Chapter 8

Alexander stood in the doorway. His face dark with rage, his eyes burning. "Why did you run off without saying a word? Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for you?" Vanessa slowly lifted her head, her eyes blank. "Mr. Hawke, what are you doing here?" Alexander was caught off guard by the question. He was also unsure what he was doing there. He'd already auctioned her off, and he was already with Lucille. However, the moment he saw Vanessa being taken away, a strange panic clawed at his chest. After settling Lucille in, he immediately sent people to search for Vanessa and even went to the hotel himself. When he kicked open the door and saw only the bloodied Jorge clutching his head and crying out, something inside him nearly snapped. "I-I wasn't worried about you," Alexander said, throat tight. "You're still technically my employee. If anything happened to you, it'd reflect badly on me." Vanessa forced a smile but said nothing. Alexander took a deep breath, trying to smother the irritation twisting in his gut. "Lucille and I are officially together. I'm hosting a celebration tomorrow. Make sure you're there." When she didn't respond, he asked, "Did you hear me?" "I won't be going." Vanessa turned to the window, her voice soft. "Tomorrow is the last day... I'm going to find Matthias." Just then, his phone rang, and Alexander didn't quite catch her last words. Lucille had asked him to come back and try on suits for the event. He answered irritably and made a few perfunctory responses. Then, he ended the call and gave Vanessa a cold look. "You must be there tomorrow. Don't make me repeat myself." With that, he turned and left, slamming the door behind him. ... The next day. Vanessa didn't go to the party. Instead, she went to the cemetery and bought the burial plot beside Matthias'. She traced the photo on his headstone and whispered, "Matthias, just wait a little longer. We'll be together soon." After leaving the cemetery, she took a cab to the bridge that spanned the river. Five years ago, Matthias had planned to take her to meet his family. They had been excitedly planning their future together, but they encountered a car accident while crossing the river. The car plunged into the water, and Matthias had used all his strength to push Vanessa to shore. However, he exhausted himself and drowned. "Nessa, live on..." Those were the last words he left her. Vanessa stood at the edge of the bridge, the wind brushing through her long hair. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. It was a text from Alexander. "The party has started. Why aren't you here yet?" After a long while, she finally replied, "I'm not coming. I'm going to see the person I love." Her lock screen showed a photo of her and Matthias. In it, he leaned down to kiss her hair, his gaze incredibly tender. She whispered, "Matthias, let me be the one to find you this time." The phone slipped from her fingers and disappeared into the river. Vanessa spread her arms wide like a bird finally breaking free from its cage and leaped down. The moment the river water swallowed her, she seemed to see Matthias standing in the light, reaching out to her with a soft smile. "Nessa, I've been waiting so long for you."