Chapter 219: The conflicting emotions
The next day...
Ava stirred, faint sounds of movement pulling her from her slumber. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she turned to find Dylan hunched over his suitcase, carefully folding and packing his belongings.
She propped herself up on her elbows, sleep fading as a pang of unease settled in her chest. "Are you leaving?"
Dylan straightened briefly, meeting her gaze before turning back to his task. "Yes. Before heading to work, I thought I’d take my things to my apartment."
"Apartment? Aren’t you going back to the villa?" Ava was surprised.
He stood upright this time, facing her fully. "The villa is yours now. You can move in whenever you’re ready."
"But I don’t want it..."
"I know," Dylan interrupted. "You’ve never asked for anything, not even alimony. But the villa was always more yours than mine. You turned it into a home. Consider it my parting gift."
’Parting gift!’ Those words echoed in her mind like a distant warning bell, her hands clasping the bedspread unconsciously. So, he was finally letting go, finally leaving her life for good. She had thought she wanted this—freedom, distance—but instead of relief, a hollow sadness crept into her heart.