Not peaceful, just empty in a practical way, like a place you already know you are about to leave behind. I looked around the living room and realized something simple. Almost everything in the apartment was mine. The lease was in my name because my credit was stronger.
The couch was mine from before we moved in together. The TV, the kitchen table, even most of the cookware came from my old place. Laura had brought clothes, cosmetics, decorations, and a collection of plants that she regularly forgot to water. So the next logical step felt obvious.
I started gathering her things. Not in an angry way. No throwing or dramatic gestures. I grabbed two of the large storage boxes from the closet and carried them into the bedroom.
Her side of the closet was easy. Dresses first, shoes second, handbags after that. I folded what made sense to fold and laid the rest flat. The boxes filled faster than I expected.
While I worked, my phone buzzed again. Laura sent a photo of a cocktail. The caption said, "Team survival drink." The restaurant logo was visible on the napkin in the corner of the picture.
The same restaurant from the reservation. She either didn't notice it or didn't care enough to crop it. I didn't reply. Instead, I moved to the bathroom and cleared half the cabinet.
Makeup bags, hair tools, skincare bottles that cost more than my weekly groceries. Everything went into another box. The whole process took about an hour. By the time I finished, four boxes were stacked neatly by the front door.
I also added the small decorative things she liked. Picture frames she bought. The throw pillow that she insisted made the couch look less depressing. The framed wedding invitation sample she had hung in the hallway two weeks ago.
Seeing that one almost made me pause. Almost. I took it off the wall and placed it on top of the boxes. Then I sat down at the kitchen table again and opened my laptop.
The venue coordinator had already replied. Cancellation confirmed. Deposit partially refundable minus administrative fee. That single email saved me almost 6,000 euros.
I leaned back in the chair and looked at the stack of boxes near the door. Laura still thought she was out having a fake work dinner while her fiancé waited at home. What she didn't know was that by the time she came back tonight, there would be no wedding left to come home to. Laura came home a little after midnight.
I heard her outside the door first. The quiet clacking of her heels in the hallway. Then the sound of keys in the lock. I was still sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop open.