Chapter 61

Derek shot Chase a meaningful glance. “Honestly, I wish I’d hidden her myself.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have no idea where Amanda is.”

Derek pocketed his phone. “Chase, I’m done giving you chances.”

He wheeled out of the room, leaving Chase staring blankly ahead.

Feeling utterly drained, Chase shuffled back to his room and answered a call from his assistant.

“Mr. Reyes, you asked me to investigate your wife’s situation. I’ve found some leads.”

“Go on!”

“When you were caught in the earthquake, your wife wasn’t lying. She was trying to find you but was caught in a storm at sea. Mr. Derek got her safely ashore. I found records of the merchant ship disaster. Hundreds died; it made headlines.”

This was like rubbing salt into Chase’s wounds. Fuming, he snapped, “Why didn’t you find this sooner?”

His assistant whispered, “You believed Ms. Nicole, and you never asked me to investigate.” Chase ended the call, tossing the phone aside and collapsing onto the bed, dejected. He realized he had no right to blame his assistant. From the beginning, Chase hadn’t wanted to believe the truth, so why would he have ordered an investigation?

Throughout the day, Chase’s emotions fluctuated wildly. He felt like a withering flower, murmuring, “Amanda, I know I messed up… please come back.”

“Boom!”

Thunder crashed, jolting Chase upright. The balcony door was ajar, letting in a gust of wind that whipped the curtains. He closed it, getting drenched in the process. The icy rain further scattered his thoughts. He sat on the carpet, leaning against the bed, his fingers nervously twisting his rosary beads.

Oddly, the nightmares had stopped since he started wearing the rosary. It had become his only comfort. He spun the beads faster and faster as I watched him with a cold gaze. If he knew my ashes were hidden inside, his reaction would be priceless.

I watched him dial number after number, increasingly agitated.

“Yes, whatever it takes, I need to find Amanda. Name your price. Just help me find my wife. We have to find Amanda.”

Chase spent a restless night, waiting for my message.

The next morning, someone delivered news.

“Did you find my wife?” Chase asked, his eyes shadowed with fatigue.

“Not yet, Mr. Reyes. We’ve checked Mrs. Reyes’ recent activities. Her phone’s been off the grid. The last signal was from…”

“Where?”

“Ruby River.”

Chase clutched his chest, likely recalling my distress call. “What else?”

“Since that night, Mrs. Reyes hasn’t used social media, made payments, traveled, or stayed in hotels. This suggests…”

The person hesitated, gauging Chase’s reaction, then cautiously added, “Based on our findings, there’s a strong chance Mrs. Reyes may have met with misfortune.”

Chapter 62