Cassius searched the entire hotel, but the man he longed for was nowhere to be found.


    "Cassius!" Evadne finally caught up to him, grabbing his rigid arm. "Don''t panic. I''ll help you look for him."


    "He''s not here... he''s nowhere!" Cassius''s strong shoulders slumped. Sweat or tears, he couldn''t tell which, dripped onto the floor, creating dark pools of sorrow. "Evadne... I have a feeling. If I don''t find him this time... I''ll lose him forever."


    The finality of it was suffocating.


    "No, you won''t! If Chasel had truly given up on you, he wouldn''t have shown up today! The fact that he came proves he still has you in his heart," Evadne said, trying her best tofort him.


    Cassius shook his head, his eyes burning with pain. "He came back for Thaddeus. He''s loyal to his friends... but as for me... I don''t have a ce in his heart anymore."


    "Yes, you do! You do! If he was really over you, he would have faced you calmly. Why would he run away like this? It means he''s avoiding you because he—"


    "Because seeing me only brings him pain and anger, right?" Cassius let out a bitterugh, his heart feeling as if it were being torn to shreds.


    Just then, a grim-faced Gordon walked towards them.


    "Ms. Ashbourne, Mr. Ashbourne." He paused, then looked at Cassius, his voice heavy. "Mr. Ashbourne, you can stop looking. Dr. Bright has already left the hotel." "Where did he go?" Cassius demanded, his voice raw, his eyes bloodshot.


    "He... didn''t say. But he asked me to give you a message." Gordon braced himself and said quietly, "Dr. Bright said you should stop looking for him. He... doesn''t want to see you right now."


    He had softened the blow, omitting Chasel''s much harsher final words. He just couldn''t bring himself to say them.


    The words hit Cassius like a physical blow, his soul seeming to fragment and scatter into the wind.


    "Gordon, what about Thaddeus? Is he gone, too?" Evadne asked, her eyes searching his.


    Gordon''s throat tightened. "Yes."


    Evadne stood frozen. Before she could speak, Jareth stormed over, fuming. "Thaddeus has some nerve! How could he just take off like that? The main character can''t just walk off the set!"


    Gordon took a deep breath, forcing a calm expression. "Mr. Abernathy said his part was done, and there was no reason to stay. He had other things to attend to."


    "Damn it! That ju just proves he''s got a few screws loose. He''s acting more and more like a robot every day!" Jareth swore, then turned to the pale-faced Evadne, his tone


    personally you know Thaddeus has issues. He has these episodes where he does crazy things. Really, don''t let it get to you."


    softening. "Evadne, dont t


    "Thaddeus was right. His task wasplete. There was nothing and no one left for him to stay for," Evadne said, biting her lip. After a moment, she straightened her back a look of resolute eptance on her face. "As long as he''s happy, that''s all that matters. I''m not angry with him."


    With that, she turned and walked away.


    "Evadne!" Jareth called out, hurrying after her.


    Cassius, despite his own pain, was about to follow his sister when Gordon stopped


    him. "Mr. Ashbourne!"


    Cassius paused, his eyes filled with a bleak emptiness.


    "Dr. Bright mentioned he''ll be in the country for a few days, either in Skyrim or Elmsworth. But he ns to return to Country, Mawithin two weeks. Mr. Ashbourne, if you want to win him back, you have to find him first. But where and how... that''s up to you."


    A flicker of hope ignited in Cassius''s eyes. He ced a heavy hand on Gordon''s shoulder in a gesture of gratitude.


    It was still daylight when Chad received Frederic''s call. By the time he arrived at Windermere Estate, night had fallen.