Chapter 11
An hour’s journey in the past, Eric drove back to the villa in just over 20
minutes.
The sky became overcast at some point, with layers of clouds covering the last bit of moonlight.
A flash of white light suddenly streaked across the dim horizon, accompanied by the sound of thunder booming in my ears.
Eric felt his heart beating faster and faster, the feeling of unease rising like a tide, almost threatening to engulf him.
When I pushed open the door of the villa, I vaguely sensed something unusual.
The servants were still orderly cleaning quietly, and every corner of the house was tidy and clean.
The aroma of corn rib soup wafted from the kitchen, bubbling away.
The butler, upon hearing the noise, quickly took his coat respectfully.
Everything was as usual.
But something was wrong.
He stood at the entrance frowning, his gaze sweeping over the polished. marble floor, finally settling on the plain white vase.
There were no flowers inside.
Chapter 11
Elie changed fresh flowers every day.
Sometimes it was a rose covered in morning dew, sometimes it was a wild. daisy picked by the roadside.
She always said, “There is vitality in the home when there are flowers.”
Now, the vase is empty, as if its soul has been sucked away.
Eric felt a sudden tightness in his chest and strode quickly towards the
restaurant.
The dining table was covered with cold black marble, and the colorful placemats carefully chosen by Elie were nowhere to be seen.
On the wall used to hang the oil painting she painted, with clumsy strokes, depicting the alley where they first met, now only a protruding hook remains.
“Where are Elie’s things? he asked in a low voice.”
The butler was taken aback and answered with some hesitation, “Ms. Roberts suddenly came back crying one day not long ago, her face pale. She silently packed up all her things and burned them in the yard.”
“At that time, I felt something was wrong and quickly approached to ask. about the situation. However, Ms. Roberts did not answer anything from beginning to end, only leaving behind a sentence…”
The butler suddenly hesitated, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“What did you say! Eric scolded sharply.”
He appeared calm on the surface, but his clenched fist betrayed his true. feelings.
Chapter 11
He had a vague idea of what Elie had said, but when the moment he had to face arrived, he felt a little nervous.
The butler swallowed hard, lowered his head, and sighed before answering, “He said he won’t be coming back…”
Eric suddenly clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm.
He rushed up to the second floor and the master bedroom door was pushed open roughly.
In the wardrobe, his suits and shirts were neatly hung, while Elie’s half was empty.
On the dressing table, all her bottles and jars of skincare products had disappeared completely, not even a single hair left behind.
The drawer of the bedside table was half open.
Eric trembled as he opened the diary that should have belonged to Elie.
That thick diary filled with the three words “Eric“.
There is only one note left now: “The key has been returned to the property management. Best wishes.”
The handwriting was neat, with no signature.
Eric sat down on the edge of the bed, his temples throbbing.
He suddenly remembered that last week when Elie came to pick up something, he was video calling with Clara and didn’t even give her a glance.
She stood at the door and said softly, “Mr. Lawrence, I’m leaving.”
47.75%
Chapter 11
And what did he reply?
“Remember to close the door.”
The surging pain in his chest almost made him unable to stand steadily, he could only struggle to support himself against the wall and walked to
the sink.
In the bathroom, Elie’s toothbrush cup was missing.
Eric stared at the lonely electric toothbrush holder, remembering how she used to complain about him leaving his toothbrush everywhere, yet she would quietly charge it for him every day..
In the mirror cabinet, the cotton swabs and hairpins she hoarded were
emptied.
In the storage room, the scented candles she bought, the plush slippers, and even the box of honey pomelo tea “for Mr. Lawrence to sober up” were all missing.
The entire villa was like a formatted hard drive, all data about Elie was completely deleted.
Eric felt like all his strength had been drained from his body, leaving him weak and collapsed on the ground, gasping for air.
T
A sense of regret like never before surged through him, pain numbing his entire body as he seemed to hear the faint sound of his heart breaking.
It wasn’t until this moment that Eric truly understood his own heart.
He had already unknowingly fallen in love with Elie.
Rubbing the yellowed photos in his hand repeatedly, he couldn’t help but burst into tears eventually.
