---- Chapter 23 Madeline was calmer than she imagined she would be. She composed herself and deleted Twitter. Then, she blocked Timothy's number and deregistered her own. After that, she removed her SIM card and snapped it in half before restoring her phone to factory settings. She didn't hesitate even once throughout the whole thing. Once she was done, she headed to the airport. The sun hung high in the sky that day. From this moment on, no one would be able to find her. Unexpectedly, the plane she'd boarded was forced to stop right after takeoff. Everyone looked terrified until the cabin door opened, and a man strode in. Timothy's eyes were bloodshot as he scanned the faces of the passengers. Then, he made a beeline for Madeline's direction. She felt her blood rush to her head the moment she saw him, and her eyes widened as she watched ---- him approach. Her breathing hitched. Then, she saw him stop two rows ahead of her. He reached out to yank a person from her seat before scooping her into his arms and carrying her off the plane. He didn't so much as look in Madeline's direction the whole time. Unsurprisingly, the flight was delayed. As the cabin crew pacified the crowd and made preparations, Madeline looked out the window from her first-class seat and listened as everyone guessed who Timothy was. Then, someone yelped in surprise. She followed their line of sight to see Timothy put Lacey down. She tried to run, but he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "T hate you! I hate you so much!" She pounded her fists on his chest. "Why did you come after me if you can't bear to leave her? I'm doing as you both wish and leaving, aren't I? Or do you really want to make me a shameless side chick?" He trapped her in his embrace. "No, it's not what I ---- want! I won't let you marry anyone else! I can't stand the pain of losing you again! You're the only woman I've ever loved, damn it! Why won't you believe that?" After that heated argument, they threw caution to the wind and started making out right where they stood on the tarmac. It was a scene right out of a romance film, and everyone cheered and took photos. Madeline was the only one who didn't do anything. She glanced at them, feeling unfazed. She knew the truth now-Lacey's claims of going abroad to marry someone else were just lies. She'd used that to force Timothy to face his feelings head -on and dump Madeline. It was too bad Lacey's efforts were all in vain. Madeline had already ended things with Timothy, after all. Madeline ignored the chaos around her and put on her earphones, blocking out all noise. Two hours later, the plane took off. She looked ---- down at the land she'd lived on for over 20 years and silently bid it farewell.