I took my heavy luggage back to the house I had rented before.



Even after I started living with William, I never cancelled the lease.



Maybe it was because I was too pessimistic, thinking that everything that happened between William and me was just an illusion.



Sooner or later, I would wake up from this dream.



Fortunately, my pessimism allowed me to have a place to stay at this moment.



I simply washed up.



Overwhelmed by the exhaustion from my non - stop work, I fell into a deep sleep.



When I woke up again, it was already evening.



The endless darkness engulfed me.



Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat, and a sense of loneliness filled the void.



It felt like I had been abandoned by the world.



Fortunately, this mood didn't last long and was broken by the sudden ringing of my phone.



I answered it, and my mother's voice came into my ear.



What she said was nothing new.



It was just the same old questions about whether I had eaten well, slept well, and whether I was doing okay at work, the same things she had repeated over the years.



I listened quietly and responded from time to time.



In the end, there was a slight sob in my mother's gentle voice:



" Vena, will you come back this Christmas? "



I didn't know why my mother was asking about the Christmas arrangements so early, but I still answered truthfully:



" It's not certain yet. Why do you ask? "



There was a pause on the other end before she replied:



" It's okay. Mom just misses you so much since it's been a long time since I last saw you. "



These words hit me hard in the heart.



A dull and sour feeling welled up.



I came from a single - parent family.



I had a very vague concept of home since I was a child.



My childhood memories were filled with my idle and drunken father.



He had a bad reputation and was into gambling, drinking, and womanizing.



When he won money, life was a bit better for my mother and me. At least we wouldn't be beaten.



But when he lost, it was different.



He would take out his anger on us while drunk. He would grab my mother's hair and drag her into the bedroom , just like a butcher dragging a prey to be slaughtered.



The old house was in disrepair, and the door couldn't close properly.



At the age of five, through a narrow crack in the door, I was forced to watch my mother suffer.



My mother's shrill screams came from inside the room, and outside, I banged my hands against the door until they were bloody.



I couldn't break open the door.



I couldn't stop this torture from continuing.



This kind of life lasted for a long time.



Until one day when my father's fist with bulging veins landed on me.



My mother, who had always been submissive, suddenly fought back.



She picked up a kitchen knife and waved it wildly.



" You brute! If you dare to touch Vena, we'll all die! "



Her  hair was in a mess, and the wound on her forehead was oozing blood.



At first glance, she looked like a ghost climbing out of hell.



My father was intimidated and left the house cursing.



My mother put down the knife, suddenly losing her strength, and hugged me tightly.



Tears soaked my hair drop by drop, and my mother choked with sobs:



" Vena, don't be afraid. Mom will take you away. "



Later, my mother single - handedly supported our family.



She worked hard to send me to school.



All I could do was study hard, work hard, make a success of myself, and let her enjoy a comfortable life.



But over the years, I only focused on making money and forgot that what she really needed was my company.



I looked at my savings. The long string of zeros was enough for me to live a comfortable life for the rest of my life.



I no longer had a reason to stay in New York.



After thinking it through, I spent a week dealing with the work that needed to be handed over and also went through the resignation procedures.



On the night I left, I felt extremely relaxed.



I didn't even bring a suitcase.



Before boarding the plane, I sent William one last text message.



It was like putting an end to these three years between us.



[I'm going back to my hometown to get married. Let's not contact each other anymore.]