Chapter 10
Alexander stared at the blank phone screen until his eyes stung. That’s when it hit him–really hit him.
Emily was gone. And this time, she wasn’t coming back.
He hurled the phone across the room. It clattered against the floor, skidding to a stop under the coffee table.
He lit a cigarette with shaking hands, dragging the smoke deep into his lungs. It burned like hell, but it was the only thing grounding him.
No.
Nowhere to go.
She wouldn’t leave. Not really. For ten years, he’d been her everything–the one constant in her life. She had no one else. N
She was just angry. Testing his limits. She’d forgive him, eventually
The cigarette burned down to the filter, scorching his fingers. He didn’t even notice.
His mind span, running through every place she might have gone
Then–his phone rang
He grabbed it like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline.
“Emily,” he growled, forcing calm into his voice, “you’ve made your point. Come home.”
Silence.
Then a voice that wasn’t hers: his assistant.
“Mr. Harrington… we still haven’t located Mrs. Harper. All her accounts have been deactivated. Just a few apps are still logged in.” Alexander’s stomach dropped.
She wasn’t just hiding. She was erasing herself
up soon, we’ll pull the plug on his
His grip on the phone tightened. “What about the hospital? Have you checked her brother’s room? If she doesn’t show up ventilator, Broadcast it live–I want her to know I’m not bluffing.‘
There was a pause.
The assistant’s voice came back, barely a whisper. “Sir… her brother’s not there. He passed away a few days ago.”
Time stopped.
“Passed away?” Alexander repeated, like he couldn’t process the words. His memory flashed back–Emily in that hospital room, clurching her brother’s hand, begging him not to pull the plug. Her tears. Her screams.
He made sure the hospital had everything–new machines, full–time staff. He did everything right. There was no way her brother had died.
No way
“She’s bluffing,” he muttered. “Faking it. You really think she could pull off something like that and I wouldn’t see it coming?
“Sir.” de assistant hesitated. – “We have a death certificate.”
Alexander’s voice dropped into something colder. “How long have you worked for mo?
Eight years.”
“Then
You
know how I operate. If you can’t spot a setup like this, maybe you’re not cut out for the job. You’ve got one day. Find her. Both of them.” “Mr. Harrington… he really is gone,” the assistant said, gripping the certificate with trembling hands.
But the line had already gune dead.
Alone in the silence, Alexander’s fury gave way to something colder an ache deep in his chest, a creeping dread he could no longer push aside. Bailly was always just… there. Her presence filled the quiet. Her scent lingered on the sheets. Her voice echoed through the halls.
Now there was no
nothing.
It was like someone had ripped out a part of him, and left a bleeding hole behind
He buried himself in work, trying to numb the ache. Buried himself in spreadsheets, documents, reports–anything that would keep his mind busy.
Chapter 10
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But every few minutes, his eyes drifted to his phone. He’d
‘d type out a message to Emily and hit send, knowing she wouldn’t reply, but hoping anyway.
If she came back now, he’d let it all go. Pretend none of it ever happened.
Just come home.
But down came. And she didn’t
The silence became unbearable. The spreadsheets blurred. He couldn’t focus.
With a guttural sound of frustration, Alexander ripped off his the and slammed his hand against the desk, scattering documents everywhere. Blood welled up from his split knuckles.
“Emily Harper!” he shouted, volce hoarse with rage “How long are you going to rum from me?!”
He stood there, breath ragged, eyes wild.
Then, softer–broken: “If you don’t come back now… Don’t ever come back.”
Chapter 10
IN
11
