Chapter 13
”
Xander froze in place, his heart racing with panic.
Caitlin’s belongings were gone, and their absence could only mean she had run away from home..
Why on earth?
Why had she left without a word? Where would she go? These questions swirled in his mind, leaving him utterly perplexed.
Could it be because of Eleanor?
The thought made his heart skip a beat.
But that couldn’t be. He’d hidden it so well, and Caitlin had never
confronted him.
Was that during the skin graft surgery?
Thinking about it now, Caitlin was in the wrong, but Xander had been too harsh. And Caitlin didn’t look right when she got home that day.
She probably ran away in anger that very day.
But these were just his guesses. To find out why, he needed to locate her first.
Xander contacted every one of Caitlin’s friends, but they all said they hadn’t seen her recently.
Suddenly, he thought of the Schmidt family.
Chapter 13
Caitlin rarely went back to her parents‘ home after fights, but this time. she’d packed up so thoroughly. She’d most likely returned to the Schmidts. in Chicago. At that thought, he opened his contacts..
He tried Marvin first, but after several calls, all he got was the voicemail, just like with Caitlin. Then he tried Wendy, and it was the same.
Xander grew more uneasy with each call.
He sensed he’d been blocked, even felt Caitlin might vanish from his life.
No, impossible.
However fierce their fight, they remained husband and wife without divorce. She was probably just furious, still waiting for him in Chicago to apologize.
Yes, he must go to Chicago.
Just as he headed out, his phone rang–not Caitlin or her parents,
but his security team.
“Mr. Jackson, we found him.”
Panting and faint whimpers echoed through the receiver. “He hid in a small town. We have him restrained now.”
*Him* referred to Kenneth.
The man had escaped during the kidnapping chaos. Xander remained haunted–furious that Eleanor got hurt, and couldn’t stand being played.
for a fool.
He had been secretly searching for him all along.
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Chapter 13
He swore if he could find him, he wouldn’t let him off easy. But now, he had more urgent matters to handle.
Just as he was about to speak, the voice on the line continued, “After we roughed Kenneth up, he spilled a lot. He said the person behind the scheme with him was named Eleanor.”
Eleanor?!
Xander jerked to a halt.
Beyond shock, a deeper sense of unease gripped him. “Are you sure you got it right?” he demanded, double–checking. “Not Caitlin, but Eleanor?”
“It’s definitely Eleanor.”
The voice paused briefly, then stated firmly, “Our methods don’t make mistakes. As for Caitlin you mentioned, according to Kenneth’s confession, she was likely the victim.”
It was Eleanor all along.
Xander never imagined the one who cried thief would end up being the real culprit.
And Caitlin….
He’d actually believed Eleanor’s words.
Really thought she’d colluded with Kenneth to stage this, trying to get. revenge for that fall incident.
Probably Caitlin’s disappearance was also her doing!
Fury surged through Xander at the thought.
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His voice turned razor–sharp: “Dig deeper on what else Eleanor’s done this past month. Fast. I need answers tonight. Triple your fee.”
Hanging up, his hands still trembled with rage.
Clarity suddenly hit him – every fight he and Caitlin had this month traced back to Eleanor.
Could Caitlin have known everything?!
Time
slipped away bit by bit. Xander sat alone on the sofa, waiting from dusk till night. Before any message arrived, Eleanor showed up.
The moment she stepped in, barely concealed delight lit her face,
She scanned the room, confirming Caitlin’s absence, then feigned nervousness: “Xander, I tidied your office before leaving work and found… found this.”
With that, she produced a crimson booklet.
Glaring letters stamped across its cover read: “Divorce Certificate” – harsh and blinding.
Chapter 14
