He Chose Her, So I Chose to Disappear Forever Chapter 26

He Chose Her, So I Chose to Disappear Forever Chapter 26

As for me, I was already falling asleep to the sound of the

wind in a small village in Indonesia.

Originally, I had planned to go straight to Europe and start

my new job.

But while waiting at the airport, I saw a photograph of a

volcano and was struck by a sudden, fierce desire to see a

wider world first.

The moment the thought hit me, I canceled my ticket and booked a different flight.

My new job allowed me to do most of my design work remotely. By day, I was Phoenix Cole, attending video meetings and repairing a port’s navigation program The 2:01

people on the other side of the screen only cared if I could solve the problem.

At night, I went to see places I had only known from travel websites.

At Ijen, I saw blue fire burning inside a crater.

I rappelled deep into a sinkhole and watched sunlight pour down from the opening high above.

In Yogyakarta, a giant wave knocked me flat on a wooden bridge. When I scrambled back up, I laughed until my sides ached.

In Tulamben, I went on my first real dive and swam beneath

the shadow of a sleeping shipwreck.

The water no longer meant death.

It only meant that the world was bigger than the house I used to live in, bigger than that ring, bigger than that name.

Sometimes, my encrypted inbox still received messages looking for Elena Reed.

I deleted every one of them without reply.

I no longer hated Luca.

And I would never go back.

Phoenix Cole had her own work, her own money, her own

name, and a future that needed no family’s approval.

My life could begin again at any time.

It wasn’t too late.

The End