Chapter 27
Back at Kim Manor, I began preparing for my departure.
Sorting through my belongings, I came across unopened packages, gifts Gale had sent to my studio. Among the items, one caught my attention, it was my wedding ring.
I had not worn it since I lost my baby. The pain had been too much to bear, and over time, I had buried it along with the memories.
Holding it at that time felt surreal, a reminder of the life I was leaving behind.
It was already dulled and corroded, seemed to mirror the state of our relationship, something that had once held promise but was now irreparably tarnished.
As I turned it over, memories I thought I had buried began to surface.
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I remembered the day Gale jumped into the cold, choppy waters off the coast of LA to retrieve this very ring.
We had been on a vacation, a desperate attempt to comfort me after I lost our baby.
I had thrown the ring into the sea in a fit of despair, unable to bear the weight of it, the reminder of everything I had lost.
But Gale had not hesitated. He dove in, fighting the waves, determined to bring it back to me.
He had held it out to me, dripping wet and shivering, and said, “This isn‘ t just a ring, Rachel. It’s a promise. I won’t let you give up on us.
For a fleeting moment, I had believed him. I had allowed myself to forget the pain, to see the man I had once hoped he could be.
I even began to let him back into my heart, thinking perhaps we could heal together.
But then Lilian returned.
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However, her arrival was not the sole reason our relationship crumbled, since it had been on shaky ground from the beginning.
Lilian was merely the catalyst that exposed the fractures we had tried so hard to ignore.
Gale‘ s attention drifted back to her as though drawn by an invisible tether, and I was left standing in the shadows once
more.
Looking at the ring at that moment, I realized how symbolic it was of our relationship. Beautiful at first, yet brittle
beneath the surface.
No matter how hard Gale might try to repair what was broken, it was too late. The years of neglect, betrayal, and unspoken resentment had eroded anything we once
shared.
There was no feeling left for Gale in my heart. I had left him behind when I moved
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to Italy, and that was where he would stay.
With a sigh, I placed the ring back into its box and set it aside with the other items I
planned to leave behind. It was time to
move forward.
Before heading to Italy, I stopped by the orphanage one last time. I carried the donations I had prepared and handed them to the staff.
The orphanage mother greeted me warmly, her face lighting up as she saw me.
“Rachel, it’s always so wonderful to see you.”
I smiled, though it was tinged with sadness. “I’m here to say goodbye. I‘ m leaving for Italy again, and… I don’t know if I’ll ever return to Providence.”
Her eyes softened, and she took my hands. in hers. “You‘ ve always been such a bright light, Rachel. No matter where you. go, I know you’ll shine. But remember, this will always be your home if you ever
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need it.”
Her words brought a lump to my throat, and I nodded. “Thank you. For everything. You‘ ve always been a mother to me when I had no one else.”
We shared a long embrace before I turned to leave, taking one last look at the playground where I had spent so many of my childhood days.
The swings swayed gently in the breeze, and for a moment, I felt a pang of nostalgia.
But I reminded myself that the past was just the past.
I walked out of the orphanage with a sense of closure, ready to embrace the new chapter waiting for me in Italy.
But when I was about to find a taxi, I saw Mrs. Douglas came with her car. She sat in the passenger seat and opened the window to talk to me, “Can we talk for a minute, Rachel?”
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