Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford (by Koi Fish) novel Chapter 551

Rebecca had long since given up any expectations for this relationship. Breaking up was inevitable, yet her heart still ached with a quiet sadness.

She had once genuinely cared for Desmond, pouring real emotion into their time together. As those words sank in, the cups and plates before her blurred.

“Then, I wish you guys a safe journey,” she said softly, offering no words of protest.

Desmond stared at her, tears finally flooding his eyes.

Kaitlyn and Gabriel excelled at polite small talk. Once the important matters were settled, the two families exchanged pleasantries–light, meandering topics that drifted everywhere and led nowhere.

Everyone remained perfectly courteous, but the friendliness felt even less sincere than a business negotiation. At least, business meetings carried the intent of cooperation.

Rebecca had no idea what Desmond’s parents thought of her. Perhaps they blamed her for what had happened to their son.

Even so, there was nothing she could do. Every parent just stood by their child.

Beneath the surface of carefully maintained peace, the dinner finally ended. Joyce rose with a practiced smile. “Thank you all for coming tonight. This gives the whole situation a perfect closing. No matter what, let’s stay in touch.”

They were only empty pleasantries. The fact that things hadn’t escalated into outright hostility was already thanks to both families being civilized people.

The Schroeders left the restaurant first. When Rebecca’s group stepped outside, only Desmond remained on the sidewalk. His parents were waiting in the car.

It seemed he wanted a few private words with her.

“I’ll just say a couple of things. It won’t take long,” Rebecca whispered.

Gabriel nodded. With him watching, he wasn’t worried about any trouble.

Rebecca walked over to Desmond, who had been staring at the ground. He slowly lifted his head, his gaze heavy with pain as it settled on her.

As it pulled away, his parents rolled down the windows and waved goodbye to the three.

It was finally over..

The very next day, Rebecca returned to the rehearsal studio and threw herself back among her fellow dancers. She danced with abandon, pouring out her emotions through movement and rediscovering the happiest version of herself in the dance.

When the new term began, she received a letter from Vance, mailed to Kaitlyn’s house. It was a simple postcard with a short passage carefully photocopied, trimmed, and pasted onto the back.

[I drove into the Lake District. The sky was overcast, the mountains a deep, rain washed green that gleamed under the clouds. Following the gravel path, the wind blew sharply and cold, and the water looked murky.

[They squeezed onto the red–roofed tour boat, its engine rombling as it pushed away from the shore. Once farther from land, the chatter of voices suddenly fell quiet.

[Water birds hid among the bushes; a flash of gray wings, and they vanished into the deep green.]