Chapter One Hundred and SeventeenDays passed. Richard tried everything to reach Aria, but every attempt seemed pointless. Her phone didn’t answer. Her emails went unanswered. Even messages through mutual contacts bounced back. Every route he could think of had been blocked. The absence gnawed at him quietly, more unsettling than anger. He didn’t know what had happened, only that she had disappeared.*****Meanwhile, in Greece, the villa’s tension had escalated to unbearable levels. Damien’s mental state deteriorated rapidly. Servants flinched when he shouted, even at empty walls. His hands shook when he tried to hold his coffee. His face, pale and taut, betrayed confusion, fear, and anger all at once.Clara had tried to manage him, but the recent episodes went beyond even her control. One morning, after he had barely slept and shouted himself hoarse, he collapsed into a chair, rubbing his temples.“I need my doctor,” he said, his voice hoarse, weak, desperate.Clara leaned down, til
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