Chapter 3

“She still hasn’t been found, Mr. Ashford. We’ve checked every airport, every hotel. There’s no record under the name Elara Wynters.”

Noah’s voice was careful—measured.

Liam stood before the floor-to-ceiling glass window of his office, staring at the rain-soaked city below. In the distance, the lights of towering buildings gleamed coldly, like a world that kept moving without waiting for him.

In his hand, a glass of whiskey remained untouched.

“Keep looking,” he said flatly, almost bored.

Noah hesitated. “It’s been two months, sir. There’s a chance… she may have disappeared on purpose.”

Liam let out a short, derisive chuckle.

“Disappeared?” He finally took a slow sip of his whiskey. “She won’t last long. Elara has never been independent. Without me, she wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Silence followed. “Very well, sir.”

“Leave.”

When the door closed, Liam set the glass down on his desk. His gaze drifted to the wedding photo in the corner of the room.

Elara was smiling there—soft, calm, as if the world had never been cruel to her.

Liam scoffed quietly.

“You always looked strong in front of me,” he muttered. “When in truth, you never knew how to live without me.”

The sound of heels broke the silence.

“You’re still keeping that photo?”

Celine walked in with a faint smile, dressed in a pale pink gown that clashed sharply with the room’s cold atmosphere.

Liam didn’t turn around. “You came without permission.”

“This is your office, not a prison,” Celine replied lightly. “I’m just surprised. It’s been two months, and you’re still obsessed with a woman who left without looking back.”

“She didn’t leave,” Liam said coldly. “She’s just lost.”

Celine raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Liam turned to her, his gaze sharp. “Elara is used to being protected. She’s never made a major decision on her own. Sooner or later, she’ll run out of money, run out of courage—and then she’ll come back.”

His tone brimmed with certainty—bordering on arrogance.

Celine smiled faintly. “You sound very sure of yourself.”

“I know her better than anyone,” Liam replied. “She’s weak. She always has been.”

Celine stepped closer and placed a hand on his chest. “Then why do you look so restless?”

Liam brushed her hand away.

“I’m not restless. I just don’t like losing something that once belonged to me.”

The word belonged slipped out effortlessly, without hesitation.

Celine stiffened. “You don’t love her anymore, but you also don’t want her free from you. That’s ego, Liam.”

Liam let out a soft, cold laugh. “Ego or not, she’ll come back. Everyone always comes back to me.”

“And what about me?” Celine asked quietly.

Liam glanced at her briefly. “You’re different.”

There was no warmth in his voice—only distance.

Celine pulled her hand back, her expression hardening. “Don’t wait too long. The woman you think is weak might be learning how to be strong.”

“Impossible,” Liam cut in sharply. “Elara isn’t like that.”

Celine smiled thinly, bitterly. “We’ll see.”

She left, her sharp perfume lingering in the air.

That night, Liam sat alone in the silent living room of his house. His suit jacket lay carelessly tossed aside; only one lamp was on.

Elara’s photo now lay face-down on the table.

He didn’t want to see her smile—not because he missed her, but because it unsettled him.

His phone rang.

Noah.

“Yes?”

“Sir, there’s a possibility Mrs. Elara is using another identity and has left the country. But we don’t have solid proof yet.”

Liam smiled faintly. “She wouldn’t go that far.”

“Sir?”

“She’s too afraid to live on her own.”

The call ended.

Liam leaned back, recalling Elara’s habits—always waiting to eat with him, always managing his schedule, always giving in.

“Without me, you don’t even know who you are,” he murmured.

He drank straight from the bottle.

The bottle slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor, but Liam didn’t react.

The door suddenly flew open.

Celine stormed in, her face furious. “You’re drinking again?”

“Leave,” Liam said shortly.

“No. I won’t be the shadow of your wife who ran away,” Celine snapped.

Liam stood up, staring at her coldly. “Don’t speak of her as if she’s your equal.”

Celine fell silent.

“She’s just someone who depended on me for too long,” Liam continued icily. “And one day, she’ll realize the world isn’t as kind as she imagined.”

“And when that happens?” Celine asked, her voice trembling.

“She’ll come back,” Liam replied with certainty. “Because she has no one else but me.”

A slap landed hard on his cheek.

Celine was crying. “Your arrogance will destroy you.”

Liam only looked at her, emotionless. “She was already broken long before she left.”

Celine left, slamming the door behind her.

Liam stood by the window once more, watching the rain fall again.

He picked up Elara’s photo and stared at her face for a long time.

Not longing—but conviction.

“You can go as far as you want, Elara,” he murmured softly, filled with pride.

“But you will come back. Because without me… you are nothing.”