Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan novel Chapter 78

Her gaze dropped to the floor.

The small storage box that Vianne had tossed down had popped open.

A fluttering slip of paper peeked out, the bold words instantly catching Tessa’s eye.

Resignation Letter.

Whose?

But Vianne had been so protective of it...

Tessa suddenly thought of Silvia, her expression flickering with realization and a knot tightening in her chest.

Just then, the sound of the front door opening drifted up from downstairs. Vianne, still in the throes of her tantrum, didn’t hear it—she cried out, voice raw with hurt and frustration.

Shipley had come home wanting peace and quiet after a rough day at the office.

The moment he opened the door, though, a shrill scream pierced the air.

He winced, pinching his brow, and headed upstairs.

The main bedroom was a mess. Tessa stood in the corner, looking at Shipley with exasperation, while Vianne sat at her vanity, her back turned, crying uncontrollably.

Shipley rubbed his temples, a tension headache pulsing behind his eyes.

“Vianne, what’s going on?” His voice was as gentle as ever, his soft, hazel eyes radiating calm.

At the sound of his voice, Vianne’s body went rigid. She hastily wiped her tears, and when she turned to face him, her earlier rage had melted into vulnerability. She clutched Shipley’s hand, her voice trembling.

“Shipley, I’ve let you down. I’ve screwed up so many things. I think it’s best if I just leave the company.”

From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the small storage box on the floor—no time to hide it now. She could only hope Shipley wouldn’t notice.

He glanced down, meeting her gaze with quiet composure.

He knew her too well. This was classic Vianne.

A strategic retreat.

Suddenly, Shipley remembered seeing those very things in his study. He’d noticed them at the time, but then Vianne had come in, asking him to accompany her to the hospital.

When he’d returned, the desk was clear. He hadn’t thought of it since.

Now, both items had resurfaced in Vianne’s room.

Shipley wasn’t naive.

He understood everything.

He set the resignation letter aside and picked up the second envelope. Word by word, he read Silvia’s letter, and as he did, he could almost picture her—earnest as ever, laying her heart bare for him, just as she always had.

She recounted their shared past in painstaking detail, every memory matching his own. She was still as foolish as ever, never holding anything back.

At the end, Shipley saw Silvia’s final promise.

One last meeting, at the restaurant where they’d first met...