The phone alarm rang. Geoffrey glanced at the time, clocked out right on schedule, leaving Sean alone in the office.
The office was empty.
Sean clenched the Heirloom Pendant in his hand until blood seeped from his palm before finally releasing it.
Stepping outside, he spotted Stuart lying barely breathing on the roadside. “Take him back,” he coldly ordered.
Pearl.
An eerie silence filled the rooms. In the corner of the living room sat a glaringly bright red case, jarringly out of place.
Geoffrey returned home precisely on time and settled onto the sofa Maureen used to favor.
Everything felt the same, yet utterly different.
He didn’t know how long he’d sat there when his gaze drifted to that case.
Sean had sent it over–Maureen’s belongings. He hadn’t opened it until now.
Approaching the case, Geoffrey bent down and lifted the lid.
The passcode was painfully simple: his birthday.
He knew because Maureen had used his birthday for every lock in this villa.
Inside lay everyday items and clothes, sparse for a woman’s belongings.
Geoffrey couldn’t bring himself to sift through them. He shut the case again.
Without eating, he retreated to the bedroom they once shared.
The moment he entered, Maureen’s cremation urn and her black–and–white photo stared back at him.
Skeletal remains couldn’t yield DNA after cremation, but Geoffrey remained certain–Maureen wasn’t dead…
She absolutely wouldn’t die!
She wouldn’t dare die!
How could someone as pain–averse as Maureen dare to die?
She was just deceiving herself to be with Gareth.
0.0%
19:25
Chapter31
Geoffrey had Gareth investigated–perpetually single, Maureen’s prince charming, her childhood sweetheart.
Sleep eluded him all night.
He woke unusually early the next morning.
After washing up, his assistant delivered breakfast.
Initially, life seemed unchanged–until subtle shifts surfaced.
One less bowl at the dining table;
One more photograph in the house;
No nagging texts when working late;
No welcoming light upon returning home…
Unnoticed, Geoffrey started leaving work earlier. Punctually.
The entire company witnessed his transformation.
When Maureen lived, Geoffrey deliberately worked past midnight daily–avoiding home.
His secretaries exchanged knowing glances.
“How much did Mr. Sutton despise that deaf woman?
Ever since she died, he clocks out on the dot.”
288 Vouchers
“Ugh, if I were an accomplished man like Mr. Sutton, I’d never fancy some deaf woman with no sense of style or ro- mance!”
You said it. If only I were as pretty as her, I’d make sure to look my best every single day.
Wayne, the special assistant, overheard their conversation and spoke up to stop them.
It wasn’t that he liked meddling, but he was better at reading people.
Lately, Geoffrey had been doing nothing but work, having people look for Maureen, and crushing Gareth’s business.
To Wayne, this behavior wasn’t just because Geoffrey hated Maureen.
Days passed, and Geoffrey never gave up searching for Maureen.
On New Year’s Eve, snow was falling heavily.
In the past, Maureen would always accompany Geoffrey back to the old estate for New Year’s Eve.
But this year was different. Geoffrey went back alone.
31.0%
19:25
Chapter31
288 Vouchers
Unlike the cheerful and talkative man he was when Maureen first left, now Geoffrey mostly sat alone, hardly speak- ing, radiating a chilling cold that kept everyone at bay.
He came in a hurry and left in a hurry for Pearl.
Outside Pearl, the snow lay white and pure, a beautiful sight.
But for some reason, it felt like something was missing…
Geoffrey stood by the floor–to–ceiling window, lighting one cigarette after another!
“Maureen, you’d better not let me find you!”
The door behind him opened.
Geoffrey turned to see his mother, Heather, dressed extravagantly, walking in.
“Geoff, what’s wrong with you?
Mom feels like you’ve become a different person since Maureen died.”
Geoffrey didn’t take it seriously.
He’s never changed from the start!
Heather finally voiced her doubt: “Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Maureen?
But she’s already gone.”
Geoffrey didn’t hesitate: “Her?”
Verify captcha to read the content
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: No Mercy No Forgiveness (Maureen)