Chapter 7

Benedict shot to his feet and ran toward the master bedroom. Standing at the door, a wave of panic surged through him. Tessa's clothes were all gone from the closet. The framed photo on the nightstand had disappeared, too. A terrible realization hit him. He rushed to the vanity and yanked open the drawer. Her passport and ID were gone. He dropped to his knees in front of the vanity, murmuring to himself, "Tessa, how could you leave me? Where would you even go?" From the day he met her, he knew Tessa was an orphan, raised by the director of the welfare home. Somewhere deep down, he always believed she wouldn't leave him. He called her again, over and over. Each time, the same message rang in his ears, reminding him she had blocked him. He opened their WhatsApp chat and stared at her familiar profile picture, clinging to a shred of hope. "Tessa, where did you go?" A single tick. He refused to believe she was gone. He stormed out and called for the maid. "Get rid of everything