Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 117

When Shipley saw the two of them leaving, arms linked, something flickered in his eyes. The air of calm in his gaze was gone, replaced now with a hint of desperation.

He watched Silvia’s retreating figure. In the end, he couldn’t hold back. He raised his voice, calling out, “Sweet Silvia! Do none of those promises you made to me mean anything anymore?”

Silvia had always cherished her promises. She was nothing if not stubborn; once she made up her mind, she stuck to it, no matter what.

Back when they first got together, she would spend hours dreaming aloud about their future. He, on the other hand, had always seemed indifferent.

Now, thinking back, if he could use this moment to make her turn around, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

“I was just joking with you. Did you really take it seriously?” Silvia tossed the words over her shoulder without looking back and climbed into Kent’s car.

She settled into the passenger seat and shut the window. The glass was tinted; no one outside could see in.

Silvia gazed out, her eyes lingering on the man she once thought she’d love forever. But now, all at once, her heart felt calm.

The truth was, Silvia couldn’t even remember what loving Shipley had felt like. Her last vivid memory of him was that first night at the restaurant—the one where, in the end, they never even got to eat.

Kent started the engine, and the car pulled away, leaving Shipley in a cloud of exhaust.

As he watched them disappear, whatever smile Shipley had managed vanished completely. He pressed his lips together, his handsome brow creased in frustration.

She’d said she was only teasing, that none of it had been real.

Shipley swayed on his feet. He hadn’t realized Kent wielded this much power. The man was supposed to be in the city across the country, and yet, in the time it took for Shipley’s world to unravel, Kent had already snatched everything away.

No one could move this fast—not unless they’d been planning it all along.

Shipley’s hand curled into a tight fist at his side. Kent had clearly been waiting for this moment, biding his time, ready to bring Shipley down the second the opportunity arose.

What a ruthless bastard.

A man like that—there’s no way Silvia would ever love him. She had to be faking it.

Let her throw her tantrum. After a while, she’d come running back—he was sure of it.