Wrong Love, Final Goodbye: She'll Never Look Back

Chapter 433: Leaving

When Tanya Sinclair’s message arrived, Vincent Hawthorne was in a meeting at the company.The head of the marketing department was reciting data from a PowerPoint slide, while he listened with a frown, suppressing his temper.

It’s simply a pile of garbage!

The phone on the table vibrated, he glanced at the screen, and when he saw the note, the pen twirling between his fingers abruptly paused and dropped onto the table.

With a sharp ’thud,’ the entire room fell silent.

The words "Mrs. Hawthorne"—it had been so long since he’d seen them, and it had been even longer since Tanya Sinclair had blocked him.

Vincent Hawthorne didn’t bother with the senior managers, and with his heart overwhelmed with joy, he shakily tapped open the screen.

The message had only two lines: [Are you free for lunch today? Let’s have a meal, I have something to tell you.] There was a location attached.

Vincent Hawthorne, excitedly considering calling her, feared upsetting her, considered his response for a moment, and typed back restrainedly: [Sure, I’ll definitely be on time!]

After sending the message, Vincent Hawthorne closed the folder in front of him, striving to make his voice sound calmer.

"The meeting is postponed until tomorrow." As he spoke, he was already eagerly getting up to leave, not bothering to grab the coat from the chair’s back.

Jonah Rivers reacted quickly, grabbing Vincent Hawthorne’s coat to chase after him.

Vincent Hawthorne didn’t look back, extending his hand, and Jonah Rivers immediately understood, quickly handing over the car keys.

"Cancel the 3:30 p.m. meeting, reschedule the video call with the European partners to Friday. Have the vice president attend tonight’s dinner on my behalf." Vincent Hawthorne gave instructions rapidly while walking, finishing just as he reached the elevator.

Jonah Rivers acknowledged each instruction, helpfully pressing the elevator button for Vincent Hawthorne.

Before entering the elevator, Vincent Hawthorne couldn’t help but say: "Jonah, it’s Tanya, she asked me out."

Jonah Rivers pulled a corner of his mouth into a perfunctory smile of congratulations common to those accustomed to such situations, "Congratulations, President Hawthorne."

He watched Vincent Hawthorne enter the elevator, and only after the doors closed did Jonah Rivers retract his smile, subtly rolling his eyes.

Jonah Rivers: "Asking you to meet doesn’t mean she’s forgiving you or wants to remarry you. Typical clueless man."

After all, Jonah Rivers, as Vincent Hawthorne’s assistant, understood better than anyone how deeply Tanya Sinclair had been hurt by him.

Vincent Hawthorne drove for nearly forty minutes.

Upon reaching the restaurant at the location Tanya Sinclair sent, situated in the old city, he navigated through a cluster of low houses before finding it.

Vincent Hawthorne didn’t immediately get out of the car, sitting in the back seat, looking at the signboard of the private restaurant through the car window—a wooden sign with handwritten words, hanging over the entrance with a unique charm, green vines covering the door frame, and several pots of lush green plants at the door, vibrant and full of life.

He searched his memory for a moment and finally remembered Tanya Sinclair had told him several times about a private restaurant that had a very high rating.

The owners were childhood sweethearts, a young couple, each other’s first love, accompanying each other into old age. It was said romantically that young couples who dined here would stay together until old age.

Vincent Hawthorne felt a slight bitterness in his throat. Back then, he should have agreed to come here... Tanya Sinclair had once been full of hopes for their marriage; she truly loved him and wanted to grow old with him.

He had missed so much, so much...

Vincent Hawthorne opened the car door and got out, walking inside.

He had arrived too early, as the restaurant hadn’t yet opened for business. The lady owner was wiping tables, and was momentarily stunned when she saw him enter.

"Sir, we’re not open for mealtime yet."

Vincent Hawthorne politely replied, "I’m waiting for someone. Can I sit for a while?"

His handsome appearance and extraordinary demeanor naturally didn’t resemble a bad person, so the lady owner allowed him to sit anywhere he liked and gave him a glass of water.

Vincent Hawthorne sat by the window, quietly watching the view outside.

The lady owner playfully teased: "Sir, are you waiting for your wife or girlfriend? Nowadays, not many young people have the patience to wait so early. Well, your partner sure is lucky."

Vincent Hawthorne pulled a corner of his mouth and said, "The lucky one is me..."

He recalled that when he and Tanya Sinclair were together, he had actually never waited for her or sought her out.

Every time, it had always been her, passionately running toward him... So today, he made a special effort to come early, wanting to experience waiting for her.

Two hours later, she finally arrived.

When Tanya Sinclair pushed open the door and walked in, Vincent Hawthorne immediately stood up, pulling out a chair for her.

Tanya Sinclair glanced at him, her expression calm, she nodded slightly and said, "Thank you."

She took off her coat and draped it over the back of the chair; beneath she wore a dark gray sweater, her hair pinned up with a hairpin, her face unadorned, with slightly dry lips. The overall look was very simple, and she appeared thin, looking even more slender without the coat.

"Have you been waiting long?" she casually asked.

"Just got here," Vincent Hawthorne said.

That was the first lie he told today. He waved a hand to call the waiter, and after Tanya Sinclair ordered—she only asked for stir-fried vegetables and a winter melon soup—he added two more dishes, steamed bass, and sweet and sour ribs.

Tanya Sinclair cupped the tea cup to warm her hands and didn’t comment.

While waiting for the food, Tanya Sinclair began, "Vincent Hawthorne, I came today to..."

"Tanya," Vincent Hawthorne interrupted her, "can we talk after we eat?"

For some reason, he was afraid to hear what she was going to say.

Tanya Sinclair paused in silence and didn’t continue.

Once the dishes arrived, they ate quietly for a while.

Vincent Hawthorne picked out a piece of fish, carefully removing all the bones, and placed the meat on a small plate. He looked up at Tanya Sinclair, who was sipping soup, her gaze fixed on the bowl, not him. He pushed the small plate of fish toward her, but she caught sight of it out of the corner of her eye and showed no intent to eat it.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Vincent Hawthorne, let’s talk business."

When she said this, her tone was very normal, as if she were commenting on the nice weather today. Yet it made Vincent Hawthorne’s hand holding the chopsticks tighten slightly.

He had known her for too many years to understand that the calmer her tone, the more it indicated that what she was about to say had already been decided and was unshakable.

"I’m planning to leave Aris for a while."

Vincent Hawthorne took a sip of water before asking softly, "Can I know where you’re going?"

"I have no obligation to explain it to you." Tanya Sinclair casually blocked his question and continued on her own, "The duration hasn’t been decided yet, depends on how things go. It could be a few months, or maybe longer."

She paused, then continued speaking.

"Aunt Tawny will continue to look after Caden. If he wants to live with you, I’ll have Aunt Tawny return with him. She knows both children’s tastes and preferences very well. I’ll schedule video calls twice a week, and if convenient, I’ll come back to spend time with them during the holidays."

Vincent Hawthorne listened and only asked softly after she finished, "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Who will take care of you? Is it Felix Kendall?" His voice was tinged with jealousy.

Tanya Sinclair just found it amusing.

"Mr. Hawthorne, you seem to have no right to be jealous. And who I’m with has nothing to do with you."

"Tanya." Vincent Hawthorne stared at her with a hoarse voice, "Are you still hating me?"

Tanya Sinclair shook her head without hesitation.

"You overestimate yourself." Her expression was indifferent and she spoke word by word, "To me, you’re just a thing of the past. We had a marriage, we have two children, that’s all. Those years between us, I just consider them as a stack of old papers torn off the calendar."

Vincent Hawthorne fell silent, his fingers slowly curling on the tabletop.

"But I’ve changed." His eyes were faintly red, and he persisted, "I know I was a jerk before, did many things that weren’t fair to you. But people change, I’ve really changed. Can you give me a chance? I only love you, Tanya, and for us to start over—"

Tanya Sinclair interrupted him with a slight amusement, "You say you only love me. Then after our divorce, were there other women?"

Vincent Hawthorne froze abruptly, Leah Thorne’s face almost instantly appeared in his mind.

He opened his mouth, but every explanation was stuck in his throat, not a single word could come out.

"Has Leah Thorne ever looked for you?" His heart was burning with anxiety, reaching out to grab Tanya Sinclair’s hand, but she easily avoided it.

Vincent Hawthorne urgently said, "Tanya, listen to me, she was only — I never saw her as anything important. She resembles you a bit, I was just possessed — I saw her as your stand-in, please believe me —"

Tanya Sinclair’s eyes grew colder and more disgusted.

"Stand-in? Vincent Hawthorne, you have no right to treat anyone as a stand-in. Leah Thorne is herself, she has her own name, her own life. You’ve insulted me, and yet you’ve insulted her too!"

Vincent Hawthorne was so choked up he couldn’t say a word.

Tanya Sinclair stood up, took the coat draped on the back of the chair, and put it on. She took three hundred yuan from her bag and placed it on the table to settle the bill.

"Caden and Joy are yours to take care of." She said, "You’re their father, and that will never change."

Vincent Hawthorne suddenly stood up, caught up to her and grabbed her, completely ignoring the astonished looks from those around.

"Give me one more chance." He held tightly, as if she might disappear if he let go, his face almost pleading, "Just this last time. I’m begging you."

Tanya Sinclair only looked at him with cold indifference, unmoved.

That gaze was like an ice dagger, and Vincent Hawthorne eventually released his grip.

Tanya Sinclair turned to leave, never once looking back.

After leaving the restaurant, Tanya Sinclair bought a bouquet of yellow roses and spent an afternoon at Declan Pierce’s grave.

By evening, she drove to the hospital.

The car arrived when the sky was completely dark.

Tanya Sinclair walked into the ward, Wesley Yates was sitting by the window reading. Upon hearing the door open, he looked up, saw his daughter, and placed the book aside, patting the chair next to him.

Tanya Sinclair smiled, walked over and sat down, resting her head gently on her father’s shoulder like a little girl.

Wesley Yates reached out and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his movements slow, his touch bearing the distinctive rough warmth of an elderly person.

"Tanya." He asked nothing, simply said softly, "Do whatever you want, Dad will always support you."

Tanya Sinclair’s eyes welled up; she bowed her head, and tears came unexpectedly, dampening Wesley Yates’ shoulder.

"Dad, I miss Declan Pierce so much..." Her voice shook terribly, as if someone had finally peeled away the scabbed-over wound, revealing unhealed flesh beneath. "I miss him so much it’s driving me crazy. I thought if I pretended every day like nothing was wrong, then I’d be okay. But I can’t fool myself. Dad, I really... really miss him."

Wesley Yates gently patted her back; he knew his daughter’s pain all too well, the grief of losing a loved one more deeply than anyone.

"Cry if you want to, Dad’s here."

Tanya Sinclair buried her face in his shoulder, leaving a damp spot.

After quite some time, once she had calmed down, she finally spoke: "Dad, I want to go to a place. It’s a small town in the south, by the sea. There’s where..."

But Wesley Yates slightly shook his head, "No need to say. There’s no need to explain to Dad. Just keep safe and feel free to go. Dad supports you."

Tanya Sinclair choked on her tears, "Dad..."

Wesley Yates feigned lightness, "Don’t worry about me, I’m doing fine. Surrounded by a group of experts, what could possibly happen? You should go do your thing, what you wish. I only have one request, which is that you must take good care of yourself."

He paused, his tone softening, "When you feel ready to return, Dad will be here waiting for you. Caden and Joy will be here waiting for you. We’ll all be here."

Tanya Sinclair looked into her father’s aging yet still bright eyes, her mouth twitched slightly, forming a smile amidst tears.

"Hmm."