Love Beyond Reach novel Chapter 9

The party lasted until 4:00 am.

When Saoirse returned to her apartment, she saw that the clock on the wall had already struck one. She took down another page from the calendar, marking the second-to-last day of her countdown.

The next morning, Saoirse woke up early. She cleaned and tidied the entire apartment, then took all the extra items she had organized during this time and dragged them downstairs to throw them away.

Next, she gathered all the diaries and photos she secretly took during their relationship and took them to the study. One by one, she fed them into the shredder and mixed them with kitchen waste.

From then on, this apartment where she and Julian had lived for three years would no longer have any trace of her.

On the last day of the countdown, Saoirse slept unusually well. The sleep was particularly long, and when she pulled open the curtains, she saw it was a bright, sunny day.

It was the perfect day for her to leave.

She got up, put the last bit of food she had bought into the microwave, and casually tore down the final page of the calendar.

Just as the microwave dinged, she heard the sound of a key turning in the lock at the door.

Julian, who hadn't been home for over half a month, immediately sensed something was different when he entered. Many things in the apartment were missing. The completely torn-off calendar, too, bothered him.

He asked, "Why is there so much stuff missing?"

"I threw away what's not needed." Saoirse's voice was extremely calm. "You can buy new things if you see something you like later."

Julian nodded and didn't dwell on it. He carried the vegetables he had just bought into the kitchen.

Seeing Saoirse's simple breakfast, he couldn't help but take away the plate.

"It's your birthday today. Why are you only eating this? Stop; I'll cook."

Saoirse was surprised to hear that he remembered her birthday.

She sat on the couch, listening to the sounds coming from the kitchen while staring at the clock on the wall that ticked away every second.

When several dishes were served on the table, Julian's phone rang again. He put down the dish he was holding and answered the call.

"Julian? Where are you? Gina's refusing to take her medicine again. Hurry and come to the hospital to persuade her."

The voice on the other end was a middle-aged woman's, sounding very much like Georgina's. Saoirse guessed it was probably Georgina's mother.

Julian didn't immediately agree but instead looked at Saoirse as if seeking her opinion.

"Go ahead and do what you have to," Saoirse uttered.

Hearing her speak so calmly, Julian let out a sigh of relief. Yet, he still felt a pang of guilt. He quickly promised to make it up to her with a belated birthday celebration.

Saoirse shook her head slightly, smiling as she declined.