When Derek returned in the suite. It was alreadyte at night.
He felt a bit guilty he hadn’t expected to lose track of time when he and Ashley got tangled up together.
He wondered if Kate would be upset, if she’d waited for him toe back before going to sleep.
As soon as he opened the door, it was pitch ck and eerily empty.
Derek discovered that Kate’s clothes and suitcase were all gone, and so was she.
He panicked and called her, but she hung up immediately.
Unwilling to give up, he called again the phone was already turned off.
He rushed downstairs and yelled at the lobby staff. “Where’s my wife? Where did she go? How could you just let her leave without keeping an eye on her?!”
The staff tried to calm him down and pulled up the security footage.
Derek watched Kate’s lonely figure dragging her suitcase out the hotel entrance, and felt overwhelmed with distress.
She was someone who couldn’t even read a map – where could she go alone in a foreign country?
Derek felt an emptiness in his chest, like he’d lost some priceless treasure.
“Book me the fastest flight back home!” His voice was shaking.
Just then Ashley called. “Derek, I think you left your tie at my ce. Want toe get it?”
Derek refused. “Ashley, Kate’s missing. I need to find her…”
The voice on the other end dropped. “But I really want you to spend more time with me… and I just learned some new positions. Are you sure you don’t want to try them?”
Derek hesitated.
Ashley struck while the iron was hot. “Limited time offer!”
He sighed and agreed. “Fine, wait for me.”
After Kate got home, she took a nice hot shower. The next morning when she woke up, she was met with a pair of bloodshot eyes.
“Kate, why did you leave without saying anything?”
Derek looked unusually haggard. Just as she was about to speak, he pulled her into his arms without giving her a choice.
She instinctively struggled. “Let me go…”
But Derek held her even tighter, his voice full of relief and gratitude. “Thank god, Kate. Thank god I didn’t lose you…”
Kate heard the choking emotion in his voice as he held her close, and she felt dazed.
Was he really that afraid of losing her?
But if he was so afraid, why did he do things that hurt her?
Her sigh was long and distant, making Derek’s heart sink even deeper.
He held her tighter.
Over the next few days, Derek stayed glued to Kate’s side.
Neither of them mentioned what happened at the hotel, as if by mutual understanding. But only Kate knew that some things, once broken, could never be fixed.
Even if they didn’t talk about it, that thorn was still there, stuck in their throats, and someday it would turn into a de that would destroy them both.
Meanwhile, her visa for the surgery abroad had been approved.
Three days left.
That afternoon, Derek called. “Baby, I have an emergency business trip. I won’t be back tonight, so make sure you eat on time, okay?”
Kate typed and deleted several messages before finally sending, “How long is the trip?”
After a while, he replied.
“Three days.”
Three days. Kate chewed over that number, thinking maybe it was all meant to be.
“Alright then, have a safe trip.”
That evening, she started packing her remaining belongings.
Her phone chimed. She clicked on it and saw Ashley had posted something new on Instagram.
“Someone’s taking me to Norway to make up for his mistakes~ Blue skies, white clouds, and my beloved by my side – I’m so happy!”
The photo showed two hands intertwined, fingersced together.
Kate stared at the photo for a long time before scrolling past with no expression.
She knew Ashley had posted it specifically for her to see.
This post was probably visible to her alone.
Day three countdown – she packed all her belongings and shipped them to her new ce abroad.
That evening, Ashley posted again.
Her head was resting on Derek’sp while he massaged her temples, his indulgent smile almost painful for Kate to see.
Day two countdown – she burned all the love letters and notes she’d written to Derek over the years. Everyst one.
When she woke up in the morning, there was another post. <fnc11a> Newest update provided by fin?novel</fnc11a>
38
Ashley and Derek kissing on the beach, lips pressed together, kissing seriously and passionately.
Day one countdown Kate turned off all the security cameras in the house.
Then she shouldered her backpack, traveling light, and left the house without looking back.
From now on, no matter how hard he searched, he’d never find her again.
A clean break for both of them.