Chapter 5 Farewell Letter I instinctively wanted to call Elizabeth right then and there .
and demand an explanation .
But in the end , I figured it was pointless .
The truth was already out in the open anyway .
Even if she refused to divorce me , I was leaving anyway .
Who knew if Id even make it back alive ? With that in mind , I set my phone down , overwhelmed by a rush of emotions .
Forget it .
I dont want to ruin my mood right before I leave .
I was about to turn off the laptop and grab my luggage when another message from Callum popped up this time , it was a video .
The thumbnail showed him and Elizabeth standing side by side on a stage , their happiness practically spilling out of the frame .
I couldnt help but wonder if this had just been recorded , and though my chest tightened , I still hit play .
In the video , there had originally been a teacher standing onstage , introducing Gideons parents and asking them to share the story of their love .
Soon enough , Elizabeth stepped up , holding Callums hand .
The same woman who once seemed so serene and detached now looked shy and bashful .
She took the mic and began , Callum was my childhood Chapter 5 Farewell Letter 2/7 sweetheart , my first love .
We were classmates all the way from elementary school to university .
He finally confessed to me after we graduated .
Not long after , we got married , and honestly , the greatest blessing in my life is being loved by such a perfect man .
As soon as I heard that , my eyes widened in disbelief .
Callum was Elizabeths first love ? But when we were dating , she swore I was her first .
She told me she was a blank slate and that I needed to treat her well .
I didnt even think twice before saying yes .
Back then , I bent over backward to make her happy .
After we got married , I did everything I could for her .
I respected everything she believed in .
And this … this is what I get? felt like someone had ripped my heart out , smashed it to pieces , and stomped on it for good measure .
The pain knocked the wind out of me .
I collapsed , trembling on the floor as tears blurred my vision .
So youve been lying to me all along , huh , Elizabeth ? All that holy talk and spiritual discipline were never real with me .
Its not just that our marriage was full of lies .
Its that you never once spoke to me with honesty .

The video kept playing , and I heard parents in the audience letting out sounds of admiration .
Some even egged Elizabeth on to share more , asking if there were any particularly romantic moments between them .
Hearing that , I let out a bitter laugh .
When Elizabeth and I first Chapter 5 Farewell Letter got together , I used to plan thoughtful little surprises for her too .
But every time , her reactions grew colder and colder .
3/7 She once told me flat out that she hated romantic gestures .
That to someone on a spiritual path , romance was nothing more than a frivolous distraction that sincerity mattered more than flair .
I , of course , believed Elizabeth .
I then held back my affection and played along with her minimalism , thinking that would prove my sincerity .
But all she did was break me , leaving me completely wrecked .
Then , her soft , gentle voice came through the video again , saying , Of course , there were a lot of romantic moments between Mr.
Harlow and me .
Hes a very romantic man .
He has surprised me so many times in so many ways .
When we first started dating , he stayed up three nights in at row , secretly hand weaving a purse for me .
He was too shy to give it to me directly , so he pretended Id won it in some giveaway .
I still remember how exhausted he looked .
He was yawning and even had dark circles under his eyes .
And right then , I just knew that he was the one .
With that , Elizabeth and Callum laced their fingers together , sharing a loving gaze before she continued , Ive kept that purse to this day .
And then there was this one night , shortly after we got married .
I happened to complain about the bland food at work , and that evening when I got home , hed cooked a whole feast just for me .
Every single dish was one of my favorites .
Later I found out Chapter 5 Farewell Letter 4/7 hed spent half the day running all over the city hunting down the best ingredients .
He even burned his hands cooking that meal , but he didnt even care .
Then , Elizabeth raised Callums hands and kissed them .
tenderly , right there in front of everyone .
She said , Thats a memory Ill cherish forever .
I remember scolding him for being so silly , but he told me he didnt regret it .
He said if it could make me smile , it was all worth it .
And then once , when I had a high fever , he stayed by my side for three days straight , only collapsing after I was admitted to the hospital .
He said my life mattered more than his … With every story Elizabeth shared , more and more gasps and sighs of envy echoed from the crowd .

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But to me , each of those sounds felt like another knife twisting deeper into my chest .
Even though there was still a long stretch left in the video , I shut the laptop without a second thought .
I just couldnt take it anymore .
Every sweet little moment in Elizabeths story felt like someone grinding salt into an open wound slow , merciless , and impossible to sit through .
I choked out , But Im the one who did all of that for you .
My voice broke halfway through , the pain cutting so deep I couldnt even feel anything anymore .
It turned out that Elizabeth wasnt heartless or cold after all .
She wasnt some detached saint .
Her indifference had always been reserved for me alone .
She remembered everything I ever did for Chapter 5 Farewell Letter her , but she credited it all to another man like none of it had ever come from me .
And the truth ? It was never Callums to claim .
She knew that .
5/7 I had stayed up for three nights just to get her that designer bag .
She took it with a half hearted thanks , and after that , I never saw her carry it again .
Every time I brought it up , shed say she didnt like the style .
I spent weeks beating myself up , regretting not figuring out her taste before I placed the order .
There was that one lavish dinner Id planned down to every last detail .
She didnt even touch it .
Instead , she tore into me , saying a Buddhist would never accept something so excessive .
And that if I could do something like that , I must not respect her at all .
Id tried to explain , said I only wanted to make her smile , to see her happy .
But Elizabeth didnt care .
She packed up and went to stay at the temple for a week.
I remember my hands were covered in burns from cooking that meal Id always thought she just didnt know .
But now I realized she saw everything .
She just didnt care .
There was also the time Elizabeth came down with a high fever .
Id taken leave from my team to look after her and stayed by her side day and night .
When she told me to leave , I thought she was just being considerate , saying her life was more important than mine .
But my loyalty only earned her disgust .
She said the fever was a test from the divine , a blessing in disguise .

She told me not to come anywhere near her room and Chapter 5 Farewell Letter said I was filthy and ignorant .
6/7 I felt so guilty about it that I couldnt sleep .
I threw myself into studying Buddhist teachings , trying to make sense of it .
But no matter how much I read , I never found anything about illness being a blessing the way Elizabeth described it .
Back then , I thought maybe I just wasnt smart enough to get it .
It turned out now that it was just her excuse to push me away .
It wasnt that Elizabeth didnt understand my love .
She just didnt want it .
Her heart belonged to someone else , and mine never even stood a chance .
Ive got to admit that this is on me , Elizabeth .
My mistake was ever meeting you in the first place .
The worst kind of sorrow was when the heart simply gave up .
I had no tears left .
What came in their place was a quiet kind of relief .
Maybe it was luck , maybe fate , but those last few hours gave me all the answers Id been denied for years .
It really needs to end now .
This joke of a marriage has gone on long enough .
She shut her heart to me a long time ago in the name of devotion .
And I need to finally let go .
I went to the hotel front desk , asked for some paper and a pen , and wrote my farewell letter : [ Elizabeth , whether you agree or not , whether youre in your religious abstinence period or not , this is the end of the road for us .
Im letting you and your first love , Callum , be together .
] Chapter 5 Farewell Letter [ Gideon is your biological son , isnt he ? I just dont get it .
If hiding it was such a burden and being with me was so exhausting , whyd you even marry me ? ] 7/7 [ You made me realize just how pathetic these past five years have been .
Not gonna lie , I cried so hard I ran out of tears .
But none of them were for you .
I cried because I finally saw how little I was worth .
] [ As your husband , I hate you with everything Ive got .
But as a firefighter , I dont regret saving the three of you from that hotel fire .
And now , Im heading back out on another mission .
Just pretend I died out there , okay ? Let this be the last thing between us .
Consider this letter my final goodbye .
]