Chapter 23
In the dead of night, silence reigned. “Amanda!” Chase jolted awake, his nightmare leaving him shaken. His right hand clutched his chest as he gasped for breath, his forehead beaded with sweat, his chest heaving.
Panicked, he grabbed his phone – the nightstand lamp illuminating the dimly lit room – and dialed my number, only to hear the same disconnected tone. With a frustrated sigh, he opened our chat history, his gaze falling on his last message – the threat. It finally struck him: I might actually be upset. After all, I'd never disappeared for more than three days without a trace. He grumbled, "Women are so much trouble."
He quickly called his assistant. "First thing tomorrow, head to the jewelry store and buy the Heart of the Ocean. Oh, and get a bunch of yellow roses, too." Yellow roses signified his apology. He viewed my disappearance as just another one of my typical sulks; a little sweet-talking and a charming gesture should suffice. But sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned, his face contorted in agony. Unconsciously, he called out, "Amanda, bring me my antacid."
The room remained empty, tomb-silent. I watched him clutch his aching stomach, pain etched across his features. His stomach had always been sensitive, and I had spent years helping him manage it, keeping antacids and painkillers readily available. Since the miscarriage, however, I’d grown distant, and with Nicole's blatant pursuit, he'd spent most of the last three months with her. Without my care, his stomach issues had flared up again.
Chase curled up on the bed, writhing in pain. I stood by, watching with cold detachment. 'Chase, there's no one left to bring you medicine now.'
He fumbled with the drawer. I’d always placed the antacid where he could easily find it, even in the middle of the night. But the drawer was filled with trinkets – gifts from Nicole – the antacid buried beneath them. Desperately, he searched, finally locating the bottle, only to discover it had expired a month ago.
It dawned on him then that our relationship had been fragile even before the wedding. He was supposed to marry me, yet outside of work, he’d spent most of his time with Nicole. In his pain, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. I wondered if he even remembered my care.
“Amanda…” His gaze locked onto my unseen presence, as if sensing me. Fighting through the pain, he staggered toward me, his pale face lighting with a hint of joy. "You finally came back."
"Thud!" He collapsed at my feet, knocked unconscious by the pain. Once, I would have been frantic, but now I only watched, feeling nothing but cold detachment. I was merely a memory now – what could I possibly do? The heartache was gone. I stood by the window, watching snowflakes dance under the streetlight. At this point, I couldn't even protect my own body. What else was there to protect? Frankly, even if Chase died, he would have deserved it.
As dawn broke, his assistant, unable to reach anyone from the Reyes family, stumbled upon Chase on the floor. "Mr. Reyes, what happened?" he asked, attempting to rouse him.
"Amanda!" Chase's eyes snapped open, his hand gripping the assistant's, calling out my name.
"Mr. Reyes, are you alright? Why are you sleeping on the floor?"