Chapter 230: Farewell

Chapter 230 Farewell

Three days later, the airport was buzzing with people. The sky outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows was a heavy gray, pressing down like a weight. 

Planes, those steel giants, were taking off and landing on the runways, carrying the noise of journeys to far-off places. 

The air was filled with the faint, bittersweet scent of disinfectant, coffee, and the unique tang of farewells.

Alan, Benjamin, and I stood outside the security checkpoint, clutching our boarding passes. 

Benjamin's eyes were still a bit swollen, though he tried to appear calm. His frequent glances toward the entrance of the terminal betrayed his inner turmoil.

Finally, two figures appeared at the far end of our view.

Ruben walked in front, his steps still carrying the crispness of a detective, though his straight back seemed burdened by an invisible weight. He wore a dark gray jacket that made his face look even paler. 

Clifford followed a step behind, dressed in a well-tailored cream-colored trench coat, her long hair meticulously tied up, revealing her slender neck. 

Her gaze was almost glued to Ruben, so focused that it seemed the surrounding clamor didn't exist. 

Her eyes held undisguised admiration, deep longing, and a touch of cautiousness, as if afraid to disturb his fragility.

However, Ruben's gaze passed right over her, and over us, locking onto the distant passage marked "Boarding Gate." 

His eyes were vacant, as if staring at a point in the void, or perhaps looking through everything in front of him toward an uncertain future.

"Mr. Wright, Ms. Johnson, Mr. Smith." Ruben finally reached us, his voice a bit hoarse, his gaze shifting from the boarding gate to Benjamin's face.

Benjamin responded with a low voice. He stepped forward, raising his hand to firmly pat Ruben's shoulder, once, twice, as if confirming Ruben's presence or conveying some unspoken strength. 

His weathered face twitched slightly, his lips pressed into a hard line, as if struggling to contain some overwhelming emotion.

"Ruben," Benjamin finally spoke again, his voice rough, "take good care of yourself." 

He paused, looking deeply into Ruben's eyes with the simple advice of an elder, "No matter where you are, no matter which path you choose, remember my words: be a man who stands tall and proud! Take on what you must, let go of what you can!" 

His large hand fell on Ruben's shoulder again, this time with more weight, "Come back and visit when you can. Silverlight City will always be your home."

With that, Benjamin abruptly turned away. His movement was so quick it seemed almost hasty, even a bit clumsy. 

He didn't look back at Ruben or any of us, just kept his head down, his steps unsteady, almost fleeing toward the security checkpoint. 

Just as he was about to disappear into the passage, I clearly saw him raise his arm and quickly wipe his eyes.

The tears, after all, couldn't be held back.

Alan and I exchanged a glance, seeing deep sympathy and sighs in each other's eyes. Alan gently squeezed my hand and stepped forward.

"Ruben," Alan's voice was gentle and steady, with his usual literary tone, but now it carried genuine concern, "life's encounters are like crossroads, each direction offering different scenery. Follow your heart. Whether it's Emerald City or Silverlight City, home is where your heart finds peace." 

He patted Ruben's other shoulder, "Take care."

"Thank you," Ruben said softly, his eyes complex.

I stepped up to Ruben, looking at his still pale face and those eyes filled with confusion and struggle. 

"Ruben," I tried to make my voice sound calm and strong, "you are Silverlight City's best detective and a good friend we've watched grow. No matter what you ultimately choose, remember, you always have people supporting you. Alan and I, and Howard, Zoey, we're all waiting for you in Silverlight City." 

I paused, glancing at Clifford standing quietly behind him, her gaze never leaving him, "Cherish the present, and don't be too hard on yourself."

Ruben's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes flickering with emotion, but he finally just nodded heavily. "Thanks, I will."

The announcement for our flight boarding echoed through the hall, the cold female voice reverberating in the noisy terminal.

"It's time to go," Alan reminded softly.

Alan and I took one last look at Ruben, then at Clifford, whose gaze remained intense. We turned and walked toward the security checkpoint. 

As I stepped into the passage, I couldn't help but look back.

Ruben still stood there, like a frozen statue. Clifford moved a step closer to him, her head slightly tilted up, seemingly whispering something to him.

Her profile was softened by the airport's overhead lights, her eyes filled with undisguised affection and cautious hope. 

Ruben's eyes were lowered, listening, but he didn't respond or look at her.

His gaze once again turned toward the direction of our disappearing boarding gate, filled with emotions deeper and more obscure than the darkest waters of Emerald City's bay.

The plane accelerated down the runway, the powerful thrust pressing us into our seats. 

Outside the window, the vast urban sprawl of Emerald City receded rapidly under the gray sky, eventually swallowed by thick clouds. Inside the cabin, the roar of the engines became the only background noise.

Benjamin sat by the window, his face turned outward, like a statue. From takeoff until now, he hadn't said a word or moved. 

Only when he occasionally reached for a tissue, his slightly trembling fingers and the quick swipe at his eyes revealed the silent river of tears beneath his stoic exterior.

Alan gently held my hand. His hand was warm and dry, exuding a steady strength. 

He leaned over and whispered in my ear, his voice low but clear over the engine noise, "Nancy, look at Benjamin. Even the strongest man has a soft heart. Ruben staying behind must have torn a huge piece out of him."

I nodded, squeezing his fingers in return, drawing from his stability. "Yeah, watching his protégé stay in a foreign land, getting involved in all that mess." 

I sighed, looking at Benjamin's back, which seemed to have aged overnight, "But Ruben has to make his own choice. It's his roots, his debt, he has to face it and untangle that knot himself."

I thought of Clifford's eyes, burning with intense flames, "Maybe this is another arrangement by fate? Who knows."

Alan was silent for a moment, his fingers gently stroking the back of my hand with his characteristic rhythm when deep in thought. "Fate is sometimes like a book full of codes."

He looked at the rolling sea of clouds outside the window, his voice carrying a poetic wistfulness, "After a heart-stopping chapter, the next page could be a bright turn or deeper fog. No one can predict. What we can do, perhaps, is like Howard watching over Zoey, like Benjamin watching over Ruben, standing by the shore, waiting for that boat to find its own way to dock." 

He turned his gaze back to me, his eyes tender and resolute, "And for us, Nancy, our shore is each other, it's the Silverlight City Legal Journal, it's the everyday life in Silverlight City."

"Yes." I leaned against his solid shoulder, the fatigue and sorrow of parting seemed to be dispelled by his words and warmth. 

Outside the window was an endless expanse of gray-white clouds. But in my heart, I clearly saw the familiar streets of Silverlight City, the scent of ink and coffee in the newsroom, and Zoey's face, always a bit stubborn but trying hard to hide her vulnerability. 

Ruben chose to stay, to face his destined responsibilities and emotions. And Silverlight City had our own unfinished stories and waiting.

The plane broke through the thick clouds, and sunlight suddenly flooded in, illuminating the cabin. 

A new chapter, above the clouds, after the return, was about to unfold.