Chapter 6
Travis stood frozen, staring at the scorched ruin in front of him. The basement was nothing but blackened debris.
It was a long moment before rage overtook him. He spun around and kicked his bodyguard in the gut. “Where is Elise?! Didn’t I tell you to get her out?!”
The bodyguard hunched over, voice trembling “s–Sir, we… we don’t know what happened. She just vanished. The firefighters said they didn’t find a body.”
“We tried to report to you, but the signal kept cutting out.”
e’d tell you when:
you came
*And before you left, you told us not to disturb you and the Miss Hawthornes… So we waited, thinking we‘ back.”
Just then, a mailman called from outside the door. “Mr. Langley! You’ve got a letter!”
The bodyguard practically sprinted to the door like it was salvation, then returned and handed the envelope to Travis with both hands. Travis tore it open with a cold, impatient glare–Only to find divorce papers.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably. He muttered to himself, “I forgot… I never went to cancel it… Elise must’ve seen it. She must be heartbroken.”
Then he quickly tried to reassure himself, “It’s fine. I’ll find her, explain everything, and we’ll remarry. Easy.”
He gave the ruins one last glance and walked backupstairs.
But the moment he stepped into the bedroom, he froze again. Everything–everything that had belonged to Elise–was gone.
The bed had been replaced with a pink princess canopy. The curtains were pastel. Even the rug was new.
Travis’s expression twisted into fury. “Get this trash out of here!”
“Where are her things?! I want everything brought back, right now!
The housekeeper rushed over, pale and panicked. “Sir, the day the Miss Hawthornes moved in, they ordered us to throw all of Mrs. Langley’s belongings away. They said it was on your orders.”
Travis’s knuckles tightened–then he punched the housekeeper across the face. “Who told you to listen to them?!”
The man lowered his head and d didn’t dare say another word.
Travis pulled out his phone and refreshed the screen again. Still no reply.
He tried calling again Straight to voicemail
His shoulders slumped as he typed, hands shaking
“Elise, I’m back I thought we were done playing these games. Please… stop tuding from me, okay?”
I swear I’ll only love you from now on Just come back”
But this time, the quassage wouldn’t send. She had blocked him.
With a roar of anger, Travis laurled his phone at the floor. Then he turned to the circle of bodyguards standing behind him.
FIND HER! I want Elise Whitman in front of me within THREE DAYS!”
Meanwhile, Julian Hart sat beside my bed, quietly peeling an apple.
