Chapter 11
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It had been three days since Logan returned from Milan. Three long, exhausting days of searching.
He had pulled every string, called every contact, checked flight records, even questioned airline staff at three different terminals. But there was nothing. No ticket under Penelope’s name. No recent passport scans. No credit card activity. No hotel check–ins. No social media.
It was as if Penelope had deliberately erased her entire existence.
She had vanished.
Logan sat in the quiet of their once–bustling house, the echo of his own breathing unbearable. He tried calling her again. Nothing. Her number was still out of service. He tried messaging her–through email, through their son Enzo, even their former
okeeper Still nothing
པ་པ་
Chapter 11
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And then the front door slammed open.
Lauren had returned.
She stormed into the living room, followed by Oliver, Enzo, and Sofia. The luggage trailed behind them like heavy punctuation.
“Logan!” Lauren shouted, heels clicking furiously against the marble tiles. “Are you serious?! Why didn’t you answer your damn phone? You just left?!”
Logan rose slowly from the couch.
“I had to,” he said.
“You had to?” Lauren spat. “You left Milan without a word! No goodbye, no explanation! We were in the middle of celebrating–what the hell is wrong with you?!”
Enzo looked away. Oliver folded his arms.
“I left because of Penelope,” Logan said, his
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Lauren froze. “What?”
Oliver squinted. “What do you mean?”
“I came back to find her,” Logan admitted. “I thought maybe–maybe I still had the chance to fix things.”
Oliver scoffed. “Fix what? Penelope doesn’t even have money. Where would she go? Don’t tell me you think she ran off to live some fantasy.”
“She’s gone,” Logan said sharply. “She left me the divorce papers, her ring, everything. And I think she knew exactly what she was doing. She planned this.”
Lauren’s jaw clenched. “So she’s the reason? You left us–for her?”
Logan didn’t answer.
“Unbelievable,” Lauren hissed. “Don’t tell me
you’re regretting it now. Is that what this is?
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“Unbelievable,” Lauren hissed. “Don’t tell me you’re regretting it now. Is that what this is? You’re regretting being with me?”
Oliver waved his hand, dismissive. “She couldn’t have gone far. This isn’t the first time Penelope’s pulled something dramatic. She’ll come back. She always does.”
“No,” Logan said quietly. “She won’t. Not this time.”
Lauren took a step forward. “So what? That’s it? You’re just going to sit around and cry over her?”
Logan turned to Enzo. “Call your mother.”
Enzo’s face tightened. “Dad-
”
“Do it,” Logan ordered. “Maybe she’ll answer you.”
Enzo reluctantly pulled out his phone and tried calling. Once. Twice. Nothing.
Chapter 11
tried calling. Unce. I wice. Nothing.
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He sent a message. Waited. Silence.
“No response,” he said. “Sorry.”
Logan sank back into the couch, gripping his knees with both hands, his chest heaving. The frustration boiled over. He stood, kicked the coffee table, and shouted:
“Where is she?! Why won’t she come back?!”
Lauren flinched.
“Isn’t this what we wanted, Logan?” she asked bitterly. “For her to be gone? For us to be together? Or was all of that a lie too?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he walked away.
Inside his room, Logan locked the door behind him, breathing hard. The walls were closing in. The scent of Penelope’s perfume
Chapter 11
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Civity III. III 9་IIt V! ༔ CIIIUP པ PITMIT still lingered in the sheets. Her absence was everywhere–too loud to ignore.
He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor, and for the first time, felt it clearly.
Trait
He was lonely.
And more than that–he missed her.
Truly, painfully, deeply… he missed Penelope.
It wasn’t just about guilt. Or routine. Or habit. He missed her voice, her touch, the way she always left a mug of coffee on his desk in the morning. The way she hummed to herself while cooking. The quiet presence that once made the house feel like a home.
He had traded that for something glittering and shallow.
And now he was drowning in silence.
The next morning, the sun broke through the
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Logan stirred slowly, eyes bleary. And then he saw her.
Lauren.
Standing by the door, wearing nothing but black silk lingerie, her hair tousled like she had just stepped out of a commercial.
“Morning” she said softly, moving closer. “Thought I’d wake you up properly.”
She bent down, lips nearing his.
Logan turned his head sharply, pulling back.
Lauren blinked. “What…?”
“I don’t want to do this anymore,” he said firmly.
She stood up, startled. “What are you trying to say?”
He threw off the blanket, stood, and began pulling on a shirt.
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where are you going? Lauren demanded.
140 looked her in the eye.
“I’m going to bring Penelope back”
