Chapter 539 Goodbye Evergreen City! Goodbye, Jacob!
Nicole didn't go home. Instead, she dragged her suitcase to the airport.
Sitting in the back of the taxi, she inserted a new SIM card into her phone. Once it powered on, she downloaded the necessary apps and booked a flight to Seaul departing in two hours.
After confirming her booking, she leaned back against the seat, lost in thought.
Though she had resolved to end things, six years of love couldn't simply be discarded at will. She couldn't lie to herself anymore.
The greatest obstacle between her and Jacob had never been other people—it had always been him.
He had never seen her as someone worthy of standing beside him. In his mind, she belonged in Vesper City, waiting. What he failed to realize was that their dynamic wasn't that of boyfriend and girlfriend, much less an engaged couple. They were more like lovers in an affair.
She was nothing more than his kept woman, a beautiful bird in a gilded cage.
He always asked her to wait—wait for his family's approval, wait for his career to flourish. But he didn't understand that love was about the journey, not the destination. What use was such a hollow ending?
Jacob's world was vast, yet there was no room for her in it.
At Evergreen City International Airport, the sweet voice of the announcer echoed through the terminal: "Ladies and gentlemen, Flight 247 to Seaul, departing at 10:20 AM, is now boarding. Please proceed to the gate immediately."
Crowds flowed past as Nicole clutched her boarding pass, taking one last look at the city. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
She told herself that separation would lead to a better reunion. She would return eventually—Evergreen City held her family, her parents, her siblings. Her world shouldn't revolve solely around Jacob.
As she boarded the plane, a sense of liberation crossed her face.
Goodbye, Evergreen City. Goodbye, Jacob.
By the time Jacob finished his business, it was four in the afternoon. The negotiations had concluded with the Windsor Group emerging victorious. Shareholders flooded him with congratulatory messages, praising his brilliance. For a man, such professional triumph was intoxicating—like a shot of pure adrenaline.
A celebration dinner was planned for the evening, and Anya came to invite him. Having left the previous night due to her son's illness, she was unaware that Nicole had spent the night at the club. She found Jacob standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, phone pressed to his ear, his brow furrowed in frustration as the call went unanswered.
Hearing the door open, Jacob turned slightly. "What is it?"
Anya smiled. "The negotiation team has requested a bonus, and there's a small celebration tonight. Sidney insists that you attend—he says you absolutely must show your face for the team's morale."
Jacob understood the importance of acknowledging his subordinates at such moments, but Nicole's phone remained off. The thought of her alone at the club unsettled him.
After weighing his options, he decided to attend the celebration while sending Anya to check on Nicole. If she wasn't at the club, Anya could try the Windsor mansion and inform her of his whereabouts.
Anya was stunned. "Nicole stayed at the club last night?"
Gathering her courage, she suggested, "Perhaps you should pick up Ms. Windsor yourself, sir. I could cover for you at the celebration initially, and then you could bring her to join the team dinner."
Jacob frowned. "She's not suited for that kind of environment."
Anya said nothing more and hurried to carry out her task. But Nicole had long since left the club and hadn't returned to the Windsor estate.
As evening fell, Anya called Jacob at the Regal Hotel, where the Windsor Group's celebration was in full swing. Jacob, impeccable in his tailored suit, held a crystal flute of the finest champagne while his most trusted associates enthusiastically recounted the day's negotiations.
"They were formidable opponents."
"But Mr. Windsor's strategy caught them completely off guard."
"Here's to Mr. Windsor!"
Crystal glasses clinked in the warm atmosphere when Jacob's phone rang. Seeing Anya's name, he answered immediately. "Is Nicole home? Has she had dinner?"
Anya's voice trembled slightly. "Mr. Windsor, Ms. Windsor isn't home."
Jacob's expression darkened instantly. He hung up and tried calling the Vesper City residence, but Nicole had given the staff time off for the holidays, and no one answered.
Several colleagues approached to toast him, but Jacob set down his glass and strode out of the ballroom, leaving bewildered faces in his wake.
"What's gotten into Mr. Windsor?"
"No idea."
That night, Jacob flew to Vesper City, still believing Nicole was simply throwing a tantrum over his harsh words. Despite his exhaustion, he was willing to coax her back and bring her home for the holidays.
But the Vesper City villa stood empty. Nicole hadn't returned.
Anya discovered that Nicole had gone to Seaul, so Jacob rushed there from Vesper City. However, no hotel in Seaul had any record of her stay, nor had she used any of the credit cards he'd given her.
Jacob mobilized every connection and spent considerable money searching every corner of Seaul, but Nicole remained elusive.
On New Year's Eve, Oliver called, unleashing a torrent of fury—apparently, he'd learned what had happened. Jacob offered no explanation.
He stood quietly on the street, gazing up at the Ferris wheel above. Its colorful lights twinkled playfully as it turned, and he imagined Nicole would have insisted on riding it, begging him to join her.
As the New Year bells chimed, Jacob lost Nicole completely. She had vanished without explanation, disappeared from his world, abandoned him entirely.
The neon lights dimmed as Jacob turned away, his black coat a stark silhouette against the night. Behind him, the Ferris wheel slowly descended.
A slender figure stepped off, casting a wistful glance at the attraction before turning to leave. She and Jacob passed each other like ships in the night.
When they had loved most deeply, neither had been reckless enough to fight for it. Now, in abandonment, how could they notice each other's presence? They walked further apart as the Ferris wheel's lights extinguished one by one, swallowed by the silent darkness.
Just as their love had died.
Six days later, Jacob left Seaul. Instead of returning directly to Evergreen City, he made a detour to Vesper City, where he locked up the villa and arranged for regular maintenance. Every month, he would fly there for a brief stay.
He knew Nicole maintained contact with her family—she sent letters and postcards during holidays. He'd seen one once, postmarked from Sovelan. He didn't pursue her, but neither did he date anyone else or accept the blind dates his family arranged.
A year passed. Nicole didn't return.
Two years later, Jacob officially became president of the Windsor Group, expanding it globally and doubling its size. He became the city's most eligible bachelor, pursued by every socialite in Evergreen City.
Still, Nicole didn't return.
After that celebration dinner, Jacob had flown to Vesper City and lain on their bed, talking to the empty room—rambling confessions and endless "what-ifs."
The third year passed.
In the fourth year, Jacob prepared for a strategic marriage with Amelia, complete with prenuptial agreements. The temporary nature of the arrangement didn't concern him—all he wanted from this contractual union was an excellent heir, whether through artificial means or otherwise.
That year, Nicole returned.
On an evening painted with sunset hues, a blue taxi pulled into the Windsor family estate, stopping at the main residence. The door opened, and Nicole emerged with her luggage.
At the entrance, Jacob was seeing Amelia off when their eyes met across the distance.
Four years of silence stretched between them like an unbridgeable chasm.
Nicole had shed her youthful innocence, transformed into a mature woman—different from his memories. And beside him stood another.
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