Chapter 10
Cassian’s unease was growing stronger by the second. He stood up and headed straight for the
door.
Rayna clutched the hem of his shirt, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Cassian, where are you going?”
“Sweetie, be good. I need to go home,” Cassian replied gently, though a faint trace of anger
laced his tone.
Rayna let go of him reluctantly, feeling a surge of resentment toward Naomi, but she still spoke up for her. “Cassian, just… promise you won’t be too harsh with Naomi.”
“You little fool, think about yourself for once. I’ll be back soon to keep you company.”
Cassian hurried back to the villa, overwhelmed by an unsettling sense of panic. It felt as though something significant was slipping away from his grasp.
While waiting at a red light, he tried calling Naomi again. Yet, a robotic voice came through the speaker. “The number you have dialed cannot be reached at the moment.”
For some reason, hearing that message made him even more nervous. He pressed down harder on the gas without realizing he was speeding and running red lights. All he could think about was getting to Naomi as soon as possible.
He finally reached the villa, but the closer he got, the faster his heart pounded. When he opened the door, it felt like lightning had struck him. His body froze, and he couldn’t move.
The villa felt cold and lifeless, and the living room looked abandoned and ruined.
“Honey?” He tried to speak, but his throat felt parched, and the word came out barely as a whisper.
He felt an overwhelming sense of panic and unease closing in around him, summoning all his strength to walk as he stepped over the clutter and climbed the stairs. He hurried to the bedroom and opened the door.
Everything was in perfect order. Naomi’s belongings were all there. Everything… except her. He ran to the study next, but it was just as it had always been.
His heart sank violently. He called Naomi again and again, but her phone remained off every time.
He quickly called his assistant, Daniel Black. “Mrs. Hartwell is missing. Find her. I want news within the hour.”
As if something had just occurred to him, Cassian rushed to the safe. When he opened it, heart skipped a beat.
Naomi’s documents were gone. Even the fake marriage certificate was missing. He was stunned. He didn’t dare let his thoughts go to the worst possibility.
his
Stumbling downstairs, he reached the last step and suddenly stopped in his tracks. The wall that had once been filled with photos was now bare. In their place, two lines of handwriting stared back at him.
“Cassian, you once said that those who betray true love should swallow ten thousand needles. Do you still remember?”
“The thing I regret most in this life is falling in love with you!”
Cassian felt a sudden dizziness, his vision blurring. It felt as if a giant hand was crushing his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. His fists clenched tightly as Naomi’s face rose vividly in his mind.
Ever since he returned from Avenmoor, she hadn’t smiled. She hadn’t called him “Darling” affectionately. She’d even destroyed all their photos together.
Whenever he deceived her just to meet Rayna, she responded with an eerie, unsettling calm. Did she know the truth all along?
It seemed she must have. She was aware of the connection between him and Rayna.
Cassian collapsed onto the floor. He was unable to handle that realization.
His palm landed in a pile of shattered glass, shards piercing deep into his skin, blood smearing across the floor. But he didn’t feel a thing. All he could think about was Naomi.
Just then, Daniel called. He said hesitantly, “Mrs. Hartwell has changed her identity records. We can’t trace her anymore. She also sold the Whitaker Residence… at ten percent below market value.”
