained consciousness the next afternoon. He wasn't fully lucid yet, but the first thing that came out of his mouth was related to Samantha.

"Was her surgery a success? How is she? Is she awake?"

Gabriella took in his anxious expression. She hadn't slept a wink the entire night, so her voice was a little hoarse when she nodded and answered, "The doctor said that she's fine. She'll make a full recovery after resting for a few months."

Owen felt as if a heavy weight had fallen off his shoulders when he heard her words. However, he was still feeling uneasy. He tossed his blanket aside and tried to get off the bed, telling Gabriella that he wanted to see Samantha with his own two eyes.

Gabriella advised him to stay put, but he refused to listen. In the end, he was stopped only by the nurse, who, coincidentally, showed up to change his IV.

Panic flickered in his eyes as he looked at the large bag of medicine that the nurse was carrying with her. His heart was filled with nothing but concern for Samantha's well-being. After getting lost in his thoughts for a few moments, he was struck with an idea when his eyes strayed to the fruit basket on the cabinet.

"I called Samantha's parents yesterday, Gabriella. They flew back to the country last night and should be in the hospital right now. Deliver that fruit basket to them and send them my regards. You can check on Samantha's condition while you're there, too."

Gabriella stared steadily at Owen for a long time before finally humming in agreement. She picked up the fruit basket and left the ward.

Samantha's ward was located one floor above Owen's.

Gabriella was just about to knock on the door when she realized that it was ajar. She peeked through the gap and saw Samantha curled up in an unfamiliar man's embrace as she spoke sweetly to him.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to introduce your parents to me, Nate? Why are you alone?"

"I do want to introduce you to my parents, but this isn't a good time since you haven't recovered yet. I'll take you to meet them once you're discharged from the hospital, okay?"

Gabriella clenched her fists tightly upon hearing their exchange.

Samantha was already dating someone else? And their relationship was stable enough for her to meet his parents?

Coincidentally, a doctor dropped by to check on Samantha, startling her and the man when he pushed the door open.

Samantha's face twisted in an instant when she looked up and saw Gabriella standing in the doorway. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Gabriella didn't answer her. Instead, she strode into the ward and placed the fruit basket on the floor before turning around and heading back downstairs.

Samantha dragged her still-injured body out of the ward and chased after Gabriella, grabbing the latter just as she was about to descend the staircase.

"You're going to snitch on me to Owen, aren't you?"

Gabriella turned to look at Samantha, taking in the panic that flickered across her face. Her voice was cold when she asked, "Why are you still clinging to Owen like a leech if you already have a boyfriend?"

Samantha arched her brow. She quickly regained her composure and answered, "I want to have two boyfriends. I want to toy with them in the palm of my hand and enjoy myself as they spoil me with their affections. Can't you tell?"

"Do you have to trample over their feelings like this?"

Samantha snickered at Gabriella's indignant expression. She sounded extremely proud of herself when she said, "I have what it takes to make them go crazy over me. Even a prestigious scion like Owen isn't immune to my charms.

"What's wrong? Are you jealous? If you admit that you are, I wouldn't mind teaching you some of my tricks if I'm in a good mood."

Gabriella was rendered speechless by her arrogance.

On the other hand, Samantha grew more smug as Gabriella remained silent. She scrutinized the latter, her eyes lingering on the wedding band around her ring finger.

"You're just someone who benefited from the situation that I orchestrated. You have no right to challenge me. In fact, I'll let you in on a secret. The truth is, I didn't actually move abroad. I just drank too much while fooling around with my friends the night before the wedding, so I couldn't get up in time.

"You would never have gotten the chance to be 'Mrs. Wendell' if Owen hadn't thrown a tantrum when I stood him up at the wedding."

The fury that Gabriella had been suppressing all this time finally exploded at that moment. Unable to control her anger any longer, she raised her hand and slapped Samantha across the face.

She hadn't actually slapped her that hard, but Samantha reacted as if Gabriella had channeled all her strength into her slap, toppling to the side and rolling down the stairs.

Gabriella was shoved aside by Owen, who had just stepped out of the elevator, before she could wrap her head around the situation.

Owen hurried down the stairs, looking utterly heartbroken as he picked up Samantha, whose entire body was covered in bruises. His eyes were burning with fury as he glared at Gabriella.

"Why did you hurt her when she didn't do anything to you?" he demanded.

Samantha intentionally turned her head to the side where Gabriella had left a bright red handprint on her cheek. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed in Owen's arms.

"Forget it, Owen. She must be angry at me because I'm your ex-girlfriend. I don't blame her. Let's just go."

Her words caused Gabriella's retort to get stuck in her throat.

Gabriella knew that explaining the situation to Owen would be a pointless endeavor at that moment as she watched his face darken.

Meanwhile, from Owen's perspective, Gabriella's silence meant that she was admitting to her transgression against Samantha. Disappointment spread through him as he averted his gaze and carried Samantha away, not even bothering to spare a single glance back at Gabriella.

Gabriella received a call from the embassy after she left the hospital, informing her that her visa had been approved. She stopped by the embassy to pick up her documents before heading home to pack her belongings.

She had a calendar on her desk that she tore a page from every day. It wouldn't be long before she reached the last page.

The year was about to end, after all, and she was about to leave this city that she had lived in for more than two decades.

Owen didn't return home even once that week.

Meanwhile, Samantha sent Gabriella messages every day, obviously meant to provoke her.

Seven days before Gabriella's departure, Samantha sent her a video of Owen kneeling on the floor, gently massaging her calves.

As Gabriella watched the video, she threw all the gifts that she had bought for Owen over the years into the trash.

Five days before Gabriella was scheduled to leave, Samantha sent her a few photos of Owen giving her a box of jewelry and personally slipping a ring onto her finger.

Gabriella tore her wedding photos with Owen to shreds and threw the pieces into the fire.

She received an audio recording from Samantha three days before her departure.

Owen was mumbling Samantha's name as he slept. His voice was colored with genuine affection even in his dreams.

Gabriella packed up all the presents Owen had given her after they got married and donated them to a charity.

The villa that she had once called home slowly became empty while she finished packing what little belongings she had into her suitcases.

The maids grew worried as they watched Gabriella remove all traces of her existence from the villa. Some of them even approached her and asked her what was going on.

Gabriella simply smiled and replied, "We're divorced now."

"Did Mr. Wendell agree to the divorce?"

The truth was, Gabriella didn't know whether Owen agreed or disagreed, but she guessed that he would be over the moon when he finally saw the divorce agreement. After all, Samantha was the only one in his heart.

Two days before Gabriella's departure, Samantha sent her another message.

This time, the camera wasn't aimed at Owen but at his parents.

Gabriella felt nothing as she looked at the photo that showed Owen and his parents gathered around Samantha's bed, smiling at her. As always, she ignored the message. She tapped into her contacts and deleted Samantha's and Owen's numbers, along with everyone else connected to them.

On the day of Gabriella's departure, she was greeted with the first snow of the year. She headed to the garden, carrying a stack of diaries and love letters she had never sent.

As she threw the stack of papers into the fire, the flames cast a golden glow on her face. She watched as the items that recorded the feelings of a young woman in love turned to ash.

Gabriella tipped her head back to look at the fluttering snowflakes, wondering how long it would take before the ashes were covered up by the snow. She was still caught in a daze when the door was suddenly thrown open.

Owen, whom she hadn't seen for a week, had finally returned, seeming to be in a hurry. He only spared her a brief glance before disappearing into the living room. When he returned, he stopped next to her.

His thoughts strayed to Gabriella's letter, read aloud at the class reunion, as he gazed at the pink envelopes she held.

His heart, hardened by anger toward her, finally softened at that moment.

"I've been really busy recently. I'll be done in the next two days. Let's talk then."

Gabriella wondered what Owen wanted to talk about. Did he want a divorce?

She chuckled and looked up at him. "We don't need to talk. I've already given you the thing that you want the most a month ago," she said indifferently.

The thing that he wanted the most?

Owen didn't understand what Gabriella was talking about. He was just about to ask her to elaborate when his phone chimed.

Mirth sparkled in his eyes as he read through the messages.

Gabriella tossed the last stack of letters into the fire as she stared at him. She then rose to her feet. Her skirt flared around her as she did, blocking the flames from Owen's view.

Owen finished replying to the messages just as the last letters turned to ash. He had also forgotten what he wanted to ask Gabriella.

Gabriella walked him to his car and opened the door.

A cold gust of wind blew past them.

Noticing Gabriella's rather thin clothes, Owen gently told her to go back into the villa, not wanting her to catch a cold. However, she insisted on seeing him off.

Owen watched through the window as Gabriella waved at him. She also seemed to be saying something. He couldn't hear her, but he guessed that she was just telling him to be careful while driving. He had heard her give him the same reminder for the past three years, so he didn't think too much about it.

The car hummed to life, and it didn't take long for it to disappear from Gabriella's sight. She stood alone in the snow for a long time before heading back to the bedroom to put on her coat. She then carried her suitcases downstairs.

The snow began falling in earnest then.

The snowflakes clung to Gabriella's hair, making it seem as if she had white hair if one were to look at her from a distance.

The cab stopped in front of the villa. Before she slipped inside, she took one last look at the villa before repeating what she had whispered to Owen earlier.

"Goodbye forever, Ruthbelle. Goodbye forever, Owen Wendell."