Chapter 15
Months slipped away, and the two men withered under the weight of their grief, both losing over ten kilograms. Their gaunt faces bore the toll of sleepless nights, while their hollow eyes reflected a despair that words could not touch. The endless search, yielding nothing but dead ends, had become an unbearable torment. Finally, desperation forced their hand–they turned to the internet, posting a missing persons notice.
“Money is
no object. Please, just help us find her, the plea was simple, but its weight was unmistakable.
The infamous Wynn Family’s turbulent history, however, ensured the public’s reaction was far from sympathetic. Social media erupted in a cacophony of voices,
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strong and divided.
“She left on her own. If you really loved her, you’d respect her decision and let her go,” one comment read with scornful finality.
Others, once vehement critics of Thalia, now sprang to her defense with unrelenting anger.
“If anyone finds her, don’t tell them a thing! Sending her back would be sending her straight into hell!” one keyboard warrior raged.
“Exactly! She wasn’t cherished before- what’s the point of your search now? Big gestures don’t erase years of neglect.”
“This family is toxic. Some ‘families‘ are better left behind,” another seethed.
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Unable to stay silent, Callum decided to step into the digital battlefield himself. He crafted a post, attempting to salvage their intentions and calm the raging storm.
“It was Selene who poisoned our minds, spreading lies that Thalia was cursed. We were manipulated. Now, all we want is to find her and make amends,” he wrote with trembling fingers.
But the internet was merciless.
“Are you joking? You believed Thalia was a curse because someone said so? How shallow was your love to begin with?” came one biting reply.
The backlash snowballed, criticism descending on him from all corners of cyberspace.
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“You’re not even ashamed, are you? Instead of apologizing, you’re digging yourself a deeper hole.”
“You should just stop typing before someone decides to throw hands,” another sneered.
The relentless vitriol pushed Callum to his limits. In a desperate attempt to silence the mob, he took the drastic step of sharing his medical records.
“I am Thalia’s brother,” he wrote alongside the proof. “No one misses her more than I do. Everything that happened has taken a toll on me. I have severe mental health issues because of it. I’m begging–please help us find her.”
Yet the internet remained unforgiving.
“Karma’s doing exactly what it’s supposed
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to,” someone commented coldly beneath his post.
Seeing the chaos spiral, Seraphim, the once–proud patriarch of the Wynn Family, intervened. His health had deteriorated from the weight of his regrets and relentless self–destruction–what was left of him was a shell of a man. Skin clung to brittle bones, his body ravaged by alcoholism and sorrow. The eventual diagnosis–terminal stomach cancer–left him with a grim realization: time was running out.
A video soon surfaced online. Seraphim, with sunken cheeks and weak, hollow eyes, lay propped against sterile hospital sheets. His voice quivered, but the anguish in his words was piercing.
“I don’t have much longer. All I want… all l need before I die is to see my daughter one
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last time. Please, I’m begging you. Help me find her. Let me tell her how deeply regretful I am.”
The video went viral, sparking a divided response. While some were moved by his broken plea, others remained devoid of sympathy, their hearts hardened.
“Seems like karma’s enjoying this show,” someone scoffed.
“Another sick one? Maybe this family’s finally paying for all the pain they caused her.”
Meanwhile, Cassian refused to rest. He channeled every resource, every contact, and every penny at his disposal into the search for Thalia. The determination burned in his veins–it wasn’t just about finding her; it was about atoning for the countless mistakes
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that had driven her away. He needed to explain. He needed her to understand.
But Thalia had disappeared without a trace, as if the earth itself had swallowed her whole. His search stretched fruitlessly from one corner of the world to the next.
At first, Cassian clung to reassurance. “I’ll find her,‘ he repeated, convincing himself that hope hadn’t yet slipped from grasp. But as months turned into years, silence became his only answer.
Sinking into despair, Cassian shut himself away in Thalia’s old room. It was eerily pristine–spotless to the point of sterility. Not a single photo, garment, or knickknack remained. It was as if she had been erased entirely.
Callum hesitated at the doorway, his
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bloodshot gaze glued to the empty space. Exhausted, guilt–ridden, his voice trembled as he admitted aloud, “Back then, I let Selene move into her room… Thalia must’ve felt like she didn’t belong.”
The weight of his mistake was suffocating. “Mom trusted me to look after her, but instead, I… I drove her away”
He choked on the words, his chest heaving with suppressed sobs. “Mom, tell me… tell me how to bring her back! How do I ask her to forgive me?”
Tears streamed unchecked down his face, the full gravity of his shortcomings threatening to crush him. But Cassian barely acknowledged him. Turning icy eyes on his brother, his disdain was cutting.
“Be quiet, Cassian bit out coldly. “You’ve
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forfeited the right to stand here. So have I.”
Unable to bear Cassian’s reproach, Callum left without another word, throwing himself into his work to numb the pain. Meanwhile, Cassian sat alone, replaying the surveillance footage of Thalia from the day she left–her last moments in the house haunting him like a specter.
In the footage, she moved resolutely, collecting her belongings without hesitation. She handed over the stuffed animals her family had given her, then set them aflame in the yard–her final act of rejection. Every token of their affection, consumed by fire.
Cassian’s stomach churned. He should have noticed the disappearance of the stuffed animals. He should have questioned it. But he had been too consumed with Selene, too blind to see Thalia slipping away. Now
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all that remained of those moments was suffocating regret.
The passing of months turned into years, the first marked by determination, the next by devastation. At last, after twenty months of searching, both brothers found themselves broken by her absence.
Why hadn’t she returned? Had her hatred for them entirely eclipsed any hope of reconciliation?
