003- Vanishing Act

The drag of Anne’s suitcase wheels across Julie’s hardwood floor sounded like a final goodbye.

She hadn’t spoken much since the night everything shattered…since Billy ripped her heart out and tossed it at her feet. Her eyes were hollow, her skin pale, and the sparkle that once lit her up whenever she mentioned his name had vanished completely.

Julie hovered near the couch, trying to give her space but failing miserably. “I made tea,” she offered gently, holding out a mug.

Anne took it, her hands trembling. “Thanks.”

They sat in silence, the air thick with unspoken pain. Julie finally broke the quiet.

“You still haven’t told him?”

Anne looked down at her cup, then shook her head. “No. And I won’t.”

“But he deserves to know about the baby, Anne.”

“No,” she said sharply. “He doesn’t. Not after the way he humiliated me. Not after he handed me divorce papers like I was trash. If he wanted a family, he should’ve believed in the one he already had.”

Julie sighed, sitting beside her. “So what now?”

Anne’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “Now? I disappear.”

---

At Jackson Enterprises the next morning, the air was cold—frigid, even. The staff avoided eye contact with Billy as he barked orders, slammed files onto his desk, and retreated behind a wall of silence and fury.

His assistant dared to knock once, and he snarled a flat, “Leave it.”

Only Yvette had the audacity to waltz into his office, clutching two lattes and a fake sympathetic smile.

“Rough night?” she asked, sitting across from him.

Billy grunted, not even looking up.

Yvette placed one of the cups on his desk. “Maybe you need a change of scenery. I know a place upstate, quiet, private. We could unwind this weekend.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Billy snapped. “I have a lot of work.”

She reached across the desk, touching his hand lightly. “Billy, you need to take care of yourself. She’s gone. You don’t owe her your misery.”

He looked up then, eyes dark and cold. “She’s dead to me. That’s enough.”

Yvette pulled her hand back slowly, a flicker of satisfaction hidden behind her painted lips.

Meanwhile, Anne sat in the train station across town. She ruffled her nose at the smell—like cold metal and old coffee.

Anne pulled her coat tighter around her small baby bump as she and Julie waited for their train to be announced.

She wore no makeup, her hair hidden beneath a hat. She barely looked like herself, just another passenger trying to vanish into the crowd.

Julie glanced at her best friend. “You sure about this?”

Anne nodded. “I need a fresh start. Somewhere no one knows me. Somewhere I can breathe again.”

She handed Julie a sealed envelope. “Leave this at the mansion after I’m gone. He won’t read it,but I need to say goodbye, even if he never hears it.”

Julie took it reluctantly. “This isn’t fair to you.”

Anne laughed quietly, bitterly. “Nothing ever was.”

The train arrived with a loud screech, and Anne took one final look at the platform behind her before stepping on board.

---

Yvette twirled her wine glass between two fingers, the rich red liquid catching the low light of her luxury apartment. She was alone, but her smirk spoke volumes.

She pulled out her phone and typed quickly.

Yvette: *’Phase one complete.’*

The reply came seconds later.

Luis: *’Good. Ready for phase two?’*

She grinned.

She had erased Anne from Billy’s life. Now, it was only a matter of time before he fell into her arms. Everything she’d wanted since the first day she laid eyes on him was finally within reach.

But Billy wasn’t falling.

He was boiling.

He stormed through Luis’s upscale gym, fists already clenched. Luis had the nerve to flash a cocky smile when he saw him.

“Well, if it isn’t the abandoned husband himself,” Luis mocked. “You here to ask what your wife looks like when she’s screaming my name?”

Billy didn’t answer. He lunged.

The first punch caught Luis by surprise, sending him sprawling into a wall of mirrors. The next one met resistance—Luis was stronger than he looked. The two men tangled, fists flying, grunts and curses echoing through the empty space.

“You think this is about jealousy?” Billy growled, slamming Luis into a locker. “You destroyed my marriage!”

Luis laughed, blood on his lips. “Your marriage was already broken, Jackson. Maybe if you weren’t such a cold bastard, she wouldn’t have needed me to make her feel alive. Face it—you bored her.”

Billy saw red.

It took two gym staff to drag him off Luis.

He left, panting, his knuckles bloodied and his heart burning.

---

Back at the Jackson mansion, the toxic atmosphere festered.

His sister was waiting, arms crossed. “Good riddance,” she said the moment Billy stepped through the door. “That woman was always too soft. Too emotional. You need someone who understands power.”

Billy said nothing.

“Yvette’s been there for you. She knows how to be loyal.”

He walked past her without a word, up the stairs, and into his room.

Her voice followed him. “She was never one of us, Billy. She was always going to leave.”

He never answered.

That night, Billy didn’t sleep.

Hours passed. The moon rose high. Finally, he grunted and shoved himself out of bed. He stormed off into the night.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Yvette’s phone buzzed once. A text message popped up.

*’He’s at Club Dune. Drinking alone. Looks rough.’*

Yvette’s lips curled with smug victory. She took her time getting ready—tight black dress, subtle perfume, glossed lips. She wanted to look perfect for the moment she would "accidentally" find him broken and seduce him while he was down.

She arrived at the club, heels clicking on the polished floor. The music throbbed around her, but she didn’t care.

Her eyes scanned the room until they found him—in the VIP booth, sitting alone.

She strutted toward him, already rehearsing her concerned words: “Billy? Fancy meeting you here! Oh my gosh, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

But the moment she got close enough, her steps faltered. He wasn’t drinking. There were three untouched glasses on the table. Yet, his eyes were bloodshot, his jaw tight. And in his hand, he held a photo.

Anne. She recognized it from their honeymoon—her face was bright with laughter, his arms wrapped around her.

Tears slid silently down his face.

Yvette froze.

This wasn’t what she’d expected. He wasn’t drunk. He wasn’t vulnerable. He was grieving.

She stood there for several seconds, completely ignored. Unnoticed. Unwanted.

Slowly, she turned and walked away—her strut no longer confident, her heart full of rage.

Billy never looked up.

He just stared at the woman who used to be his whole world.

---

In a quiet town miles away, Anne sat on a twin bed in a modest inn, her hand cradling her stomach. Julie slept on the other bed, exhausted from travel.

Anne looked out the window, watching the snow begin to fall.

The pain still lived inside her—but now, there was something stronger. A tiny heartbeat. A tiny reason.

She closed her eyes and whispered, “We’ll be okay, baby. I promise.”