Chapter 3

William returned from the office with an uneasy feeling that had been lingering since the afternoon. Throughout the meeting, his mind had never truly focused. The numbers on the presentation screen seemed blurred, the client’s voice sounded distant, and for some reason, the image of Camelia’s face that morning kept appearing in his thoughts.

He tried to convince himself that it was only temporary. Maybe Camelia was really not feeling well. Maybe she was just too tired.

But as the night drew closer, the restlessness inside him grew stronger.

His car stopped in the apartment parking lot. William stepped out quickly, his suit jacket hanging neatly over his shoulder, but his mind was in chaos. He entered the elevator and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked uneasy.

The elevator doors opened.

He walked toward his unit and entered the door code quickly.

Click.

The door opened.

William stepped inside—and immediately froze.

The room felt… empty.

Not just quiet.

But empty.

There was no sound of the television. No faint trace of Camelia’s perfume lingering in the air. No work bag resting on the sofa.

“Camelia?” he called out, half loudly.

No answer.

He walked to the bedroom and pushed the door open quickly.

William felt his heart beating faster. He opened the wardrobe.

Empty.

The rows of dresses that were usually neatly arranged were gone. The work blazers Camelia always wore to important meetings had disappeared as well.

“No…” he muttered softly.

He opened the dressing table drawer.

There were no pieces of jewelry. None of Camelia’s small belongings.

William stepped back, his breathing beginning to quicken. He walked back to the living room, checking the kitchen, the bathroom, the balcony—as if hoping Camelia would suddenly appear from a corner of the room.

But there was no one there.

“Camelia, where are you?” he called again, louder this time.

Silence answered him.

Panic began to spread slowly, gripping his chest. His hand reached into his suit pocket, pulling out his phone in a hurried motion. He dialed his assistant’s number.

The call connected.

“Hello, Sir?”

“Find Mrs. Camelia. Find her no matter what!” William’s voice sounded tense, far from the confident tone he usually had.

His assistant paused for a moment before replying, “Yes, Sir. We will find Madam.”

“Use all available connections. Contact the driver, contact the apartment security, check the airport, check hotels. I want to know where she is right now!”

“Yes, Sir.”

The call ended.

William stood still in the middle of the living room. His heart was pounding irregularly. He tried to calm himself, but his mind was filled with worst-case possibilities.

Did Camelia find out something?

Did she see something?

Suddenly, the image of last night appeared in his head—the bridal suite, Serena, the words he had spoken without thinking.

William swallowed hard.

“Does Camelia know that I cheated with her best friend?” he muttered softly.

The question felt like a hard slap.

All this time, he had been certain he could control the situation. He was sure Camelia loved him too much to leave. Too dependent on him to truly walk away from everything.

But this empty apartment said otherwise.

His phone suddenly rang, making him flinch.

Serena’s name appeared on the screen.

William stared at it for a few seconds before finally answering.

“Hello?” His voice sounded flat.

“Darling,” Serena’s spoiled voice came from the other end, “I want to sleep with you tonight.”

Usually, a sentence like that would make William smile in satisfaction. Usually, he would respond in a teasing tone.

But tonight, his body felt tense instead.

He looked around the empty room once again.

“Not tonight,” he replied shortly.

Serena sounded surprised. “Why? Isn’t Camelia not feeling well? You said she wouldn’t suspect anything.”

William let out a rough breath. “She’s not in the apartment.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“She left.”