A Whisper of Love's End

Being held by Samuel used to feel like happiness. But now, Isabella only felt discomfort.

She broke free from his embrace and stepped away from him, putting a few paces between them.

Samuel seemed even more panicked and rushed after her. "Bella, do you want to go on a trip? Next week, I promise I'll clear my schedule and spend all my time with you. Don't be mad. Don't leave me, okay?"

Isabella only felt a cold emptiness inside.

The man who was begging her not to leave, pleading like this—was he the real Samuel? Or was it the man she had seen on the video, tangled up with Jennifer?

Isabella couldn't tell anymore.

But it didn't matter. Soon, she would leave him forever. Whether she knew which version of him was real, it wouldn't make any difference.

She spoke flatly, "You're overthinking. Didn't you say we're having a ceremony for our anniversary?"

Samuel still didn't believe it and continued to pester her. "But what about the new documents you mentioned? What documents did you get? You even asked about flight tickets."

"It's for a classmate of mine. She lost her documents and couldn't buy a ticket. She needs to get new ones."

"Which classmate?"

"…You don't know her."

"I know all your classmates."

Isabella changed the subject. "Enough about me. What about you? Did you finish everything at work last night?"

"Almost."

Before he could finish, his phone rang again.

Isabella was already used to Jennifer calling him and dragging him away.

No matter what, Samuel was going to leave.

So, she walked away and sat on the couch to wait.

She heard Samuel's quiet reprimand. "I've told you already, don't call me when I'm at home!"

On the other end of the phone, she could hear a woman crying softly.

Then, Samuel sneaked a peak at Isabella guiltily.

"…Fine. I'll come over now."

After hanging up, Samuel hesitated before speaking again. "Bella, there's a small issue at the company that is leftover from last night... I have to take care of it."

Isabella nodded immediately. "Go ahead. Work's been busy lately. I understand."

Samuel hurriedly left once again.

Isabella held her phone. She was waiting to see what shocking video Jennifer would send her next.

As expected, Jennifer's message came quickly.

This time, it was a photo—a hospital checkup form.

[Jennifer Lewis, four weeks pregnant, threatened miscarriage]

Jennifer: Last night at the theater was too much fun, and the baby's showing signs of miscarriage. The hospital says the baby's father needs to be there to sign the forms. Sorry, Mrs. Grant, but your husband belongs to me again today!

Jennifer was pregnant?!

Isabella held the phone tightly, staring at the pregnancy test results. She couldn't snap out of it.

Jennifer: I forgot to tell you, for the next week, he'll still be mine. He promised to go to Hawaii with me to celebrate our little baby.

Jennifer: He's leaving the room to give you a call. Be prepared, Mrs. Grant.

The way she said "Mrs. Grant" was filled with a hint of provocation.

Almost immediately, Isabella's phone rang.

The screen displayed the word [Honey].

She took a deep breath and answered.

"Bella, I'm sorry. Something came up at work, and I need to go on a business trip-"

Before he could finish, Isabella interrupted him directly. "Go ahead."

Samuel continued apologizing, "Bella, don't worry. I'll be back for our anniversary. And the wedding ring—the symbol of our love—I'll put it back on you during the ceremony."

"Samuel, do you love me?"

"Of course! You're the only woman I've ever loved in this life."

Isabella replied, "If one day, you betray our love, I will leave you. Forever."

Samuel laughed like he had just heard a joke. He chuckled and said, "I won't ever give you that chance."

"I'm serious. I'm not joking. If I ever find out, you'll never find me again."

"As long as you're Isabella Jones, it doesn't matter where you go. Even if you run to the end of the world, I'll always find you."

"Really? What if I'm not Isabella Jones anymore?"

Samuel's smile widened, and his voice was lazy and indulgent. "How could you not be Isabella? Alright, Bella, don't overthink things. I'll only ever love you. One week from now, I'll be back to spend time with you."

Ten minutes later, the staff from Fauxlife Solutions sent her an address.

When Isabella arrived, the staff handed her a stack of documents. "Ms. Jones, from today on, this is your new identity."

She flipped through the papers.

Her new name was Elysia Farrow.

Elysia was a beautiful name associated with "parting"—she was about to leave Samuel forever.

She had chosen this name for herself.

From now on, there would be no more Isabella Jones. There would only be Elysia Farrow.

"Ms. Jones… I mean, Ms. Farrow, we've also booked your ticket. It's for next Saturday at 10 a.m. to Frosthaven."

Isabella gathered the documents and nodded, thanking the staff. "Thank you. I'll transfer the full commission to your company's account later."

"Ms. Farrow, you still have a week to reconsider. If you change your mind, we won't charge you any fees."

"No," Isabella stood up, her tone firm. "I won't change my mind."

In the following days, messages from Samuel and Jennifer kept coming in.

Three days before their anniversary, Isabella checked her messages.

Jennifer: The sea breeze in Hawaii is so nice! The seafood is delicious too, but he says I can't eat seafood because I'm pregnant. So, he ran really far to buy me Eastern food!

Attached was a picture of a Hawaiian beach scene.

There was the sand and a coconut grove. Not far away, Samuel was opening a take-out box.

Samuel: There are so few choices of Eastern food here. I had to travel far to find some. Bella, what did you eat today?

Isabella had spent the day with her close friends.

They had a barbeque and had a great time.

After all, she was about to change her identity and leave. It would be hard to see them again, so she wanted to cherish this last time.

Two days before their anniversary, Isabella's phone vibrated with incoming messages.

Jennifer: The baby is only a month old, and he's already studying early childhood education. He's going to be such a great first-time dad!

The attached photo was of Samuel's desk, stacked high with books.

Isabella skimmed the titles—Baby Prenatal Education Guide, The Wisdom of Early Education, and so on.

Samuel: Bella, I spent the whole day reading books. I've learned a lot. What about you? What did you do today?

Isabella had gone to the bank.

She exchanged all the funds from her account into foreign currency, withdrew cash, and closed all the bank cards under the name "Isabella Jones".

One day before their anniversary, Isabella glanced at her phone.

Jennifer: He's so sweet and caring. He doesn't want anyone else to touch my clothes while I'm pregnant, so he's washing them himself. Look!

The attached photo was of Samuel, busy in the laundry room.

Samuel: I didn't realize how exhausting laundry is. I think I'll leave it to the maid from now on. I don't want my darling wife working so hard.

Isabella laughed.

For five years of marriage, she had washed all of his clothes by hand. And now, he was washing clothes for another woman.

How ironic.

Just then, the charity organization arrived.

Isabella carefully cleaned and packed her old clothes, handing them all over to the charity.

When she came back and saw the house nearly empty, she felt a sense of lightness she had never experienced before.

It turned out that the end of love was just a moment's decision.

Once she stopped loving him, she could be so carefree.

-

The night before their anniversary, Isabella went to the mountaintop alone. She just looked up at the vast night sky, dotted with stars, the crescent moon hanging low.

It was beautiful.

When she received Samuel's call, it was already late.

He sounded happy. "Bella, I've just landed. I'll be home soon. I'll bring you some snacks, how about it?"

"I'm not home."

"It's so late. Where are you?"

"On the mountaintop."

"What are you doing on the mountaintop?"

"Watching the stars."

"Wait for me, I'll come right now…"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise on the other end of the line.

It sounded like a woman was speaking.

Samuel snapped something in a low voice.

The woman seemed persistent, and Samuel didn't say anything for a long while. Then, Isabella heard what seemed to be the sound of a kiss.

Isabella sneered. "Samuel, are you still coming?"

His voice was somewhat hoarse as he said, "Bella, starting tomorrow, I'll be with you all the time. I just need to go to the office tonight and wrap things up. After that, I can focus on being with you. How does that sound?"

Isabella laughed. "Sounds good."

"My darling wife is so understanding. Let's meet at the ceremony venue tomorrow. Oh, and don't forget the gift you got me. I'm really looking forward to the surprise you've prepared."

"Samuel," Isabella called him one last time.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing."

Nothing at all.

From now on, Isabella Jones no longer existed in this world.

After descending the mountain, she hailed a taxi.

"Hello, sir. To the airport, please."

The driver noticed she was alone and asked with concern, "Miss, where's your luggage? I can help you with it."

"I don't have any luggage. Just drive."

All she had was a passport and a flight ticket.

Everything else was donated or burned.

Anything related to the name "Isabella Jones" had already been taken care of.

Thirty minutes later, the car stopped at the airport entrance.

Isabella transferred all the money from her phone to the driver.

The driver looked flustered. "Miss, you transferred the wrong amount. It's 30 dollars, not 30 thousand! Let me send it back to you-"

"It's fine. Thank you for the ride."

She got out of the car and tossed her phone into the trash.

Without looking back, she walked into the terminal.