On the day of our divorce, Daan threw the house keys at my feet. His gaze was as cold as if he were saying goodbye to a complete stranger.
"Let's make it easier than it already is."
I just nodded at him, a faint smile on my face.
"Okay."
Then he turned around and immediately booked a flight to Barcelona.
I thought that one document would put an end to our three-year marriage. From that day on, our lives would have nothing to do with each other.
But only five days later, Daan and Lotte de Vries appeared at the town hall to officially register at his address.
The bailiff checked the details remarkably quickly.
Finally, he looked up from his screen.
"Mr. Van der Meer, according to our system, the house of Mrs. De Vries is registered with you as a co-owner. That must be looked into first before we can complete the registration."
The entire room froze.
The smile on Daan's face slowly faded.
Next to him, Lotte de Vries pulled out.
At that very moment, my phone rang unannounced.
Seven missed calls.
All of them from the same number.
---
The dark red divorce papers felt surprisingly light in my hand. Lighter than the three-year marriage I had given my all for.
When I walked out of the town hall, I didn't cry.
I didn't ask any questions.
I didn't beg.
I didn't make a scene, just as Daan had always feared.
I just nodded at him again, as if I wanted to give us both one last bit of dignity.
He just straightened his tie and said without any emotion:
"Sanne Visser... let's just leave each other alone from now on. Just live your own life."
I replied with just one word.
"Good."
As soon as he heard what he wanted to hear, he turned around and walked to a black BMW parked by the curb.
The passenger compartment slowly descended.
Lotte de Vries smiled at him.
The moment Daan saw her, all the chill in his face disappeared.
He got in and drove away without even looking back.
I didn't look at the car.
I picked up my phone and booked the next flight to Barcelona.
When the payment was completed, I truly believed that everything was over.
I had no idea that the real story was just beginning.
---
Chapter 1
I walked slowly down the stairs of the town hall.
A fresh winter breeze blew past my face.
Daan walked several steps ahead of me. His stern, hurried steps clearly showed that he wanted to distance himself from our marriage as soon as possible.
Since we had left the hall, he had never looked back.
He wore a dark blue coat.
I recognized it immediately.
I had given it to him for his birthday last year.
At the time, he had said the collar was too tight and had thrown it away deep in the closet.
For a whole year, I had never seen him wear the coat again.
And as of today, it fit him perfectly.
As if it was meant specifically for the day he would leave me.
By the sidewalk, he stopped.
Still without looking back, he said:
"Your belongings are all packed. They are upstairs in the guest room."
I said nothing.
He continued:
"The keys, you can keep or return. And we have to officially dispose of that apartment soon. Let me know when you need my signature."
He meant the apartment we had bought together shortly after our wedding.
Once we dreamed that the small bedroom would later become the children's room.
Now the memory felt almost laughable.
According to the divorce agreement, the apartment would remain with Daan.
I would receive half of the market value.
On paper, that was fair.
You can divide money.
You can tax houses.
But three years of love, hope, and sacrifices have no price tag.
"I know."
That was all I replied.
After a brief silence, he said:
"Nothing else."
He turned his head slightly.
In the sunlight, his face seemed as cool as if he had just had surgery in the hospital.
Calm.
Distant.
Emotionless.
"Don't bother me anymore after today. From now on, we will each go our own way."
I looked at him calmly.
"Don't worry."
He nodded contentedly and walked away without saying anything else to his car.
A few seconds later, they disappeared together into the busy traffic.
I stayed for a while.
Not because I would miss him.
But because I finally understood that some people have already said goodbye before they actually leave.
Three hours later, my plane took off.
As the city slowly disappeared under the clouds, I closed my eyes.
Three years of marriage.
Long enough for someone to see someone else from being in love to becoming indifferent.
In the past, Daan would bring me coffee every morning before I went to work.
Later, he would always put his phone face down on the screen. When I once asked him why his shirts suddenly smelled like an unknown women's perfume, he just said irritably:
"Not looking for something behind everything."
But I didn't look for anything.
I just wanted to keep believing for a little while longer.
Until the day he forgot to log out on his tablet.
There I found hundreds of messages between him and Lotte.
Photos.
Appointments.
Love declarations.
Even photos of her wearing his shirt... sitting on the bed where I slept every night.
I didn't scream.
I didn't cry.
I just closed the screen.
The next day I hired a lawyer.
I had all our joint assets checked.
Bank accounts.
Mortgages.
Property documents.
And then I discovered something that even Daan had long forgotten...
An old family house that my parents had left me years ago.
That one house would eventually change everything.
