His assistant arrived, his face pale.
“Mr. Anderson, I checked Mrs. Anderson’s
flight records. The flight…it seems to have
disappeared. Off radar, hasn’t landed…”
L
<
LO
5
The blows kept coming, leaving John
breathless.
He gripped his assistant’s shoulders, shaking
him violently.
“Are you joking? How can a plane just
disappear?”
The assistant showed him a news report on
his phone.
“This is the flight Mrs. Anderson was on. I checked the airport security footage; I saw her board the plane with my own eyes.
<
“Mr. Anderson, please calm down. No news is
good news. Maybe there was a technical
issue, maybe they’ll land safely soon.”
John’s hands slid off the assistant’s
shoulders.
All the strength seemed to drain from his
body.
Tears streamed down his face as he shook
his head helplessly.
“Don’t try to comfort me. If it’s missing, it’s
either crashed or been hijacked. Either way,
Sarah…she’s gone.”
<
“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t hurt her, she
wouldn’t have left. I killed her…”
The assistant looked confused.
“Mr. Anderson, you love Mrs. Anderson so
much, how could you possibly hurt her?”
John didn’t answer.
A bitter smile twisted his lips.
No one knew what he had done to me, except for Ashley and his doctor friend.
To everyone else, we were the perfect couple.
<
Memories of happier times flashed through
his mind.
Only regret remained.
“Keep checking for updates on the flight. Let
me know the moment you hear anything.”
“I need to…I need to see her. Dead or alive.‘
He whispered the last words, as if he couldn’t
bear to believe in a miracle.
Worried about leaving John alone, his
assistant drove him back to his parents‘
house.
<
The living room had been cleaned, the smell
of disinfectant hanging in the air.
Something felt wrong. He turned to the maid.
“Where are my children?”
The maid looked bewildered.
Ashley appeared, hurrying towards him.
“John, you’re back! The…mess is gone. The maids took care of it. Your parents were
really shaken up today, you should really talk to Sarah.”
“I’m not well, and even I was scared. I can
く
handle it with some medication, but your
parents are older, they can’t take this kind of
stress.”
She coughed delicately, feigning frailty.
Before, John would have been filled with
concern for her.
But now, her words fell on deaf ears. He
glared at her, his eyes bloodshot.
“Ashley, do you have any conscience at all? ‘Mess‘? Those were my children! The children I killed for you!”
Ashley feigned innocence, but a flicker of
ant flashed in ha
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<
resentment flashed in her eyes.
Just then, John’s parents descended the
stairs.
His mother frowned.
“John, are you bullying Ashley again? Look,
you’ve made her cry.”
“Your father and I have discussed it. Since
Sarah has filed for divorce, you should just
sign the papers.”
“We won’t stop you from being with Ashley.”
“Ashley told us her illness is cured. She can
<
give us grandchildren.”
“We’ll announce your engagement soon.”
John’s face hardened.
He stared at Ashley.
“Ashley, you’re cured?”
“You were just saying you needed more… medicine a few weeks ago.”
6
Ashley panicked, scrambling for an excuse.
く
“I…I was sick, but I suddenly got better these
past few days.”
“I saw a doctor, and he said I don’t need
medication anymore.”
John looked at her, a deep, searching look.
He suddenly realized that the woman before him had changed.
She was no longer the innocent, kind girl who used to follow him around, calling him “Johnny.”
A wave of disgust washed over him.
-L OL-
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く
“Mom, Dad, I won’t divorce Sarah. She’s my
