21
When Rufus returned home
The entire house was eerily quiet, with not a soul in sight.
The room was filled with a chill, mingled with Carice faint perfume scent.
Rufus realized that without Carice, the house felt utterly empty.
From the bedroom to the study and then to the bathroom.
Everything was arranged by Carice’s own hands
Back then, she had asked him to accompany
any her to pick out furniture, but he had brushed her off, claiming he had no time.
By the time he came home again, the room had already been decorated.
ice knew every comer of the room and what was placed there by heart.
But now, everything remained in place except for the one who had arranged it all, who was gone.
Even though he had already searched once, Rufus couldn’t shake the feeling that she might have left something behind.
Unable to control his trembling, he began rummaging around frantically.
Inside the wardrobe, behind the desk, even in the crevices of the door–he checked everywhere.
The whole house was turned upside down, yet there was no trace of her.
Finally, he pinned his hopes on the messy bed, but still found nothing.
He felt as though his heart was being pierced by thousands of silver needles, the pain almost unbearable.
Sober and despairing, he realized the firmness of her decision to leave.
Rufus had imagined how she might react upon hearing about the divorce–perhaps with sorrow, crying, or even attempting suicide.
But none of that happened
From beginning to end, she did only one thing
Divorce him and walk away.
Rufus didn’t sleep a wink all night.
The next day at the company, I saw the assistant waiting at the door.“Mr. Sackhoff, the meeting at 3 pm…”
‘Cancel it‘
He interrupted while rubbing his temples, catching the secretary’s hesitant expression out of the corner of his eye:“Speak directly if you have something to say.”
“It’s just that… Mr. Sackhoff seems to have been paying a lot of attention to Madam’s whereabouts lately, but before…”
The assistant didn’t continue further.
Rufus gazed out the huge floor–to–ceiling window, his brow slightly furrowed.
“Was I really that bad to her before?”
“Don’t hold back, just tell the truth.”
The assistant took a deep breath: You rarely paid attention to Madam’s feelings, and you never
er let us bring it up.”
“But she always remembered your stomach issues, preparing stomach–sooching tea in advance, and even kept in mind things you casually
mentioned.”
Memories suddenly flooded back–one late night during overtime, he irritably pushed away the warm milk Carice handed him, spilling the scalding liquid on her hand.
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Yet she just quickly wiped it off and immediately brought a new one.
On their third anniversary, he stayed out celebrating Annalise’s birthday until dawn, only to find her still waiting for him at home, with a custom–made cake long prepared on the dining table.
Rufus abruptly stood up, the chair screeching sharply against the carpet.
He walked to the floor–to–ceiling window, watching the endless stream of cars below, his throat tightening.
She always seemed so patient with him.
Yet it was as if he only ever saw Annalise.
The phone rang a message from the private detective.
It was said that the final clue indicated that Carice was on flight CA7949, bound for the Netherlands, but the exact location was not found,
Rufus’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly, finally understanding where that dull pain in his chest came from when he saw the divorce agreement in the garage that day.
It was the panic of realizing something’s value only after losing it.
“Mr. Sackhoff?”
The secretary’s voice came from behind.
“Notify everyone to suspend all projects. I’m going abroad.”
When Rufus turned around, the look behind his glasses startled the secretary.
He grabbed his suit jacket and strode toward the elevator, “Book the earliest flight to the Netherlands. Now,”
The elevator doors at the end of the corridor slowly closed as Rufus stared at his haggard reflection in the mirrored surface.
He once thought Carice’s love would forever keep her waiting for him, but now he understood–even the most fervent sincerity could be exhausted by his indifference.
As the elevator number dropped to BL, he recalled Carice’s last unread message, and a pang of pain struck his heart.
This time, it was his turn to find her.
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