Chapter 8: Walking away from everything.
880 Words
The decision didn’t feel loud.
There was no dramatic moment, no sudden burst of emotion when Gregory walked out of that room after confronting Bryma.
Instead, it felt quiet.
Heavy.
Final.
For the first time in his life, he wasn’t acting out of expectation… but out of choice.
And that choice came with consequences.
By the next morning, the house felt different.
Tense.
Word had spread quickly—faster than Gregory expected.
In his family, nothing stayed private for long.
Especially not decisions like this.
He walked into the dining room and immediately felt the shift. His mother was already there, seated upright, her posture rigid, her expression unreadable.
She didn’t greet him.
Didn’t even pretend.
“Sit,” she said.
Gregory didn’t argue. He pulled out a chair and sat across from her, calm but prepared.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then—
“Tell me it’s not true,” she said.
Her voice was controlled, but beneath it was something sharper.
Gregory met her gaze.
“It’s true.”
The words landed clean.
Direct.
Her expression hardened immediately.
“You ended the engagement?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Without consulting anyone?”
“I didn’t need to.”
The silence that followed was dangerous.
“You always need to,” she replied coldly. “That is how this family works.”
Gregory leaned back slightly, studying her.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“You’re being reckless.”
“No,” he said calmly. “I’m being honest.”
“Honest?” she repeated, almost in disbelief. “You think honesty builds legacy?”
Gregory didn’t hesitate.
“No. But lies destroy it.”
That struck something.
He could see it.
But instead of softening, her expression became firmer.
“You’ve embarrassed this family,” she said. “Do you have any idea what people are saying?”
Gregory exhaled slowly.
“For once… I don’t care.”
That answer made the tension snap.
“You don’t care?” she repeated, her voice rising slightly. “After everything your father built—everything he sacrificed—you’re just going to throw it away?”
Gregory’s expression changed then.
Not angry.
But firm.
“I’m not throwing it away,” he said quietly. “I’m refusing to let it become something it was never meant to be.”
“And who are you to decide that?” she demanded.
“His son.”
The room fell silent.
Because that answer…
Carried truth.
Even if she didn’t want to accept it.
His mother looked at him for a long moment, as if trying to recognize the person sitting in front of her.
“You’ve changed,” she said finally.
Gregory didn’t deny it.
“I had to.”
Her gaze softened slightly—but only for a second.
“And what about Bryma?” she asked. “What do you think happens now?”
Gregory’s jaw tightened slightly.
“She’ll be fine.”
“That’s not the point,” she said sharply. “There are consequences to decisions like this.”
“I know.”
“And you’re ready for that?”
Gregory held her gaze steadily.
“Yes.”
Because the truth was…
He had already faced the worst consequence.
Losing Skylar.
Everything else felt secondary.
Later that day, Gregory stood in his room, looking around at the life he had always known.
Everything was still there.
The comfort.
The structure.
The expectations.
But it didn’t feel like his anymore.
Not after everything that had happened.
Not after everything he had realized.
He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a small bag.
He didn’t take much.
Just the essentials.
Because for once…
He wasn’t carrying the weight of his family with him.
As he stepped out of the house, one of the staff members hesitated.
“Sir… are you leaving?”
Gregory paused briefly.
Then nodded.
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
Gregory looked ahead.
Not back.
“I don’t know.”
And that was the truth.
The city felt different when you weren’t tied to it.
For the first time, Gregory wasn’t moving with a destination set for him.
He was choosing where to go.
But there was only one place on his mind.
One person.
Skylar.
He went back to her apartment again.
Even though he already knew what he would find.
Or rather…
What he wouldn’t.
Still empty.
Still silent.
Still missing her.
Gregory stood there for a long time, his hands in his pockets, his mind searching for something—anything—that could lead him to her.
A clue.
A contact.
A direction.
But there was nothing.
She hadn’t just left.
She had made sure he couldn’t follow easily.
And maybe…
That was what hurt the most.
As he stepped out of the building, something inside him shifted again.
Not hopelessness.
Not defeat.
Something else.
Determination.
Because this time…
He wasn’t going to let silence decide the ending.
He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts.
There had to be someone.
Someone who knew where she went.
Someone who could help him find her.
And this time—
He wasn’t going to hesitate.
Because losing her once had been enough.
- Writer
