Chapter 21

"AHHH!"Allison screamed from the side of the road. She hadn't meant for things to go this far—just to rough Josie up a little. But a car accident? This was more than she could handle.She didn't spare another glance for Josie, who lay motionless on the ground. Panic surged through her, and without thinking, Allison turned and ran.Josie felt herself rolling across the pavement. Her vision dimmed. Sound faded. Darkness wrapped around her like a shroud. She didn't even know when she was taken to the hospital.When she finally opened her eyes, her parents were by her bedside—along with Kira."You're awake. How do you feel?" her mother asked gently.Josie instinctively reached for her head, now tightly wrapped in gauze. Pain throbbed through her skull.Her mother quickly helped her lie back down. "The doctor says it's a concussion. Thankfully, it's not more serious. You gave me the fright of my life.""What happened?" her mother asked again, her voice shaking. "How did you end u

Chapter 22

Seeing Allison like this, Graham felt a flicker of ache.Allison clutched at him, pleading, "As long as you let me go, I'll never show up in your life again. I won't interfere in your life anymore. Please. I have a daughter, Graham. For Cami's sake, I'm begging you. Let me go."At those words, Graham merely stepped back and pushed her away.He knew now, the woman before him was no longer the person he once kept in his heart.And the cruelest part of it all was realizing that, for the sake of an illusion, a fleeting obsession, he had cast aside someone who had quietly stayed by his side for ten years.What a fool he had been.Turning to his bodyguards, he ordered, "Take her to the police. As for Cami… I'll make arrangements. She'll be cared for. You don't need to worry."Back at the hospital, Graham went straight to Josie's room, hoping to see her—just once.But when he arrived, the nurse was tidying up. The bed was empty. She had already been discharged.Panic rose in his ches

Chapter 23

That day, Graham knelt outside Josie's parents' residence for four hours.Neither of her parents relented.Josie never appeared.By the time night fell, Graham finally staggered back to his hotel, looking like a gambler who had lost everything. In a fit of despair, he bought armfuls of alcohol and drank himself into oblivion.When his mother arrived, she found him barely conscious, sprawled among shattered bottles and silence.Gemma slapped him across the face, her voice trembling with fury. "Look at you. Just look at what you've become."Graham didn't fight back. He simply bowed his head, his voice thick with self-mockery. "Mom… I deserve this, don't I?"Gemma's anger softened into something heavier—grief. "You didn't cherish her when she was yours. And now that she's moved on, you fall apart like this? Do you really think this is how you'll win her back?"Her words cut deep. Graham lowered his gaze, staring blankly at the ring in his hand.He hadn't even found the courage to

Chapter 24

Josie shot to her feet, panic tightening her chest. "What happened? Weren't you supposed to pick her up?"The housekeeper's voice trembled. "I… I don't know! I went to the school just now, but Kira was gone. I asked around, but no one knows where she went."A chill gripped Josie's heart."What is it?" Miles, noticing the color drain from her face, asked with quiet concern.She barely managed, "Something's happened to Kira," before rushing out without another word.Miles quickly caught up. "You're in no condition to drive. Let me take you. I have a few connections around here. Maybe I can help find Kira."His calm, gentle voice pulled her back from the edge. She nodded.At the school, the teachers and staff were gathered, visibly anxious. The housekeeper was nearly in tears.No one knew where Kira had gone.The surveillance footage showed her reading on the lawn that afternoon. And then… she vanished.Josie watched every second of the footage, her eyes unblinking. Then, sudden

Chapter 25

The food on the table had all been prepared by Graham.In the ten years she had known him, this was the first time Josie realized—he could cook.She looked at the elegantly plated steak and pasta in front of her, but her appetite was gone. A faint, mocking smile tugged at the corner of her lips."You learned to cook for Allison, didn't you?"Graham lowered his head, offering no denial.His relationship with Allison had once been an all-consuming first love. Time had softened its edges, turned it into something almost poetic, so much so that even he had been moved by the memory. It wasn't until now that he saw how utterly mistaken he'd been.His voice came out rough, scraped raw by regret. Still, he tried to smile. "From now on, I'll only cook for you. Alright?"He hadn't lived that kind of quiet, domestic life in a long time. Back then, it had felt so routine, so mundane. He hadn't appreciated any of it—hadn't known what he had.It was only after losing Josie that he realized j

Chapter 26

As soon as she stepped out of the villa, a wave of police officers surged forward, pinning Graham to the ground.Josie's parents stood frozen, shaken by what had just occurred.Josie handed Kira over to her mother, then turned back to watch as Graham was led away."He'll likely be deported back," she said quietly.Josie's mother cast one final, furious glance at Graham. For someone who had always been composed and well-mannered, the anger in her voice was startling. "Good. Let him be deported—and may he never show up in front of us again."What happened today had been nothing short of terrifying.Miles glanced at Josie, noting the paleness still lingering on her face. He offered her a bottle of water."Are you alright?"Josie gave a bitter shake of her head.She looked calm on the surface, but inside, she was anything but.Graham's obsession—his madness—had left a lingering fear in her chest. Even his desperate pleas for forgiveness had stirred painful memories she'd tried har