Shawn wasn’t happy to hear that. “Don’t you guys even know whether or not she had. breakfast?”
No one answered him. They secretly mocked him–he was her husband. Shouldn’t he be the one to know where she was? Why was he asking them?
Sensing the awkwardness in the atmosphere, he made an excuse to leave. “Forget it. There’s no point asking you guys. I’ll look for her myself”
He thought Noelle was napping because she had nothing to do–it was what she’d often done when they were students. So, he headed upstairs, making sure to keep his footsteps light.
But the bedroom was empty.
The curtains were drawn, and the windows were open. Sunlight streamed in, making the room seem warm and cozy. However, the one person who should’ve been there was missing.
Noelle was gone.
Shawn walked around the room, finally finding a letter stuffed underneath a box on the dressing table. Noelle had written him a final message. “I know all about you and Jessica. I’m leaving–don’t bother looking for me.”
She didn’t even bother signing it. She’d ended their relationship with such a simple goodbye.
Unbeknownst to Shawn, Noelle had long since run out of things to say to him. He immediately called her, but she didn’t answer. He clutched the letter tightly, not even realizing he was
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Chapter 9
crumpling it.
He kept trying to call her as he searched every comer of the house. But she was nowhere to be found, whether it was her favorite spot in the garden or the rooftop where he’d had a swing installed so they could stargaze. She’d really left their home.
“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”
Shawn didn’t know how many times he heard the same robotic message, but the realization finally began to sink in. Noelle wouldn’t answer lils calls anymore.
No, there had to be something he could do. He had to calm down!
He rubbed his face vigorously and returned to his senses. Then, he pulled up his contact list and searched for the numbers of his hand Noelle’s mutual friends.
They’d known each other for years and had been a perfect couple since they were students. He knew her life and social circles as well as his own.
The first person Shawn called was Noelle’s best friend. She didn’t answer the first two times, and only reluctantly answered on his third attempt. When she heard why he was calling, she sneered and said, “You’re her husband. How would I know where she is if even you can’t find her?”
She hung up after that. He couldn’t be bothered to get mad over her nasty attitude and immediately moved on to the next person.
The results were the same, and they were rather ticked off by him. They u.un’t say anything because of their many years of friendship, though. In truth, they’d all seen that something had
gone wrong with Shawn and Noelle’s relationship in recent years.
Still, Shawn refused to give up. He asked the last person he called, “She can’t have cut contact with everyone, right? She would’ve discussed this with someone if she wanted to leave!”
The
e person
sounded like they’d heard a joke. “You’re the one who’s closest and the most intimate with her. If even you didn’t notice anything, would we have been of any help if she’d reached out to us? You’d be better off thinking about whether you guys have fought recently.”
Shawn fell silent. It had been a long time since he and Noelle had sat down for a proper conversation. Perhaps she wouldn’t even have left home if they’d had things to argue over.
He hung up and started panicking. Everything in the bedroom was the same as before, but Noelle’s belongings were gone.
