Chapter 7: The Last Goodbye

Natalie Foster was going to stay.

Her things arrived in boxes, labeled in neat handwriting—perfume, books, pastel sweaters. The movers tiptoed around like the house itself was mourning.

She took the room next to Derek’s, the one that used to be mine. When Derek first brought me here, he’d secretly asked friends for advice, then personally drew up the blueprints and remodeled the whole space.

He pored over catalogs for weeks, fighting with designers over every detail. The day he showed me the finished room, I thought it was the most beautiful place on earth.

He turned it into a pink princess room.

Walls the color of cotton candy, gold accents, a chandelier that sparkled like stars. Shelves crammed with storybooks, a music box that played ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.’

He bought limited-edition dolls for my bedside.

Each one had a story—he’d tell me about their origins, their adventures. I’d fall asleep cradling my favorite, convinced nothing bad could happen there.

He raised me like a princess.

I was the center of his world, the apple of his eye. Every wish, every whim, he tried to grant. Sometimes I wondered if that was love, or just his way of making up for what my parents couldn’t give me.

Through everything.

From skinned knees to college rejection, he was always there. But now, the fairy tale had ended, and the castle belonged to someone else.

He always said, “As long as it’s something Aubrey likes, if it can make Aubrey happy, I’ll do it.”

His voice in those memories was soft, full of promise. I used to believe him.

“I hope our Aubrey grows up healthy and happy, to be a little princess.”

He’d ruffle my hair, laugh at my pouting, tuck me in at night. I think a part of me never stopped wanting that comfort.

Back then, his eyes were full of gentle affection.

He’d look at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. That look was what I fell for, what I’d spent a lifetime chasing.

That’s what made me fall for him.

Every birthday, every holiday, every ordinary Tuesday, he made me feel special. That kind of love is hard to let go of.

But from beginning to end, he always stood outside the boundary.

He gave and gave, but only up to a point. There was always a line I couldn’t cross, no matter how much I wanted to.