Jason grabbed her by the collar. “What else did
she say? Tell me everything.”
The housekeeper’s face paled. “Nothing, sir.
That was all she said.”
He let go, shoving her aside. He ran upstairs,
dialing Sarah’s number. “Have you seen Amelia?”
“No, we didn’t meet today.”
“But Amelia said she was having dinner with
you tonight.” Jason’s voice was eerily calm, a calmness he himself didn’t understand. But his
hand, clutching the phone, was shaking.
“She did call, but I had surgery. We
rescheduled.”
Jason hung up, then called Amelia’s other
friends. No one had seen or spoken to her. He
stood outside their bedroom door, his hand
hovering over the knob. He couldn’t bring
himself to open it.
Such a clever woman, Amelia. How could he be
so foolish as to think she was oblivious? When
did she find out? How much did she know?
And… could he ever earn her forgiveness?
((.
95
<
Jason’s mind flashed back to college. He’d
gotten close to a freshman girl during a club activity. She had a crush on him; everyone knew it. Amelia mentioned it a couple of times, but he brushed it off. He loved her; he didn’t care
about other women. Then, at a club dinner, he’d
covered for the girl when she drank too much
and walked her back to her dorm. Amelia hadn’t
yelled. She’d just broken up with him. He’d been
devastated, his world shattered. He barely
remembered the next six months, the agonizing
effort it took to win her back, to get that
second chance.
His hand trembled as he pushed open their
bedroom door. The room was dark, the bed
neatly made. Empty. Even the faint scent of her
perfume was gone. He rushed through the
house, opening every door. Empty. Empty.
Empty. He called her, his hand shaking. It rang,
but she didn’t answer. He forced himself to
calm down, lit a cigarette, took a drag, then
called David, his assistant. “David, find her.
Now. I want every detail.”
<
“Sir. find who?”
He gave David the name of the club. “Where did
she go after she left? Where is she now? Who
has she been in contact with?” “Check her
passport, flights, trains, buses. Everything.”
“And her phone. Track her location. Call me the
second you know anything.”
Jason raced to the airport. She couldn’t have
gone far. Maybe back to her small hometown a
few hundred miles away, or to the city where
her other best friend lived. He tried to reassure
himself. He’d been so careful. He’d warned his
friends not to say anything. Chloe wouldn’t
dare. Maybe Amelia had just heard rumors.
Maybe she was upset he’d been working late,
that he hadn’t been spending enough time with
her, that he’d broken a few promises. Maybe
she just wanted to teach him a lesson. Things
were different now. They were married, their
lives intertwined. She was fragile, dependent on
him. Leaving him would be like a caged bird
released into the wild. She wouldn’t survive. He
told himself this, but it offered little comfort.
く
His heart pounded the whole drive. He called
her again at a red light. No answer.
As he neared the airport, David called. “Mrs.
Miller left the club around 4 PM, sir. But the
street cameras were…blocked. We can’t trace
her route.” “We checked the airport, train
stations, bus terminals. No record of her
leaving.” “Sir, perhaps she’s still in the city?”
Jason gripped the steering wheel, relief flooding
him. “Find her, David. No matter what.” “What
about her phone?” “We can’t track it, sir. The
signal seems to be…jammed.”
Jason’s mind went blank. He barely heard the
rest of what David said. He remembered
Amelia’s words. The gift. Their high school. The
front office. He was supposed to pick it up
tomorrow. He couldn’t wait.
He sped to the school. It was past midnight.
The office lights were off. He pounded on the
door. A cold flake landed on his nose. He
touched his face. Snow. The first snow of
winter. They’d fallen in love during a snowfall,
just like this. He stood there, numb, until Mr.
Henderson opened the door. He handed Jason
a simple brown envelope. Jason took it, his
hand burning. He almost threw it away. He
knew what it was. He didn’t want to face it. But
he opened it.
Divorce Agreement. Her signature, her
fingerprint. Printed screenshots of text
messages. No other words. But the message
was clear. He glanced at the messages, then
crumpled the papers in his fist. He offered Mr.
Henderson a cigarette, mumbled an apology
and a thank you, then drove to Chloe’s.
He kicked the door open. Chloe, sleepy but
delighted, rushed towards him. He slapped her
across the face. He didn’t speak, just kept
hitting her. Her face swelled, blood trickling
from her lip. She stumbled, falling to the floor,
clutching her stomach, begging him to stop. He
looked down at her, then kicked her in the
stomach. She screamed, curling up in agony.
Blood bloomed on the white carpet. He grabbed
her by the collar, lifting her off the ground.
“Who do you think you are?” he snarled, his
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95
grip tightening on her swollen face. His voice was cold, despite the rage twisting his features. “You’re nothing but a whore. How dare you harass my wife?” “I only agreed to the baby because I didn’t want Amelia to go through the hardship.” “You think you’re special because you’re pregnant? Chloe, who the hell do you
think you are to mess with my wife?”
Chloe’s vision swam. Pain tore through her abdomen. Terror and regret consumed her. Why had she been so greedy? Why had she coveted Amelia’s place? She should have just had the
baby, secured her future.
“I’m sorry, Jason… I’m so sorry,” she gasped. “Please, the baby… I’m losing the baby…”
“Too late.” He shoved her away in disgust.
“Pray my wife forgives me and comes back. If
she doesn’t, your life is over.”
“Jason…it’s your baby too…” she sobbed,
writhing in pain, reaching for him with bloodied
hands.
He stepped back, watching her pass out. He
called someone. “Take her to the hospital. Just
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<
95
make sure she doesn’t die.” He left without a backward glance.
Downstairs, a thin layer of snow covered the
ground. He was only wearing a shirt and pants, but he didn’t feel the cold. He called Amelia again. No answer. He looked down at his wedding ring, then realized Amelia hadn’t been wearing hers for days. At the hospital… she’d seen everything, heard everything. And she hadn’t said a word, hadn’t shed a tear. How disappointed she must have been. He couldn’t
bear to think about it, couldn’t find the words to
describe how he felt.
I followed Professor Davis to a remote town in
the northwest. The conditions were basic, the
schedule demanding. The professor worried
about my health, but after the initial adjustment,
I thrived in the fast–paced environment. I got a
new phone and number, but kept the old one
active, tucked away in my room. Jason called
and texted almost every day. I ignored them all.
I finally called Sarah, told her briefly about
Jason. She raged for a full ten minutes. “That
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