Shipley didn’t refuse Vianne. Instead, he obediently stood up and followed her, holding her hand so tightly it was as if he was afraid of losing her.
When they got into the car, the driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror and teased, “Rough night, huh? Did your boyfriend get into a fight with someone?”
It was the middle of the night, and Shipley was drunk and sporting several fresh wounds. The driver couldn’t think of any other explanation.
Vianne glanced at Shipley, her gaze complicated. She didn’t have the energy to answer the driver’s questions.
She just felt completely drained. The exhaustion in her body was nothing compared to the pain weighing on her heart.
……
The next morning, Silvia went to work as usual, but Shipley was nowhere to be seen, and even Vianne was absent.
One of her coworkers sidled over, phone in hand, grinning with gossip. “Silvia, look! Vianne posted something—I bet she forgot to block us from seeing it.”
Normally Silvia had little interest in Vianne’s personal life, but since the post was right in front of her, she couldn’t help but take a look.
Vianne had uploaded a photo that looked like it was taken in a hospital, with a caption: Me and the one I love.
It was a poetic caption, nothing out of the ordinary.
Silvia didn’t react, but her coworker was far more animated. “Silvia, why were they at the hospital today? Is someone sick? I mean, I saw them both recently and they seemed totally fine—weren’t they full of energy?”
Silvia gave a small, indifferent smile.
Yeah. Too much energy, actually.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Year Five The Perfect Goodbye Plan