Chapter 4: Walking Away

The next morning, Catherine finished packing the last suitcase.

Everything she owned after seven years of marriage fit into just three bags.

Laura hugged her favorite teddy bear tightly while watching her mother move around the bedroom.

"Mom, are we really leaving?"

"Yes, sweetheart."

"We're starting a new life."

Laura looked toward the bedroom door before quietly nodding.

"As long as you're with me, I'll be okay."

Those simple words nearly brought Catherine to tears.

She forced herself to smile.

"We'll always be together."

Downstairs, James was sitting in the dining room reading the morning newspaper.

Brenda happily ate pancakes while Evelyn poured juice into her glass.

Anyone who walked into the room would have believed they were a perfect family.

Catherine slowly carried her luggage downstairs.

James finally looked up.

"Where are you going?"

"Didn't you want the divorce?" Catherine asked calmly.

"I'm simply giving you what you've always wanted."

James frowned.

"The agreement hasn't been finalized yet."

"There's no need for you to move out immediately."

"I'd rather not disturb your new family."

Her indifferent tone irritated him.

"Stop being sarcastic."

"No one's forcing you to leave."

"Really?"

Catherine glanced at Brenda and Evelyn.

"Then why does this house already feel like it belongs to someone else?"

James remained silent.

He had no answer.

Laura slowly stepped beside her mother.

She looked at James hopefully.

"Dad..."

"Can you hug me before I leave?"

The dining room fell silent.

James looked at his daughter.

For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes.

Then Brenda suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Dad, I'm scared they'll leave angry," she whispered.

James instinctively comforted Brenda.

"It's alright."

"I'm here."

Laura quietly lowered her little arms.

"I understand," she whispered.

Catherine felt as though someone had stabbed her heart.

She gently held Laura's hand.

"Let's go."

Neither mother nor daughter looked back again.

After they left, the villa became strangely quiet.

James stared absentmindedly at the front door.

"James?" Evelyn called softly.

"Breakfast is getting cold."

"I'm coming."

Yet somehow...

He had completely lost his appetite.

Meanwhile, Catherine and Laura checked into a modest apartment on the other side of the city.

The place was small.

Only one bedroom.

A tiny kitchen.

And an old balcony overlooking a public park.

Laura's eyes sparkled.

"Mom!"

"There's a playground outside!"

"Can we go later?"

"Of course."

Watching her daughter's bright smile, Catherine realized something.

Laura had smiled more in the last hour than she had during the past several months inside the Frost residence.

Perhaps leaving had been the best decision after all.

That afternoon, Catherine began searching for work.

She submitted applications to several companies and accepted temporary freelance bookkeeping jobs she could complete from home.

Every dollar mattered now.

She had limited time.

She needed to leave enough behind for Laura.

Late that evening, her phone rang.

It was the hospital.

"Mrs. Frost," the nurse said gently.

"Dr. Carter recommends beginning treatment immediately."

"We'll do our best," Catherine replied.

"But please don't inform my husband."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

"I don't want his sympathy."

After hanging up, she quietly placed the phone aside.

She looked toward Laura, who had already fallen asleep while hugging her teddy bear.

"I'll fight for as long as I can," Catherine whispered.

"Not for me..."

"For you."

Back at the Frost residence, James wandered into the kitchen after midnight.

The sink was full of dirty dishes.

Laundry remained unfolded.

The refrigerator was nearly empty.

Only then did he realize something.

For seven years...

He had never once noticed everything Catherine did every single day.

He had simply expected it.

The silence inside the enormous villa suddenly felt unbearable.

He instinctively reached for his phone.

His thumb hovered over Catherine's number.

After several seconds...

He put the phone back down.

"She'll come back," he muttered to himself.

"She always does."

But for the first time in seven years...

James Frost was completely wrong.