Laura left without shouting, drama, or threats. The quiet departure was deliberate. She did not want a scene to justify what she felt. Calm preserved dignity. It allowed her to walk away believing she had chosen herself.
Leaving did feel like a loss, but also a boundary. She chose distance over doubt and solitude over suspicion. Staying would have meant shrinking herself to fit secrecy and accepting a life managed by omission rather than mutual truth.