On my tenth day in the hospital, I signed the divorce papers from my bed.

I put them in a manila envelope, along with the baby’s death certificate and a letter.

During the worst days of her illness, my mom would grab my hand and ask me over and over, “Zoe, if Grant really, truly hurts you, what will you do?”

Her cloudy eyes were filled with a thick, heavy worry.

I patted her hand and said with conviction, “If he really hurts me, then I’m done with him. In this life, and the next, I will never love him again.”

I wrote that exact sentence in the letter.

All of it would be sent to Grant’s family estate shortly.

After handling everything, I made a call to Leo, who was in Germany.

He answered almost instantly.

His voice was clean and cool, with a hint of a question in it.

“Zoe?”

I hummed a soft "yes."

“It’s me.”

“Does your research institute still have any openings? Are you considering taking in a stray?”

Leo didn’t hesitate for a second.

“Of course. I’ve always told you, there’s a place for you here anytime.”

A wave of warmth washed over me.

“It’s just… I want to bring my mom with me this time. Could you help me find a good long-term care facility?”

Leo chuckled softly.

“That’s easy. But if your mom is coming, can you handle it all by yourself?”

“No problem. I’ll come to Germany first to check things out, and once I have everything settled, I’ll bring her over.”

After a bit more small talk, he asked, almost as an afterthought, “You’re coming to Germany… does your husband know?”

The thought of Grant made my voice turn to ice.

“He doesn’t. Because he’s dead to me.”

Leo went quiet for a moment, then seemed to force a sound of sympathy.

“Oh. Is that so? Well, that’s… a real shame.”

“How about this: once you find a facility, I’ll take you out to clear your head.”

He hung up quickly.

A few minutes later, a confirmation for a first-class ticket to Germany popped up on my phone.

【Come tomorrow. Your apartment has always been kept clean for you.】

I replied with a simple "Okay."