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Chapter 14
Chapter 14
When Callum was wheeled out of the emergency room, the doctor pitled Mas wide, ring the family members.
“Your boss just experienced a significant cardiovascular event triggered by emotional dork, the tortor england quietly. “Between that and his recent kidney donation, his system is extremely venerable. Keep kis environment as stress–free as possible. No emotional triggers, no sudden shocks, no distressing news of any kind
Matt nodded mechanically, the divorce papers and abortion documentation burning a hole in his pode Great–just great. His boss had donated a vital organ to his college ex girlfriend while hés pregnant wife had terminated their child and disappeared without a trace. What exactly about this situation was supposed to be “stress–free“?
Back in the hospital room, Callum surfaced from sedation gradually, fragments of memory filtering back like shards of broken glass. The gift box. The divorce papers with his own signature. The abortion documentation dated the day Laurina returned.
“No,” he whispered, the single word scratching his dry throat. “That’s not possible.”
But it was. Cassie hadn’t just left–she’d systematically dismantled their entire life together, calculated down to the timing. She’d presented him with the documentation the moment he was physically incapable of stopping her.
A wave of panic swept through him, setting off the heart monitor. “I need to go home,” he demanded, ripping off his monitoring leads. “Now!”
Matt rushed in at the alarm, abandoning all attempts to reason with Callum once he saw the wild, almost feral look in his eyes. Better to help than risk him tearing out his surgical staples trying to leave alone.
The house, when they finally reached it, hit Callum with the force of a physical blow. Everywhere he looked, absence screamed at him–half–empty bookshelves, rectangles of unfaded paint where photos once hung, closets
with hangers spaced too far apart.
The nursery items they’d been collecting–the tiny shoes he’d bought on impulse, the stuffed elephant she’d fallen in
love with–all vanished without a trace.
“She wouldn’t really leave,” Callum said aloud, his voice unnaturally tight. “She’s too dependent on me. This is just…
a dramatic gesture.”
But the silent rooms offered no comfort, no alternative explanation. She hadn’t just stepped away–she’d burned the
entire structure to the ground.
He sank onto the sofa, suddenly lightheaded, staring at the wall where her favorite painting had lung. The house felt alien, like he’d accidentally entered a stranger’s home. No lingering scent of her shampoo, no half–read books with bookmarks poking out, no coffee cups forgotten on side tables.
“Sir,” Matt ventured carefully, “I’ve spoken with the Brooks family. They claim to have no knowledge of her whereabouts.”
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This Time I Chose To Reclaim My Own Life
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Chapter 14
He studied Callum’s ashen face, praying he wouldn’t need to call another ambulance. “Should I continue searching? I have some contacts who could-
”
“Don’t bother,” Callum snapped, anger flaring to mask the rising tide of panic. “If she wants to throw a tantrum and disappear, let her. She’ll come crawling back when she realizes she can’t make it on her own.”
But even as the harsh words left his mouth, a cold sweat broke across his forehead. She’d never been this bold
before, this decisive. What if this time was different? What if she truly never came back?
On the drive back to the hospital, the hollow feeling in his chest expanded into something almost unbearable. It felt like someone had scooped out something vital–not his donated kidney, but something more essential that he hadn’t realized he needed until it was gone.
As they passed landmarks from their shared life–the Italian restaurant where they’d celebrated anniversaries, the bookstore where she always lingered too long–memories ambushed him from every corner. These fragments arrived with painful clarity, each one making his breath catch.
“Actually,” he found himself saying, the words surprising him as much as Matt, “keep looking for her. Use whatever resources necessary. Find her.”
The moment he voiced it, the vise around his chest loosened fractionally.
Staring at his own reflection in the car window, Callum couldn’t reconcile his conflicting emotions. He’d always been absolutely clear with himself about his feelings–Cassie was just a substitute, a living reminder of Laurina. His heart had only ever belonged to one woman.
So why did Cassie’s absence feel like someone had torn out vital circuitry? Why did the thought of never seeing her again create this suffocating sensation?
He scrambled for rational explanations: they’d been married for three years. Anyone would feel disoriented by such an abrupt change.
Or perhaps it was concern for Laurina’s feelings. Cassie was her niece, after all. If something happened to her, how could he face Laurina?
Yes, that had to be it. Simple loyalty to Laurina–nothing more complicated than that.
Certainly nothing to do with how his hands had started shaking when he realized Cassie’s toothbrush was missing from their bathroom.
Nothing to do with the way his stomach had plummeted when he’d seen her wedding ring abandoned on their dresser like discarded pocket change.
Nothing at all.
