“I’m guessing it’s some sort of private facility. Maybe they don’t allow calls out of concern that it might affect the patients,” said Kyle, as he glanced at Maya.
Maya pursed her lips and said nothing in response.
She’d lost more weight recently and wasn’t even interested in eating the cheesecake her mother liked. I want Mommy to see how different I look when she gets back. A brand new Maya!
After Evan hung up, he felt his insides churning yet again.
Damn it, Nicole. Where on earth are you?
Do our feelings mean nothing to you? What about the kids? Can you just let them go too? We really miss you, Nicole. When are you coming home? Come home, please…
That night, Evan dreamt of Nicole.
Nicole was curled up in a dark corner, shivering. Her hair was a mess, and her gaunt, pale face stared blankly into space. She couldn’t seem to remember who she was, let alone find her way home. Evan called out to her as hard as he could but to no avail. The only thing he could see most clearly was the fear in her eyes.
Evan stopped briefly but knew he had to keep on trying. “You don’t have to hide and suffer alone, Nicole. Let me share the burden with you, okay?”
“You’re hands are chilled to the bone. Are you cold?”
“Nicole, let’s go home, shall we?”
Without warning, Nicole got up and left. Evan trailed closely behind in hot pursuit. They walked like this for ages when Nicole suddenly disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“NICOLE!” he shouted frantically.
With a panicked yell, Evan woke up with a jolt. His body was drenched in a cold sweat.
The scenes from just now were so vivid that Evan thought they were real.
This made Evan feel distressed. He wondered if Nicole was in fact, hiding somewhere, suffering through the torment of her illness all alone.
Is she going through everything I dreamt of?
Worriedly, Evan picked up his phone and made a call to the Hidden Masters. He had to know if they’d made any progress in tracking down her location or if she’d left a trail for them to follow.
Unfortunately, they had nothing to report, which only angered Evan. “For f*ck’s sake, are you all completely useless? Keep looking!”
Sighing, he slumped back into his pillows and glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning, yet he felt restless.
This was clearly going to be a long night. Evan was pensive, his mind heavy with worry and longing.
Since he was unable to shake it off, he decided to get up and immerse himself in work. Hours passed in his study as he did what he could to alleviate his burdens.
Before he knew it, another year and a half had passed, and there was still no news about Nicole.
Her very name became a constant source of agony for him. It was also a taboo, for nobody dared mention her except for the children.
Evan lived out his days like a living corpse. The chill he exuded kept everyone away, and nobody dared approach him.
Seeing how their father was, the four children couldn’t help but look at him with fear and respect in equal measure. All this while, they had been living with Sophia at the Seet Residence. They were reluctant to broach the topic of returning to Imperial Garden.
One day, the children happened to discuss Nicole’s disappearance while they were sitting at the table having a chat.
Maya sighed. “Don’t you think it’s weird that Mommy has been away for so long? Without even making a single phone call?”
“It is odd. I suspect she’s not even receiving treatment abroad. If that’s the case, Daddy would be visiting her often, but he’s not doing that at all. Look at how he’s moping around!” said Nina.
“I have a feeling that Mommy is missing, and Daddy doesn’t know where she went,” replied Juan thoughtfully. He thought that Nina’s suspicions made sense. “That’s why Daddy looks so cold and distant every day. Do you still remember that rumor about Mommy eloping with some man? Is that actually true?”
Nina rolled her eyes at Juan. “Don’t be silly, Mommy isn’t someone like that.”
“That’s right! Our Mommy wouldn’t do anything like that! Imagine how sad she’d be if she knew you doubted her like this!” retorted Maya earnestly.
Juan sighed again. “I’m not doubting her. I’m just saying. But honestly, if Mommy could come home now, even if she were to give me a beating, I’d be over the moon!”
Kyle, who’d been deep in thought, suddenly asked, “Do you think Mommy went to see her mentor?”
