The Masterpiece of Leaving：Prepared A Perfect Stand-In For Him novel Chapter 12

Dealing with everything, Lysander returned home and embraced Celeste, whispering close to her ear:

"Ophelia, you’ve finally come back. Manhattan has changed so much in seven years—let me take you around."

"Remember back then when you were sick, you always said you wanted to go outside and see the world. But I was too scared—you’d get worse if I took you out of the hospital. But now you’re here, healthy… Let’s visit all the places you used to dream about."

Celeste nodded obediently, letting him guide her into the car.

The vehicle pulled up outside Luna Park at Coney Island. Lysander held Celeste's hand as they bought tickets and followed the crowd inside.

"You used to love the strawberry ice cream here," he said, pointing to a small shop. "They were about to shut down, but I kept them afloat... Just in case you ever came back and wanted your favorite again."

Celeste smiled faintly as she accepted the strawberry ice cream she secretly hated.

"I can't believe you still remember what I like after all these years."

Lysander smiled with a hint of pride. "Of course I do. I remember everything about you."

At his words, Celeste felt herself tense further. Clearly, she would need to be even more meticulous in her performance.

As they neared the front of the line for the Ferris wheel, Lysander's phone buzzed.

He ignored it, but it rang again.

After the third call, it finally stopped.

He glanced at a message from his secretary Nick:

"Sir, Ms. Armstrong has left the America. Current whereabouts unknown. Should we continue the search?"

Lysander’s reply was instant. "No need. She's just throwing a tantrum. Her divorce stunt actually works out perfectly—keeps her from interfering with Ophelia and me. She’ll come back once she’s done sulking."

Reading this response, Nick couldn't shake a feeling of unease.

'Ms. Armstrong is gone. Will she really ever return?'

Outside the window, fireworks illuminated the night sky. They held each other, watching the spectacular display in silence.

For the next three days, Lysander canceled all his meetings to accompany Celeste.

They hiked upstate, visited the observatory to watch the meteor showers, walked along the Rockaway Beach shoreline at sunset...

Back home, Lysander stared at the chat with Navier, which still showed his messages undelivered, and fell into deep silence.

With Ophelia back at his side, he shouldn't be thinking about Navier anymore. He was supposed to feel relieved.

So why did everything feel so strange? Why did her face keep appearing in his thoughts?

At dinner, he would reach to make a comment—only to realize that Celeste's across the table.

At night, with the rich scent of lilies filling his nostrils, he would pull Celeste close reflexively, yet find himself lying awake until the early hours.