Chapter Twenty

Tyler Morgan stood in front of his mirror, the silence of his mansion heavy around him.

The house that once felt a bit welcoming now felt cold and empty.

As he buttoned up his shirt, his mind moved far away, lost in the echo of a voice he couldn’t shake.

Annie’s voice.

The way she had looked at him, the edge in her tone when she said,

"She's left the country, I'm not sure when she'll return."

Was it really that bad? Bad enough to make her leave the country?

His fingers paused mid-button.

He could still hear it.. he disbelief, the judgment in Ann’s words.

And what could he say to that? Yes, it was bad.

He’d been bad. Very bad to her. He knew that now, but it was too late.

The image of her was still so clear in his mind.. the way she used to stand in this very room, her laughter filling the space, making it feel like a home instead of this hollow shell.

And he’d taken it for granted. Taken her for granted.

“How could I have been so blind?”

The marriage e