He heard her say, "Good bye."
They'd had an agreement that when they parted for a time they would simply walk away without speaking. They would work separately as they needed to. They would do the things separately as they needed. Then they would come back together to share their lives and their unspoken love.
He had unthinkingly spoken words that hurt her deeply. He had broken a favorite tea cup and his apology was too late. Too late her saw the agony in her eyes and heard the anguish in her voice.
The tears overflowed her eyes as she looked at him. "Oh, that cup was so special to me."
They packed their bags to return to the United States separately. They each cleared their own office space. As he walked out the door of the shared office space he turned to watch her. She touched the back of the chair he had used for the years they were using this shared office.
He heard her say, "Good bye."
This all came back to him as he sat reading the note she left in her coat pocket.
He heard he say, "Good bye."
…and it broke his heart.