Jessica had always relied on her looks for a long time and had been quite proud of it. Yet, as soon as she saw everyone distancing themselves from her, she finally felt the crushing weight of shame.
In front of her, the iron gate stood locked and unyielding, giving no indication that it would open anytime soon.
Jessica had no choice but to wrap her arms around herself and hurried toward her home. Yet, halfway through her journey, she ran into a stray dog that barked ferociously at her, causing her to veer off course and run into the nearest alleyway.
Upon seeing her take off, the stray dog grew even more excited and pursued her relentlessly.
Jessica ran frantically, squeezing through any narrow passage she could find to escape the stray dog. By the time the barking finally subsided, she realized that she had no idea where she
was.
Having left her phone and coat back at Shawn’s villa, Jesicca couldn’t even call for help, let alone figure out the way home.
Around her was nothing but desolate land and abandoned buildings, so rundown that even the homeless avoided them. Jessica shrank back in terror, cautiously backing away as she shouted, “Help! Is there anyone out there?”
In the end, her cries were only met with the howling wind.
Jessica had no other choice but to walk back that night, bearing the weight of judgmental stares from everyone she passed. If a kind stranger hadn’t seen her wandering around half- naked late at night and called the police, she might have wandered around all night.
However, this was merely the beginning of her downfall. When she made it home, her termination letter was already waiting for her.
She then became an internet sensation for all the wrong reasons, her reputation completely ruined. After all that, she could no longer bring herself to face the world again.
It turned out that Shawn did exactly what he said he would do. After kicking Jessica out of the villa, he completely removed her from his thoughts. He spent the rest of the night sitting alone on the couch until the first light of dawn.
It wasn’t long before someone came to him with news, saying, “There are witnesses at the airport who claim to have seen Mrs. Pitt boarding a flight, Mr. Pitt.”
Shawn was completely dumbfounded upon hearing that. “I’ve gone through the list of all the flights that day, and her name wasn’t on any of it.”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 17
“Huh? I sec. I guess the witnesses had somehow made a mistake. It must have been someone who looked a lot like Mrs. Pitt. It’s probably a useless lead now. I’ll find another way then…
Shawn suddenly said, “Wait! Come back. I think it’s only right to follow up on every lead. Which flight did the witness see Noelle board?”
“It seems to be the one heading to Neloria.”
“Get me a flight to Neloria right now!” Shawn exclaimed, snapping to attention. He didn’t even bother to change his clothes as he grabbed his passport and rushed out.
