All Chapters of Leaving Without a Trace: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Even on the day I was discharged from the hospital, there was still no sign of Isabel Eaton. Throughout the time I was hospitalized, she didn't drop by to visit me, not even once.With my right arm still in a cast, I had no choice but to take a cab home. Yet, when I got there, I couldn't unlock the door no matter what I tried. Left with no other option, I called Isabel.When the call connected, it was the voice of Cameron Dunn, Isabel's first love, that I heard through the speaker."Oh. You're back, Jeremy? Izzy is in the shower," Cameron said.Before I could say anything, I heard a click, and the door was unlocked from the inside. Cameron cheerfully ushered me in."It's my fault, Jeremy. I kept forgetting the password because of my poor memory, so Izzy changed the password to my birthday. You don't know when that is, right? I'll write it down for you later," Cameron offered.He was wearing a new set of pajamas, and his hair was still damp.Just then, Isabel emerged from the mas

Chapter 2

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Just as I got out of the shower, my dad called me."I'm glad you thought things through, Jeremy. I'm getting old, and you're my only son. For the past three years, you've refused to come home and take over the family business from me—all for the sake of that woman. You have no idea how much your mom and I have missed you," Dad said."It wouldn't be so bad if she genuinely returned your feelings as well. However, it's been three years now. She hasn't even officially introduced you to her family or her friends. That proves she doesn't care about you all that much."Since you've decided to come home, I'll set the wedding date for next month. What do you say?"After hearing what Dad said, I froze a little.In the past, whenever I heard such comments from him, I always felt uncomfortable. I assumed he looked down on Isabel because our family was wealthy. I would stand my ground and argue with him, telling him how in love Isabel and I were.But this time, I couldn't say anything."Alr

Chapter 3

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Ever since that day, Isabel never came back home.Meanwhile, Cameron updated his social media extremely frequently. His Instagram stories all highlighted how happy he and Isabel were spending time together. I blocked all of his social media accounts, including WhatsApp.I got myself an electronic countdown timer and watched as the time ticked away. When there were 20 days left, I got ready to leave my job. I was already wrapping up all of the work I had on hand, but I wanted to make sure I did a good job.When the general manager, Leon Oswald, saw that I had written my upcoming wedding as my reason for resigning, he teased me by saying it was best to conduct the wedding ceremony sooner rather than later. That way, Isabel wouldn't start getting the wrong idea.For a moment, I looked down in silence. But right after that, I smiled widely at Leon and said, "I'm not marrying her."Leon was taken aback at first, but then he let out a pitying sigh.I was so busy dealing with the final

Chapter 4

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Time flew by, and Isabel hadn't returned, not even once.I spent several days cleaning the house and clearing through everything—until not a single trace of me could be found.When the countdown timer went down to two days, I got my keys and left the house to buy Professor Carter a birthday present. He was my humanities professor at college. You could say he acted as the matchmaker for Isabel and me.After browsing through the mall's offerings for quite some time, I eventually decided to get Professor Carter a garnet pendant. Garnet was said to protect its wearer from harm, and Professor Carter wasn't getting any younger. I hoped the garnet would help ensure that he had many more good years to come.Professor Carter's birthday fell on the last day I spent in this city. After his birthday celebration, I would fly back home to get married.Last night, Isabel sent me a text saying that she might not be back because of work. When I failed to respond to her, she called me up to rebuke

Chapter 5

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After settling into my seat on the plane, I fell asleep and had a long dream. It was filled with scenes from my relationship with Isabel all these years. The sweetness we shared in the early stages of our relationship was slowly replaced by the distance that grew between us once Cameron returned to Isabel's life.The young woman sitting beside me woke me up."Do you need help, sir?" she asked as she pointed at my face.Only then did I realize I was crying. Smiling faintly, I thanked her for her concern.Soon, the plane landed. I was now home, in a city without Isabel.Before I even got out of the terminal, I saw Dad standing in the distance, waiting to pick me up. Once we were face-to-face, he patted me on the shoulder, his eyes red. His subordinates whisked my bags away."You've had a hard time," he said."Dad," I said croakily.I saw the way his body trembled. He nearly lost his balance. However, he simply nodded and started walking off. As I stared after him, it finally hi

Chapter 6

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Following the doctor's check-up, I was finally free to get some rest. As soon as I lay on the soft, comfortable bed, I fell sound asleep.I slept through the night, only waking up the next morning when one of the maids came to knock on my door. After washing up, I changed into my wedding suit. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn't help but be reminded of the final year I spent with Isabel.At the time, Cameron, her long-lost first love, had just returned. Up until then, our mutual friends were all discussing when Isabel and I would tie the knot. However, all of that changed once Cameron came back."Now that Cameron's back, Isabel might not marry Jeremy after all."It wasn't as if I didn't hear those comments. It wasn't as though I was indifferent to them. Plus, Mom and Dad were pressuring me too. Therefore, I threw myself into planning a wonderful wedding, only for me to end up hurt and bruised that day.To be honest, before the wedding day, I overheard her conversation

Chapter 7

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Mom was so furious that she was clenching her jaw. She had put up with not having me around all these years because she assumed I was living a happy life.But now, she was suddenly confronted with the knowledge of just how terrible my life had been in recent years.Meanwhile, Isabel immediately fell silent. She didn't expect to hear Mom's voice responding to her. This made her realize something truly shocking—I had left for real. I had flown thousands of miles away, back to my parents' place.Isabel's voice was tinged with panic and disbelief as she asked, "Why is Jeremy's phone with you, Mrs. Langley? Where is he?"After that, it occurred to her that she should explain herself to Mom."You've misunderstood the situation, Mrs. Langley. Jeremy's the one who keeps making things difficult for my friend because of his own jealousy. I just want him to apologize. I know my tone was a bit harsh earlier. It was just in the heat of the moment. Please pass the phone to him.""My son would

Chapter 8

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"If you think I haven't officially broken up with you yet, then allow me to make myself clear now," I declared. "Isabel Eaton, things are over between us. Please stop harassing my friends and ex-colleagues. I'm already on my way to get married to someone else."As for Cameron, I never told anyone to cause trouble for him. I've seen you two walking around hand-in-hand multiple times. I've seen you two kiss in public. I also know you two stayed in the same hotel room when you were off on a business trip. You even left me at the altar because of him."If you think that me feeling jealous and upset because of all the things you've done counts as me causing trouble for him, then I admit it. I've done that before. But it will never happen again."I added, "I never considered embarrassing you either. Mom only overheard the call by accident."Here I was thinking I'd been clear enough, but Isabel simply scoffed and said, "Are you that desperate to get married, Jeremy? You're saying all th

Chapter 9

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After leaving the Hart residence, neither Rosalie nor I spoke at all. However, there was something in the air. It felt as if both of us felt a spark of attraction for the other.Out of the blue, our procession of cars came to a stop. A white Porsche had cut in front of us, blocking the road. Isabel came out of the car with her hair disheveled and her eyes red.She started slamming on the car window, screaming, "Get out, Jeremy! Do you hear me? You're not allowed to marry her!"I gave Rosalie a reassuring look before I moved to get out of the car, but she grabbed my hand and flashed me a mischievous smile. "I'm coming with you."The sight of us holding hands provoked Isabel. Still screaming her head off, she tried to lunge at us, but I shielded Rosalie from her."What are you doing? Are you going to hit me for that woman's sake?" Isabel shrieked as she glowered at Rosalie.Worried about Rosalie, I tried to think of what I should do. However, Rosalie stuck her head out from behind

Chapter 10

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Isabel couldn't believe that I was serious about ending things with her. She dared not believe that despite flying over as soon as she could, she'd failed to stop me from getting married anyway.Eyes reddening, she started crying.In the past, I would've compromised the moment I saw her tears. But now, I felt nothing but annoyance.Suddenly, she pulled out a velvet box with the set of wedding rings I had prepared in the past. All along, she had refused to wear hers. When I finally made up my mind to leave, I placed mine back inside the box too.I didn't expect her to bring the rings with her today."Jeremy, do you still remember this pair of wedding rings? I was a fool back then. I know how I truly feel now. Come home with me, please. I'm begging you," Isabel said.She even reached out to take my hand, but Rosalie stopped her—she was a lot stronger than expected for someone as young as she was."I heard a few things about your relationship with Jeremy, Ms. Eaton. I'll reserve ju

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