Alyssa, holding her temporary identification, took a car to the airport. She left everything behind the moment the plane took off.

When she landed in Flontain, she had a new identity—she was now the owner of a seaside guest house in Flontain.

Meanwhile, in Jeanshire, Stefan was on the verge of losing his mind.

A few hours earlier, Juliette still clung to Stefan after he dropped her off at her home.

"Stefan, you've already come all the way here. Won't you come upstairs and have a look?"

As she spoke, she traced teasing circles in the palm of his hand.

Stefan hesitated, an inexplicable sense of unease rising in his chest. "Not this time. You should head upstairs. I need to get back to Lyssa."

He brushed off Juliette's hand, remembering the promise he had made to Alyssa earlier. It had been a long time since he had spent proper time with her; otherwise, she would be upset.

A faint t

"Then…do you know where Lyssa went? When did she leave?" Stefan asked hoarsely before instinctively licking his dry lips.

The maids all shook their heads. "Mr. Splenstone, Mrs. Splenstone left early this morning with a suitcase. We don't know where she went."

Left? Where could she have gone?

His mind went blank as he struggled in vain to figure out where she might be.

Alyssa's parents had long since remarried and started new families. It was impossible for her to have gone to them.

He could only place his hope on Alyssa's friends.

"Hello? This is Stefan. Is Lyssa with you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Lyssa couldn't possibly be here."

Conversations like this happened countless times.

Stefan even called his own friends, but no one knew where Alyssa had gone.

The overwhelming despair crashed over him again and again. It felt as though he was back in those days without Alyss

On the first day, when Juliette sent a photo of Stefan peeling shrimp for her, Alyssa prepared a fire pit and burned every photo she had taken with Stefan.

On the second day, when Juliette sent a picture of her and Stefan kissing under a sycamore tree, Alyssa hired workers to uproot the cherry tree Stefan had personally planted in the villa's backyard.

On the third day, when Juliette sent a compilation of Stefan's love confessions from her live stream, Alyssa retrieved the hundreds of love letters Stefan had written her in the past.

The letters, slightly yellowed with time, still bore Stefan's clear handwriting. She ran her fingers over the words, but without a trace of sentiment, she threw them one by one into the shredder.

When Alyssa opened her eyes the morning of her departure, she saw Stefan, who hadn't returned home in days, standing by the bed.

He stood there, holding her phone in his hand. His expression darkened slightly when he saw that she was awake.

"Lyssa, you received a message saying your account cancellation was successful. What account did you cancel?"

Alyssa's heart skipped a beat. She quickly took her phone back and unlocked the screen. It was a confirmation message about her identity cancellation.

Thankfully, her phone was password-protected, and Stefan had only seen a few words on the screen.

Relieved, Alyssa replied casually, "Nothing much. One of my social media accounts was hacked. I thought it was risky, so I recovered it and then deactivated it."

Hearing this, Stefan relaxed and pulled her into his arms with a smile. "Good thinking. Guess what I bought for you to eat?"

She froze for a moment before softly replying, "Rice pudding from East Town."

"How did you know?" Stefan's eyes were filled with surprise.

How could Alyssa not know?

In the past, whenever they argued, Stefan would travel far to East Town to buy her rice pudding as an apology. The sweet aroma would immediately melt her resolve.

She didn't care for jewelry or luxury cars. The rice pudding was the only thing she loved.

Back then, he used to joke, "My darling Lyssa sure is easy to please."

She would tap his forehead gently a few times and complain, "It's not that I'm easy to please—it's that I love you. That's why I forgive you no matter what.

"But if there ever comes a day when I stop loving you, it won't make a difference even if you end yourself in front of me."

As the memory drifted away, Stefan pulled a box of rice pudding from behind him, smiling indulgently. "I guess I still can't hide anything from you."

Alyssa smiled back, her words measured and deliberate. "That's right. You can't hide anything from me."

For a reason, Stefan's heart missed a beat. He murmured, "Lyssa…"

But Alyssa didn't respond. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

When she came out, she saw Stefan hastily leaving the house. She stood still for only two seconds before following him outside.

She stopped in her tracks the moment she reached the door, stunned.

Not far away stood Juliette.

She was taken aback. How could Juliette show up here so openly at the villa?

But if Alyssa was surprised, Stefan's reaction was even more turbulent.

He strode over quickly, his face darkening as he grabbed Juliette's arm. "Are you insane? Why are you here? I told you not to appear where Lyssa is!"

Hearing his angry voice, Juliette flinched, her eyes reddening as she looked pitifully at him. She tugged at his sleeve and muttered, "I can't stay away from you for even a moment! Neither can the baby."

As she spoke, she took his hand and placed it on her stomach.

But Stefan pulled his hand back with a cold expression. "Stop being ridiculous. I'll have my assistant take you away. I'll come see you and the baby in a few days."

However, Juliette refused to leave. She clung to his arm as she whined, "No, I don't want to go with your assistant. I want you to stay with me!"

Then, standing on tiptoe, she grabbed Stefan's tie and pulled him down for a kiss.

Stefan frowned at that. Even though he was going to push her away at first, after a few seconds of her persistence, he relented by holding her tightly as the kiss deepened.

The two stood in the garden, their kiss growing more fervent.

When his hand slipped under her clothes, and it seemed like there was no turning back, he abruptly pushed her away. "You need to leave now."

Juliette's eyes glimmered with unshed tears as she leaned against Stefan, whispering something softly into his ear.

Stefan's expression shifted subtly at that. Finally, he sighed and relented. "Fine, I'll spend today with you. Get in the car. I'll be there soon."

Juliette's face lit up, her eyes crinkling in satisfaction. She gently patted her stomach before walking to the car.

The moment Stefan turned back toward the villa, Alyssa quickly pivoted and walked inside.

It wasn't long before Stefan returned. The first words out of his mouth were, "Lyssa, I was hoping to spend the day with you, but I just got a call regarding an urgent matter at work. I have to head out. Be good and stay home, okay? Once this is handled, I'll spend the whole day with you."

While he anxiously awaited her reply, Alyssa merely looked up at him.

That one glance left Stefan stunned.

When had his wife lost the light in her eyes?

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he unconsciously called her name, "Lyssa…"

He wanted to say more, but Alyssa spoke first. She hummed, smiling at him. "Go ahead, take care of your business."

Her tone was as gentle as ever. It was nothing out of the norm.

Stefan felt completely at ease upon hearing that. He didn't think much as he ruffled her hair and turned to leave.

Soon, the sound of a car engine roared from outside. It grew distant until it completely disappeared.

The smile on Alyssa's face vanished entirely as tears streamed down her face.

She quietly wiped them away, threw the rice pudding on the table into the trash can, and then walked into the room. Taking out a suitcase that had long been packed, she zipped it up.

After taking one last look around the house, she sent Stefan a final message. "It's been two weeks. You can open the anniversary gift I gave you now."

The reply came almost instantly. "Baby, I'll be back soon. Let's open it together then."

Alyssa smiled.

"Together? You'll be the only one opening it, Stefan. For the rest of your life, it will only be you."

She forwarded all the messages Juliette had sent her during this time to Stefan and then decisively removed her SIM card, snapping it in half.

Finally, she picked up her suitcase and walked out the door.

The morning sun shone brightly, and the day was glorious.

From now on, no matter where he searched—heaven or earth—no one would ever find Alyssa again.

Alyssa, holding her temporary identification, took a car to the airport. She left everything behind the moment the plane took off.

When she landed in Flontain, she had a new identity—she was now the owner of a seaside guest house in Flontain.

Meanwhile, in Jeanshire, Stefan was on the verge of losing his mind.

A few hours earlier, Juliette still clung to Stefan after he dropped her off at her home.

"Stefan, you've already come all the way here. Won't you come upstairs and have a look?"

As she spoke, she traced teasing circles in the palm of his hand.

Stefan hesitated, an inexplicable sense of unease rising in his chest. "Not this time. You should head upstairs. I need to get back to Lyssa."

He brushed off Juliette's hand, remembering the promise he had made to Alyssa earlier. It had been a long time since he had spent proper time with her; otherwise, she would be upset.

A faint trace of happiness lingered on the corners of Stefan's lips at the thought of this.

Juliette, howeve

Chapter 9