Chapter 2

"That's my home."

Beatrice's emotions began to become somewhat unstable. She struggled to hold herself together, and used sign language to tell Nelson that it was her home.

But Nelson didn't understand sign language.

Just like how they were so close right now, but suddenly felt like strangers from different worlds.

Beatrice slowly grew quiet again, swallowing all her pain alone.

Over the last five years, she had learned to endure everything in silence. Tears fell uncontrollably onto the back of her hand. Her fingers trembling, she gripped the pen and scrawled on the notepad.

"I just want to go home and pick up some things…"

Nelson started to say something, but when he saw her tears, he stopped and nodded.

"Alright…"

On the drive over, Beatrice silently watched the city pass by through the window. She used to believe the passenger seat next to Nelson would always be hers. But now… There were cartoon stickers on the dashboard, and little trinkets that belonged to his new wife.

The same man who had once promised her repeatedly that he would love her and never let her down, had become someone else just five years after she went missing.

Compared to Narsten's endless desert, the dazzling lights of Blueport City at night felt almost unreal.

She was only gone for five years.

Just five years.

So why did it feel like the entire world had left her behind?

At last, Beatrice couldn't hold it in anymore and wrote her question on the notepad. "Did my parents not want me, either?"

There had been six people on her team when they were kidnapped. Her professor was older, so his children took him home. One of her seniors, who used to argue with her husband every day before she disappeared, was greeted at the airport by that same husband when she returned.

Everyone had someone waiting for them.

Except Beatrice.

The phone numbers she had memorized by heart… Every single one was out of service.

Nelson didn't come to see her, and she had tried to reassure herself. Maybe he was busy at the hospital. Her parents didn't come, and she told herself maybe they were just getting old, maybe they had not seen the news.

But the reality was simply too cruel.

"Beatrice… Let's talk about your parents tomorrow, okay?" Nelson parked the car and glanced at her nervously.

A sense of dread crept over her. She shook her head, desperate to know what had happened to her mom and dad.

"Let's go upstairs first… My wife made dinner," Nelson said hurriedly, getting out of the car and opening the door for her.

Some habits die hard. When she stepped out, he instinctively shielded her head with his hand, just like he always used to, afraid she would bump herself. Beatrice used to believe that his love was just meant for her.

But things change, apparently.

Not only could love vanish, but it also moved on.

"You… You know her, too."

Maybe wanting to prepare her, Nelson spoke again as they waited for the elevator.

"She's Dr. Krauss Long's daughter. I owe her a lot. Back when you disappeared, I was a mess. I searched for you, I began to get drunk and fall apart. She was the one who pulled me out, the one who stayed by my side all these years."

Beatrice lowered her head and clenched her fists tight.

Krauss Long's daughter.

Raine Long.

Beatrice and Nelson's junior back in school. Even then, Raine had openly chased after Nelson, once telling Beatrice to her face, "I don't care if he has a girlfriend. As long as he's not married, he'll be mine one day."

Back then, Beatrice had never taken Raine seriously. She was too sure of Nelson's love.

But in the end, she was the one who lost.

The elevator stopped on the 19th floor, but Beatrice didn't move.

They had chosen this apartment because Beatrice loved high floors, and this one overlooked the Eldath River with a beautiful view.

Because it was a riverfront unit, the apartment had cost far more compared to the others. Worried about the burden on Nelson's family, Beatrice's parents had chipped in an extra twenty-three thousand dollars

This was their home. A place they had bought together, each owning half after they married. And now, some other woman had moved in.

Nelson punched in the code and the door opened.

Beatrice glanced at him. After all this time, he didn't change the password. Was that some kind of bittersweet loyalty?

Because the code… It was still her birthday.

"Daddy!"

Before Beatrice could react, a little girl ran out and threw herself into Nelson's arms.

Nelson shot a nervous look at Beatrice, then glared at Raine by the door. "Didn't I tell you to take her to your parents' place…?"

Raine didn't answer. She just watched Beatrice.

However, Beatrice's eyes stayed glued to the little girl.

Nelson had remarried three years after Beatrice disappeared. But this child… She didn't look like a toddler. She looked four or five years old.

Suddenly, Beatrice looked up, fury burning in her eyes.

She wanted Nelson to give her an explanation.