Chapter 6

I left without looking back, hailing a taxi. The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. “Miss, did you have a fight with your boyfriend? Should I stop?”

I stared at him, confused. He explained, “Your boyfriend’s been chasing you.”

Suppressing the urge to turn around, I said coldly, “Sir, please hurry.”

He shook his head, helplessly accelerating. The car sped away in a cloud of dust. Rhys couldn’t keep up, shouting, “Bridget! Bridget…”

I pretended not to hear, vowing never to return. His calls faded into the distance, until silence remained.

Later, I retrieved my suitcase and left the home where I’d lived for five years, a home filled with dreams. Standing at the residential complex entrance, I felt lost. After my parents died, I relied solely on Rhys. I’d told him, wherever he was, that was home. Now, after our sudden breakup, where did I belong?

Hesitantly, I took my suitcase to a hotel and checked in. In my room, I began searching for rental information online. Rhys called; I declined. After another abusive call, I blocked his number. He called again, using someone else’s phone. Enraged, I shouted, “Don’t call me again! Go away!” His persistence utterly disrupted my mood.

Chapter 5

In anger, I activated airplane mode, indifferent to everything. My life had revolved around him, his joys and sorrows my sole focus. Suddenly separated, I felt profoundly uncomfortable. I played a single-player game, soon drifting off to sleep.

That night, a frantic knocking shook me awake. “Knock, knock, knock!” It sounded as if they meant to break the door down. I yawned, rose, and opened the door to find police officers and hotel staff.

An officer presented his identification. “Excuse me, are you Ms. Bridget Stuart?”

I nodded silently. He sighed in relief, smiling. “Finally found you.” He called his superior. “Hello, Chief. I’ve found her. I’ll send the location immediately. Please have the person who filed the report come for identification.”

I listened, my emotions tightening. “Excuse me, what’s happened? Did I do something wrong?” I’d slept only a few hours, leaving me with a headache and a muddled mind.

Noticing my distress, he smiled reassuringly. “Don’t be afraid. You haven’t done anything wrong. Someone reported their girlfriend missing, fearing self-harm. We’ve been searching for nearly eight hours.”

“Who reported it?” I asked.

“Your boyfriend, Rhys.”

Fury ignited within me. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

I packed my things, preparing to leave. Rhys would know, and he’d likely be on his way. I didn’t want to see him. I’d chosen a hotel to avoid him, not wanting to seek refuge with friends, as he knew them all. But I hadn’t expected this; a worldwide search.

In the past, when we argued, Rhys would search for me, his frantic, exhausted state somehow pleasing. Now, I felt only disgust.