Mian POV
Sunday arrived too quickly.
It felt unfair.
The kind of unfairness that couldn't be argued with.
Time had continued moving while none of us were paying attention.
I stood in the kitchen, watching the kettle begin to whistle.
For a strange moment, I wished I could pause the morning.
Just for an hour.
Maybe two.
Maybe forever.
"You'll burn the tea."
Robert's voice pulled me back.
I looked down.
The water had already begun boiling over.
I laughed softly.
"I've been distracted."
"I noticed."
He reached over and turned off the stove.
"There."
"Crisis averted."
"An impressive rescue."
He bowed dramatically.
"I do my best."
---
Robert POV
She was trying to act normal.
So was everyone else.
Kael challenged me to another game of chess.
The Husband asked if I wanted to help organize the garage.
Isle suggested we all have dinner together one last time before my flight.
Nobody used the words last day.
Because saying them out loud would make them real.
---
Kael POV
The chessboard sat between them.
Robert moved his knight.
"Check."
Kael looked at the board.
"You've become better."
"I've had twelve years to practice."
"You also had twelve years to become unbearable."
Robert grinned.
"I achieved both."
They laughed.
Then Kael became serious.
"I owe you."
Robert frowned.
"For what?"
"For reminding us that healing isn't about fixing people."
"It's about standing beside them while they fix themselves."
Robert looked toward the garden where Mian and Isle were planting flowers.
"You already knew that."
Kael shook his head.
"No."
"I just never lived it."
---
Isle POV
Mian knelt beside the flowerbed.
"So..."
I handed her another plant.
"So?"
"I was thinking."
"That usually worries me."
I nudged her shoulder.
"You've started making jokes."
"I blame Robert."
"You should."
For a moment we worked in silence.
Then I asked quietly,
"Are you going to miss him?"
She stopped.
Her fingers brushed gently over the petals of the flower she was planting.
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
"But..."
She smiled.
"I don't think missing someone has to mean losing them."
I looked at her.
"You've changed."
She nodded.
"I hope so."
---
The Husband POV
Dinner that evening felt warm.
Comfortable.
Everyone talked over one another.
Kael insisted Robert had cheated during chess.
Robert demanded evidence.
Isle nearly dropped a serving bowl because she was laughing too hard.
Mian simply watched.
Not from a distance.
As part of it.
Halfway through dinner, she caught herself laughing again.
This time...
Nobody stared.
Nobody commented.
It had become normal.
And perhaps...
That was the greatest sign of all.
---
Late Evening – Robert POV
The house was quiet.
Most lights had been turned off.
I stood on the veranda with my suitcase beside me.
Not because I was leaving tonight.
Because I wanted to be ready.
Footsteps approached.
Mian.
"You packed already."
"I hate rushing in the morning."
She nodded.
"I remember."
Silence settled between us.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
Finally she spoke.
"I never thanked you."
"You don't have to."
"I do."
She looked toward the garden.
"When you came back..."
"I thought you were here to remind me of everything I'd lost."
A small smile touched her lips.
"But you reminded me of everything I still had."
I swallowed.
There wasn't much to say after that.
So I simply smiled.
---
Morning
The alarm rang at six.
The house woke slowly.
No one rushed.
No one pretended today wasn't difficult.
Robert carried his suitcase to the front door.
The taxi waited outside.
The engine idled quietly.
Mian walked over and handed him a neatly wrapped package.
"I almost forgot."
He looked surprised.
"What's this?"
"You'll see after you get on the plane."
"I thought I was supposed to be the mysterious one."
"You've inspired me."
He laughed.
"I'll regret teaching you."
"You probably will."
---
The Goodbye
One by one...
Everyone hugged him.
The Husband thanked him for coming.
Kael shook his hand before pulling him into a brief embrace.
"Take care of yourself."
"You too."
Isle smiled warmly.
"You'd better visit."
"I plan to."
Finally...
Only Mian remained.
For a second...
Neither moved.
Then she stepped forward and hugged him.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't desperate.
It was simply honest.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Robert closed his eyes briefly.
"Keep drawing."
"I will."
"And when you forget how strong you are..."
He smiled gently.
"Call me."
She laughed through slightly misty eyes.
"I will."
He picked up his suitcase.
Walked toward the taxi.
Then looked back one last time.
"See you soon."
Not goodbye.
Never goodbye.
Just...
See you soon.
---
Final Scene – Robert POV
The plane climbed through the clouds.
Only after the seatbelt sign turned off did I open the small package Mian had given me.
Inside was a charcoal sketch.
It showed four people laughing around a coffee table.
Kael pretending to argue.
The Husband smiling.
Isle laughing.
And one empty chair.
On the back, written in Mian's careful handwriting, were the words:
"We'll keep your seat ready."
A smile spread across my face.
Outside the window, the sun rose above the clouds.
For the first time in years...
Leaving didn't feel like losing.
It felt like trusting that the people waiting for you would still be there when you returned.
End of Chapter 77