Chapter 70
Jackson burst through the door of the mansion, the heavy oak slamming behind him with a thud. The silence that greeted him wasn’t just quiet–it was suffocating.”
“Samantha?” he called, voice hoarse.
No answer.
He moved through the grand hallway, past the now–wilting flowers in the vase she used to change daily. The floor was dusty, cluttered with footprints and scattered magazines. Jackets were tossed carelessly on the couch, dishes left on the table. Everything was out of place.N
Not like before.
Before, when Samantha was here, everything sparkled. She used to wake up early just to make sure his favorite mug was clean, his ties pressed, and his cufflinks exactly where he liked them. Even when they argued, she’d still cook him dinner, still fold his laundry, still ask if he wanted tea at night–always looking after him, even when he didn’t deserve it.
He passed the living room and stared at the armchair where she used to sit, curled up with a book and tea. Sometimes, she’d fall asleep there, the book slipping from her fingers. He used to laugh at how peaceful she looked.
Now, that chair was empty. Cold. And somehow, accusing.
He ran up to their bedroom–his bedroom now–and yanked the door open. Some of her clothes were still in the closet. A of heels. Her favorite scarf. A book with a pressed flower between its pages.
A piece of her still lingered.
His fingers trembled as he dialed her number again. Voicemail.
Again, Voicemail.
“Dammit!” he shouted, throwing the phone across the bed.
pair
Then, without thinking, he called her lawyer. “Where is she?” he barked the moment the call connected. “Where’s Samantha?“} “I’m sorry, Mr. Smith,” the lawyer said coolly. “You have no legal right to ask that now. You two are divorced.”
“She tricked me into signing it!” he shouted. “I thought it was for the hospital–about the baby!”
The lawyer paused. “Well, signed is signed. The divorce is final. She no longer answers to you.”
And just like that, the line went dead.
Jackson stood frozen, staring at the phone in disbelief. Then his knees buckled.
He sank to the floor, pressing his palms to his face, and whispered, “Samantha…“}
His voice cracked as he said her name again, louder this time. “Samantha… come back…”
He stayed there, trembling on the floor, until footsteps echoed behind him.”
And in that moment of silence, his mind betrayed him.”
He saw Samantha in the kitchen again, barefoot and humming as she stirred soup–his favorite–pausing to peek at him with a soft smile. He remembered how she’d gently pull him by the hand to dance in the hallway when a song came on, no matter how tired he was.
Her laughter echoing down the marble walls. The way she used to press her forehead against his and whisper, “You’re home” now. It’s okay.“D
He used to think those moments were ordinary. Now they haunted him.”
Candice appeared in the doorway, arms crossed. “What’s going on?” she demanded. “Why are you here? Nathan’s still in the hospital! You left him for this?”
Jackson didn’t even look up. “She left…”
“What?”
“Samantha,” he whispered, eyes hollow. “She’s gone. She left me. She’s not coming back.”
Candice walked further in, confused. “So… that’s final? She really left?“”
He didn’t answer.$
Her lips curled into a small smile. “Then… that’s good, right? We can finally get married. We can start over. You, me, and Nathan. We can be happy now.“K
He blinked, as if waking from a trance. “She’s gone,” he repeated, but this time, his voice cracked. “Do you hear me? She’s gone.”
Candice tilted her head, frown returning. “Okay, but… isn’t that what we wanted?” she asked carefully. “What you wanted?” Jackson looked at her for a long time. “Not like this.“%
What do you mean ‘not like this‘?” she snapped. “Are you saying you regret her being gone?”
11:01 AM
“No,” he said quickly. “I never loved her.“N
“Then why,” Candice said, stepping closer, “are you acting like the world ended? Why are you falling apart?“N
“I’m not–“&
“You are,” she interrupted. “Look at yourself. You’re on the floor. You left Nathan. You’re barely breathing unless it’s her name. Why?“N
Jackson opened his mouth but no words came out.N
Candice narrowed her eyes. “You needed her, didn’t you? Not just for the blood. Not just for the house. But for you.”
“I said I didn’t love her,” he snapped.N
“But you miss her,” Candice said softly, like a bitter realization. “You feel something now that she’s not here. Maybe guilt. Maybe regret. But something.“N
He clenched his jaw. “She did this to punish me. She wants to make me suffer. That’s all.”
“Maybe,” Candice shrugged. “But you know her. She’s impulsive. She tried to leave once before, remember? She was mad then, too. But she came back.”N
That flicker of hope burned into Jackson’s chest.
Yes. That’s right. She had left before. Packed her bags. Slammed the door. But she had returned.
She’ll come back,” he whispered.§
Candice smiled tightly. “Exactly. She always does.”
He nodded slowly, as if convincing himself more than her. “She can’t live without me. She’ll be back.”
But something in his voice didn’t sound so sure.
He picked up her ring from where it still lay on the floor, clenched it in his fist.
The truth was… he didn’t know if Samantha would come back this time.
And for the first time, that terrified him.
11:01 AM ) Ժ
