Chapter 124
Chase’s eyes were red and swollen. Barefoot, he sprinted toward the hospital door, his face a mixture of confusion and frustration. A Kennedy family bodyguard blocked his path. “Mr. Reyes, please hold on.”
“Get out of my way!” Chase shouted, his anger boiling over.
“Apologies, sir,” the bodyguard said hesitantly. “Our lady said you’re not in the right state of mind and shouldn’t leave the hospital. We can’t take responsibility if anything happens to you.”
Chase, in a loose hospital gown and barefoot on the cold ground, his hair a tangled mess, was a far cry from his usual polished self. He looked as if he’d escaped a mental ward. But Chase didn’t care about appearances. He grabbed the bodyguard’s collar. “Can you see her?”
“See who?” the bodyguard asked, bewildered.
“Amanda! She’s right here with me.”
The bodyguard glanced around earnestly. “Mr. Reyes, I think you’re mistaken. There’s no Ms. Amanda here.”
Nicole and my mother arrived. “Chase, stop this nonsense. You just had an endoscopy. You need to rest.”
Chase’s gaze turned icy. “I know I wasn’t imagining things. I saw her. Why are you so scared of me going to the police? What are you hiding?” He began to doubt Nicole; if Amanda were truly gone, Nicole's lies would unravel.
Nicole’s face hardened. “Chase, I’m not stopping you from going to the police. But are you sure you want to show up like this? The media will focus on your appearance, not the case.”
Her words seemed to calm him. She continued, “Amanda’s been missing for a long time. There’s no immediate urgency. Besides, you’re the face of the Reyes family and our company. Grandpa already favors Derek, and this will only upset him further.”
Chase looked down at his attire and sighed. “Let’s go home first.”
My mother hesitated, recalling my father’s advice. “Should we really involve the police? This could damage both our families’ reputations.”
“After all this time, don’t you want to find out where Amanda is? Calling the police is the easiest way,” Chase said, his voice raw with exhaustion from the constant suspicion and torment. A quick resolution felt preferable to the emotional rollercoaster he’d endured. My mother’s resolve weakened, especially given my grandmother’s recent troubles. She, too, longed for an end to this ordeal.
“Alright, we’ll go to the police station together.”
Chase went home to freshen up, urging the driver to hurry.
“Mr. Reyes, there are too many traffic lights on this road,” the driver apologized.
Chase rubbed his tired brow. He hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since early that morning. His stomach ached, and he pressed his fist against it.
“Are you okay, Mr. Reyes?”
“Just drive.”
He searched the car for stomach medication. I used to ensure he had what he needed, particularly in the car—stomach medicine, cold medicine, hangover remedies. Opening the medicine box, he found almost nothing left—only a few cold medications. The stomach medication was gone.
Staring at the empty bottle, Chase reflected on the past few months and their dwindling time together. I hadn’t replenished his medication in over a year. Nicole provided mostly emotional support, while I had been a true partner, attending to the little details so he could focus on work. He’d grown tired of my meticulous care, found new love, and forgotten the old.
Photos flashed through his mind—hiking, sunrises, diving, skiing, night markets. Nicole and he looked more like a couple than ever. She brought excitement and novelty but lacked knowledge of his comforts and health needs. Moments like this starkly highlighted my care.
“Mr. Reyes, do you need stomach medicine? I can get some.”
“No, just get me home.”
Before reaching the police station, the car was stopped. My father, having learned of the situation, had intercepted my mother. He stood by the roadside, quietly scolding her.