Chapter 5

"Ethan? What are you thinking about?" Olivia's voice pulled me back from my memories.

Olivia and Sophia had already arrived and were sitting across from me.

The dishes were served quickly. No one spoke, and the atmosphere was a bit tense.

Olivia raised her glass first: "Ethan, I was wrong that day. I'll drink to that. Happy Birthday."

Sophia, for once, didn't have a stern face, though her eyes were still complex.

Just then, Olivia's phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, immediately answered, and her voice changed: "What? How could he suddenly faint? Which hospital?"

She hung up, her face apologetic as she looked at me: "Ethan, I'm so sorry, Noah...he fainted from acute low blood sugar. He's at the hospital right now, I have to go check on him."

Before I could say anything, Sophia had already stood up, coat in hand, and said to Olivia, "Let's go together. One person might not be enough."

Just like in my previous life, they abandoned me again for Noah.

Olivia promised me: "Ethan, you eat first. We'll settle him in and be right back, quickly!"

They left in a hurry, the private room door closing, cutting off the outside world.

The world instantly became quiet.

I looked at the table full of food and didn't wait another second.

I picked up my jacket and called a waiter.

"Hi, check, please."

Walking out of the restaurant, the evening breeze blew on my face, cold, yet I felt clearer than ever before.

I took out my phone and blocked and deleted Sophia's and Olivia's contact information.

This time, I wouldn't wait anymore.

I hailed a taxi and went straight home.

Pushing open the door, the house was empty.

Aside from Grandpa's and my suitcases, there were no traces of a life lived here.

I took off the soiled suit, and without a second thought, threw it into the trash.

Along with that suit, the last vestiges of my feelings for Sophia were also discarded.

I walked into Grandpa's room. He was already asleep, his breathing steady.

I tucked him in and kissed his forehead.

Grandpa, this time, I will take you away from this place that caused you so much sadness.

I barely slept the rest of the night.

I checked our documents and luggage again and again, making sure everything was perfect.

As dawn broke, I woke Grandpa.

"Grandpa, how about we go to a very distant, fun place?"

Even though Grandpa's memory was a bit hazy, he loved me the most.

He looked at me, smiling and nodding: "Okay, Ethan. Wherever Ethan goes, Grandpa goes."

The morning light streamed through the airport's floor-to-ceiling windows, warm and inviting.

I held Grandpa's hand, walking step by step towards the boarding gate.

Goodbye, Sophia.

Goodbye, Olivia.

And Noah.

May your love last forever.