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Chapter 25
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Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 26
Anthony looked like a fanatic as he sat inside the cramped spaceship. The photo was already crumpled in his tightly clenched fist."I'll still stand a chance as long as you can hear my confession, Isobel. As long as I fix the vinyl and immediately return to your side, we'll go back to how things used to be. I love you, Isobel. I love you so, so much. Don't give up on me, okay?" he muttered. He sounded pleading but also like he was trying to comfort himself.He didn't dare admit that he'd already lost Isobel long ago. He didn't have the courage to face the truth, so he could only brainwash himself into acting like everything wasn't already over. He told himself that she would return to his side as long as the vinyl continued playing.The countdown was over. Anthony looked up, his eyes bloodshot and filled with determination."Launch the rocket!"Flames burst from the tail end of the rocket, and the crushing pressure plastered him to his seat. He stared dazedly out the tiny window,
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 1
"I'll sign the consent form for the ectopic pregnancy abortion," Isobel Sutton told the nurse.Her hand, bruised from all the needle insertion, picked up a pen and shakily signed the form. A drop of tear rolled down her cheek when she was wheeled into the operating theater. She wondered whether taking that morning-after pill was the right decision at all.…When Isobel was recovering at the hospital, she bought a plane ticket to Airland, which was dated a month later.She checked her phone. The netizens were still passionately discussing Halthorne City's tycoon's extravagant love confession to his girlfriend. And she was the subject of the discussion. At a press conference three days ago, Anthony Johnson announced that he would send a vinyl record to space in the spaceship he had spent seven years building, financed with his private wealth.The vinyl record would play Anthony's love confession to Isobel in space forever, proving his love for her to every being in the universe.
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 2
Isobel had been discharged when Anthony came home. She was reading a book by the window."I'm sorry, Belle! It was such a busy business trip. I didn't manage to make it back in time for your birthday and our anniversary…"While speaking, he took off his suit jacket and walked over to give her a hug. "I promise this will be the last time. I'll be there for important occasions."Sweetheart, don't be mad at me. Okay?"She sneered and closed her eyes. She was nauseated by the faint whiff of Sasha Green's perfume on him. Indeed, he was probably "occupied" on his business trip with Sasha. But none of that mattered anymore.Isobel pushed him away. She stared directly at him and said calmly, "It's fine."Visibly relieved, he pulled out a black velvet box and handed it to her. "Belle, I bought you a gift. I hope you like it."He opened the box to reveal a watch. It was worth 31 million dollars. There were only seven of those in the whole world."These watches are the epitome of precisio
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 3
The dancing started after dinner. Anthony bowed slightly, inviting Isobel to share the first dance. After deliberating, she took his hand, not wanting to put the Johnsons in a tough spot.At that moment, Sasha hurried over to Anthony. "Mr. Johnson, something urgent came up at work that needs your attention."When he heard that, he immediately straightened up without bothering to ask for the details. He gave Isobel an apologetic look. "Sorry, Belle. I will need to get back to work. How about I pick you up at night?"Under the gaze of the guests, Isobel retracted her hand. "Go."Her heart ached at the sight of Anthony and Sasha hurrying away.Four months ago, Sasha had moved into the Johnson residence as Anthony's cousin-in-law with the excuse of being widowed and defenseless. The Johnsons allowed her to stay out of sympathy.At first, Isobel had no suspicion about Sasha's sudden arrival. She even showered Sasha with care. Isobel thought the Johnsons were just helping Sasha o
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 4
Isobel stayed quiet during the ride home. Anthony immediately sensed that she was feeling blue. He asked, "Belle, are you upset because I left you behind to work? I'm really sorry. When I'm done with this project, I promise I'll never cast you aside for work again."Did someone upset you when I wasn't around? Sweetheart, please don't ignore me."Anthony might be a ruthless CEO, but he was just a loyal canine in front of Isobel. However, a leopard could not change its spots."I'm just tired," she replied flatly.…After that, Anthony cautiously kept an eye on her mood. One night, he sat on her bed. "My project will end in a month. Belle, do you want to travel anywhere? Let's go on a vacation!"Little did he know that she would have left him by then. She shook her head."What's wrong with you, Belle? Tell me what's bothering you. You're worrying me." He clasped her cold hand.How worried was he? She peered into his eyes. His feelings seemed genuine.He loved and cared for her, e
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 5
Anthony and Sasha's ridiculous lies had desecrated the old residence that carried the memories of Isobel's parents. Isobel knelt on the floor in pain. Finally, she came to the decision to sell it off. After she did what was needed, she dragged herself back home.The last brilliance of the dusk poured into the bedroom, where she and Anthony had shared sweet memories. She stood rooted at the same spot until the sky darkened. Everything around her—the decor pieces, the photos, the slippers, the pajamas, the toothbrushes, and the love letters he wrote to her—looked jarring. They made her want to cry.She swept all the couple items she could see into a cardboard box like an emotionless robot. She no longer wanted something that was lovely on the outside but rotten to the core. She no longer wanted Anthony.She would get rid of all of it.…Anthony returned to an empty house. He found Isobel spacing out on the couch."What's happened to our place? Where are my slippers? Where are o
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 6
Before the family gathering kicked off on the weekend, Anthony's grandma, Melinda Clarke, called Isobel into the room to talk privately.She carefully pulled out a pair of bracelets from the closet and warmly took Isobel's wrist. With a smile, she began, "Isobel, here. These are for you."Isobel stared at the bracelets and spotted a tiny line of engraved words on the inner side. It read "eternal love"."These bracelets were passed down from generation to generation. They are reserved for our future daughters-in-law! Belle, let me know if Anthony ever bullies you. I'll put him in his place!"Isobel teared up in silence. She pursed her lips. Finally, she took the bracelets. "Thank you, Melinda."During the dinner, Frank announced that he would give Isobel a group of double-story villas in the newly developed district in Halthorne City."Belle, those villas are ocean-facing. If you ever feel down, you can stay there for a few days."Anthony's mom, Sheila White, did not want to be o
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 7
Isobel rushed back into her bedroom and squatted on the bathroom floor. Trembling, she rested her back against the icy cold wall.Holding the toilet, she vomited. The bile juices burned her throat.Memories of that night when Anthony accidentally impregnated her flooded her.Anthony was heavily drunk that night and had forced himself on her. She could not break free from his aggressive advances.Although he had been calling her name while going at it, she knew something was wrong. She figured that he must have been fantasizing about another woman to treat her that harshly.The man whom she loved—and loved her back—would never assault her like this.That was the first time she suspected him of cheating.To avoid an unwanted pregnancy, she took a morning-after pill. She never thought that the pill would lead to an ectopic pregnancy instead.After the surgery, the doctor informed her, "Ms. Sutton, I fear you might never conceive, given the state of your health."At the same time,
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Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 26
Anthony looked like a fanatic as he sat inside the cramped spaceship. The photo was already crumpled in his tightly clenched fist."I'll still stand a chance as long as you can hear my confession, Isobel. As long as I fix the vinyl and immediately return to your side, we'll go back to how things used to be. I love you, Isobel. I love you so, so much. Don't give up on me, okay?" he muttered. He sounded pleading but also like he was trying to comfort himself.He didn't dare admit that he'd already lost Isobel long ago. He didn't have the courage to face the truth, so he could only brainwash himself into acting like everything wasn't already over. He told himself that she would return to his side as long as the vinyl continued playing.The countdown was over. Anthony looked up, his eyes bloodshot and filled with determination."Launch the rocket!"Flames burst from the tail end of the rocket, and the crushing pressure plastered him to his seat. He stared dazedly out the tiny window,
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 25
The truth behind Anthony's murder of Sasha got out. The police investigated the matter based on clues provided and soon traced it back to him. However, he was no longer in Halthorne City and refused to cooperate with the investigation.He was heading toward a space shuttle launching center in the remote desert. He was going to take a spaceship to space to repair the vinyl. Once he returned safe and sound, he would beg for Isobel's forgiveness again. She was the one thing he couldn't lose.When Anthony arrived at the launching center, the employees there were performing the final checks on the spaceship. He stood before the launching platform and looked at the spaceship he was about to board. His gaze carried a hint of almost obsessive stubbornness.It was almost as if the spaceship wasn't just a cold machine but the only path to Isobel's heart.Unfortunately, things weren't proceeding smoothly. During the pre-launch check, the system detected an abnormality in the spaceship's fuel
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 24
Two months passed before Anthony heard anything else about Isobel. She'd still appeared in Airland but was no longer in Darblink City. Instead, she'd moved to a smaller, more remote town. Rumor had it there were an abundance of beautiful flowers there.Anthony immediately left for Airland. This time, he kept his profile as low as possible. Close to no one knew where he was. On his way there, he kept looking through photos of Isobel on his phone.In the pictures, she was smiling happily, her eyes bright. His gaze turned expectant and tentative as he looked at the images.The sky was just starting to brighten when he landed in Darblink City. He had no time to rest. He drove straight to the small town where Isobel was and went to the flower shop.It had yet to open for the day, so he went to the coffee shop opposite it and waited there after ordering a coffee. It was noon when the flower shop showed some signs of life.A young woman in a white dress opened the glass door and started
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 23
Roger entered Anthony's room the following day, looking conflicted. "Your vinyl on the spaceship has stopped, Mr. Johnson.""How did that happen?" Anthony frowned."It seems that something went wrong with the player on the spaceship. No one has been sent over to repair it yet."Anthony paled. He waved a hand to dismiss Roger and remained alone in his office in a daze. After a moment, he called the space travel company and told them he wanted to purchase a spot for space travel.The vinyl held the record of his love confession to Isobel and also her sweet reply. It was the one trace of their love that she couldn't destroy. He would not let it stop.Since no one could fix it, he would do it himself. He wanted the boundless sky to remember his love for her forever.Space travel would require a considerable sum, but Anthony had long since stopped bothering about Johnson Group. Things were a mess there. The company's finance director approached him with a stack of documents, trying ha
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 22
To ensure the smooth operation of Johnson Group and expand his influence into Airland, Anthony had no choice but to return to the business world.Public opinion shifted rapidly, and the traces Isobel had left behind in Halthorne City grew fainter by the day. Anthony never would've expected to next catch hold of something tied to Isobel's past at a business cocktail party.He noticed the watch on his business partner's female companion's wrist. Only one was in the country, and he'd given it to Isobel as a birthday gift. Yet now, it was on another woman's wrist."And so, Mr. Johnson, I think our collaboration this time—""Excuse me." Anthony's gaze landed on the watch as he interrupted his business partner. "Sorry, but do you know Belle? Do you know Isobel Sutton?"The female companion exchanged a look with the business partner. For a second, they didn't know what to say. Everyone in Halthorne City knew of Isobel, whether it was because of her romantic love story with Anthony or her
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 21
Anthony had a global network of informants. Soon enough, someone brought him a sliver of hope. An email from his private investigator contained a blurry photo. It captured the figure of a woman who resembled Isobel. She was at a flower shop in Darblink City.Anthony looked at it several times to be sure before he shot to his feet excitedly. He immediately canceled his plans and booked the closest flight to Airland. He arrived over ten hours later and drove straight to the flower shop.The store wasn't large. He could see the inside of the store through the clean windows. It was clean and cozy, like the designs Isobel had created in the past.Opening a flower shop had always been Isobel's dream, but it had never come true because she'd been bound by the chains of being in the upper crust. As Anthony's future wife, she'd had to attend many social events and functions with him.He'd once promised her that he would one day make Johnson Group the best in the industry. When the time came
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 20
Sasha and the baby's deaths didn't bring any news of Isobel's whereabouts. After dealing with the rest of the matters, Anthony slumped tiredly on the couch in his office.The dazzling city lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows filled his view, but his heart felt hollow, incapable of holding anything. He hadn't slept for three nights. Whenever he shut his eyes, Isobel's face would appear in his mind.He dragged himself home, feeling exhausted. He turned on the lights, which only showed how empty the place was. His life, much like the house, had been devoid of anything tied to Isobel since her departure. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hold on to any traces of her.He tried to seek out their personal photographer, someone who'd witnessed countless happy moments between him and Isobel. However, it seemed that Isobel had expected this day to come. She had prematurely asked the photographer to discard the negatives for all their photos.Anthony recalled the lovers' lock t
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 19
Nothing went as Anthony wished. Sasha refused to get the abortion no matter how she was threatened, and he didn't manage to get any clues on Isobel's whereabouts despite the sensation it had caused on the Internet.He kept telling himself that Isobel had to be alive and that she was in another corner of the world. He believed that he still stood a chance of turning things around as long as he could convey his regrets to her. At the same time, he couldn't help being afraid that Sasha had truly made Isobel lose her life.He descended into boundless agony, and his temper turned unpredictable. When Sasha saw how dazed and absent-minded he was, she knew that her plan to use public opinion to help her climb the ranks had thoroughly failed. Still, she struggled. She tried to use their past relationship to gain Anthony's pity.She knocked on his room door one night while dressing in a skimpy lace nightgown. It showed off her baby bump. She deliberately splashed some water on her chest. She
Love Burns Without a Trace Chapter 18
Sasha escaped the first time she was taken for an abortion. She was beyond reluctant to have everything she'd fought so hard for be wasted because of Isobel's death.So, she spread a carefully edited video online. It showed the showdown at Johnson Manor. She made sure to portray herself as a pitiful woman who'd ended up being abandoned."I've always known about Tony and Isobel's love story. I've also always been envious of them. I'll admit that I love Tony deeply, but it never crossed my mind to come between him and Isobel!"My child is a beautiful accident between myself and Tony, but it's also a gift that I'm more than willing to accept. I know that Isobel's death has weighed Tony down with guilt. I can understand why he doesn't want to acknowledge the child."I've never dared dream of marrying Tony. I only wish that the Johnson family would give me and my child the chance to survive. I don't want to lose my only kin…" Sasha faced the camera, tears streaming down her face as she
