54: Where'd she go?!

Richard sat alone in the quiet darkness of their master bedroom. The silence was suffocating. He was consumed by his thoughts, unable to escape the echo of Khana’s words.

As much as he wants to fix their marital quarrel, he’s not too dumb enough to force communication again. He knew Khana too well. Pushing her for a conversation when she was still this upset would only make things worse. He needed to give her space, even though every fiber of his being wanted to chase after her and beg for her forgiveness.

He knew giving his wife enough time would make her a little calm. He knew something like this would happen, but he simply did not see it coming sooner than he expected. 

“I thought once we became family, everything will be in place. Even without that priest, she still hasn’t given her heart to me. How come she forgot all the time we spent together?” He cried in despair.

His frustration boiled over, and he grabbed the pillows, the blankets, and even the lampshade, and threw them across the room in a futile attempt to release his anger. The sound of the lampshade shattering against the wall was followed by an eerie silence.

“She’s furious, especially when I slapped her. I didn’t mean to physically harm her.” He buried his face in his hands, his fingers gripping his hair as he struggled to hold back tears.

“Throughout our entire married life, she was kind and sweet. I thought it was love. She was just being considerate. She never cheated, but she never truly loved me the way I want,” he mumbled.

The pain in his chest was unbearable. It felt like his heart was being ripped apart. Exhausted from the emotional turmoil, Richard finally collapsed onto the bed, his eyes red and swollen from crying. He fell into a restless sleep, haunted by dreams of Khana leaving him, of being alone, of losing everything he had fought so hard to build. 

When he woke up, the emptiness of the room hit him like a punch to the gut. Khana hadn’t returned. Her side of the bed was still untouched, and the air felt cold and heavy. The sunlight streaming through the curtains only seemed to highlight how empty the room was without her presence.

Richard was startled by the shrill sound of his phone ringing. The alarm clock buzzed, reminding him of the inspection for the new project that he couldn’t afford to miss. He quickly got dressed, his movements sluggish and mechanical, as if his body was on autopilot while his mind remained elsewhere.

Richard stopped in the living room, hesitating. He wanted to see Khana before he left, to at least say goodbye, even if she wasn’t ready to talk. He approached one of the maids, his voice quiet and strained. “Is she still asleep?”

"Madam and Kharl have not woken up yet."

Richard nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. He had hoped for a brief moment of connection, but it seemed that Khana was determined to keep her distance. With slumped shoulders, he made his way to the front door, where the maid noticed him lingering.

“Sir, is there anything else you need?” she asked, concerned by his unusual behavior. The maid asked upon noticing the man was still standing at the door instead of going to his car.

When Richard arrived at the office, Bettina greeted him and soon realized her cousin was in trouble.

"What's with the dark circle under your eyes?" she asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

Before Richard could respond, Chloe also arrived and greeted the CEO and she also noticed the exhausted look of the guy she admired. Her eyes were always landing on the CEO's face. Thus, shamelessly asked Richard if he needed someone to talk to.

Surprisingly, Richard agreed. Normally, he would brush off such offers, preferring to keep his personal life private. But today, he was too drained to care. Chloe took him to a nearby bar, where they found a quiet corner to talk. She poured him a glass of champagne, and they toasted.

“Let me guess…” Chloe said, taking a sip of her drink. “You’re quarreling with a woman, aren’t you?”

Richard gave a bitter smile, his eyes downcast. “Not just a  woman, but my lovely wife. It was a misunderstanding.”

"You're married?" says Chloe, pretending not to know that the man she is interested in is a married man with a kid.

"It's pretty obvious. I sent you an invitation, have you attended?"

Chloe looked away and replied, "I was busy. Too bad, I have not met your wife and child. I must say she's lucky to have such a capable and thoughtful husband."

"You think so?" Richard asked.

"I do. The moment I saw you, I knew you are a good husband material," Chloe replied.

"I wish she'll have the same sentiment," Richard replied bitterly.

Chloe tried to close the gap between them, but Bettina arrived, thus she pretended to wipe away the fallen eyelashes. Chloe saw her chance and tried to close the distance between them, but before she could make her move, Bettina walked in, her eyes narrowing at the scene. “Sorry, I’m late,” Bettina said pointedly. 

“Ms. Chloe, with all due respect, I need to talk to my cousin in private. I can call a cab for you if you’d like," Bettina added.

Chloe forced a smile, masking her frustration. “That’s quite thoughtful of you, Bettina, but no thanks. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Once Chloe was gone, Bettina turned to Richard, her expression softening. She had known him long enough to see that he was struggling. “What happened?”

Richard sighed and told her everything—about the party, the test result, Khana’s anger, and the slap that he regretted more than anything. “She wants a divorce, Bettina. I don’t know what to do.”

Feeling a bit tipsy from the drinks, Bettina insisted on driving Richard home. When they arrived, she urged him to call Khana, to at least try to talk to her.

But when they walked into the house, something was wrong. The maid looked nervous as she approached them.

“Madam and young master Kharl weren’t here when I returned from buying groceries,” the maid said, her voice trembling. “And they haven’t returned yet.”

Bettina’s heart sank. “What do you mean they left?!” she yelled, panic creeping into her voice.

Richard’s face went pale as dread settled in his chest. “Where did they go?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.