Chapter 12
Singe Pandiape left, Logan’s life had taken a sharp downward spirall
me searched endlessly aimlessly hired investigators, bribed angert staff paid off propic as Rack Brough Guraillance fortage mix Songh the savinGE WIEBENE
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“Where are you going?” Lauren demanded.
He looked her in the eye.
“I’m going to bring Penelope back.”
Chapter 12
Since Penelope left, Logan’s life had taken a sharp downward spiral.
He searched endlessly, aimlessly. Hired investigators, bribed airport staff, paid off people to look through surveillance footage. He blew through his savings without
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thinking. Every night ended with a drink in his hand, and every morning began with a headache and a sinking feeling that he was losing something he might never find again.
But still–nothing. No sign. No lead. Penelope had vanished as if she never existed.
Meanwhile, Lauren lingered like a shadow, always nearby, always trying to pick up the pieces he didn’t ask her to touch.
“Let’s start over,” she said one afternoon, placing her hand gently on his. “Let’s not waste more time grieving someone who didn’t choose us.”
He didn’t reply.
Oliver, Lauren’s father–and Penelope’s too- was less subtle.
“This is a blessing in disguise,” Oliver said as he stirred his coffee, voice gruff. “You should
be grateful she’s gone”
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Logan stared at him, disbelief flickering in his eyes. “She’s your daughter. Why are you always like this to her?”
Oliver chuckled dryly. “Why not?”
Logan’s brows furrowed.
Oliver leaned back in his chair, his gaze cold and distant. “She’s the reason her mother
died.”
Silence fell between them like a slap.
“What?” Logan whispered.
Oliver exhaled. “It was a rainy night. Penelope was five. Her mother took her out for her dance recital, even though the weather was awful. The car skidded near a bridge. The engine stalled. Her mother unbuckled herself, climbed to Penelope’s side… pulled her out before the car slipped into the river. She didn’t make it out.”
bie three:
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“She was my everything” Oliver said, his voice hollow. “And I lost her. Because of Penelope. After that… I couldn’t look at Penelope the same way. All I saw was what she cost me.”
Logan stared at him, stunned. “She was just a child.”
Oliver’s jaw tensed. “Doesn’t matter. Some scars don’t fade.”
Before Logan could respond, Lauren entered the room in a silk robe, slipping her arm around his.
“Forget her,” she whispered. “Let me fulfill what Penelope never could. I’ll give you peace. Joy. The love you’ve always wanted.””
Logan didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
He just sat there–motionless, expression. unreadable–as Lauren leaned into his side.
The day passed in a baze. He tried not to
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think of Penelope. Tried to convince himself that Lauren was the one he should’ve chosen all along. So for the next few days, he smiled when Lauren joked, nodded when she kissed his cheek, and even went with her to meetings and social events.
But at night, he would lie awake in the dark, staring at the ceiling, heart aching in quiet betrayal. And every morning, it got worse.
One morning, he rose with a rare hunger and made his way to the kitchen. But it was empty.
No coffee waiting.
No breakfast on the table.
Oliver, seated nearby and clearly irritated, slammed his mug. “Lauren! Where’s the food?”
Lauren appeared moments later, yawning. “I told the maid to make something. She’s late.”
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“We hired two!” Oliver barked. “Why is this house falling apart?!”
Logan said nothing. He wandered back upstairs, frustrated. He opened his closet and began looking for a shirt–the one Penelope always had pressed and folded.
He pulled it out–and froze.
It was scorched.
B
A massive iron burn stained the front, ruining the fabric completely.
Logan snapped.
He stormed downstairs, shirt in hand. “Who did this?!”
One of the new maids came forward nervously. “I–I tried pressing it, sir. The iron overheated. I didn’t know-”
Logan tossed the shirt aside and rubbed his
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For years, everything in this house worked like clockwork. Everything was clean, folded, prepared. Penelope had done it all, without complaint. No yelling. No chaos. Just quiet, constant effort.
He never thanked her.
Never even noticed.
e
de
And when she asked for the one thing- Milan–he brushed her off, humiliated her.
Milan.
He froze.
コ
Why hadn’t he thought of that before?
That was her dream.
The one place she always wanted to go.
She had talked about it endlessly. Wrote notes, watched videos, saved ideas. She had
He said no.
+
She asked again.
He said no again.
And now?
She had given up asking–and just gone.
He stood up abruptly, his heart pounding.
Then, he booked a flight to go there.
