Chapter 7: The Final Goodbye

I stopped halfway through the hike, dropped out of the team-building, and texted my supervisor that I was sick. I was—just not in the way she’d think.

Back at my apartment, I gathered up all Derek’s things—his toothbrush, charger, the MIT sweatshirt, the gifts he’d given me over the years that never quite fit. I boxed them up and texted him: "I’ll box your stuff up and send it over—FedEx or whatever. Just text me when you want it."

After the last box was gone, I sat on the sofa in a daze. The apartment felt huge, echoing with emptiness.

Then I picked up my phone and typed three words: "Let’s break up." This time, I didn’t wait for him to come home. I sent the words out into the world and let the silence answer.