Chapter 31: She Was Absolutely Not Dead
He hadn't finished explaining when bodyguards threw a wounded elderly man into the room. Zachary recognized him as Randy Larke. Two days prior, Nathaniel had located Paula and Magnus, who had fled overseas. Only then did he discover Cecilia's intended fiancé was Randy, not Calvin. Consequently, he had the old man kidnapped. Despite a day and night of torture, Randy remained silent about Cecilia's whereabouts.
Nathaniel, his eyes like bottomless pits, stared at him. "Do you still want to marry Cecilia?"
Randy, supporting his injured body, hastily prostrated himself. "No, no, I dare not."
He was dragged away, his fate evident even to a fool. Nathaniel's expression remained unreadable as he turned to Zachary. "Were you speaking on Cecilia's behalf?"
A lump formed in Zachary's throat. He could only manage, "I just feel there's no need to constantly target her."
Nathaniel's hand, gripping his pen, tightened, veins bulging on his knuckles. "She targeted me first."
He stood. "Zach, you don't believe she's dead, do you? 'A calamity leaves its mark for a thousand years.' A woman like her wouldn't die!" His words sounded more like self-assurance.
His phone alarm rang. He glanced at the time, then promptly left Zachary alone in the eerily empty office. Zachary clutched the emerald pendant until his palm bled, then released his grip.
He went outside and found Randy discarded by the roadside, barely alive. He issued a curt command, "Take him back."
At Daltonia Villa, the house was unnervingly quiet. A bright red suitcase stood out in the otherwise silent living room. Returning home, Nathaniel found himself sitting on Cecilia's favorite couch. Everything was the same, yet different.
He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there before his gaze fell on the suitcase. Zachary had sent it, containing Cecilia's belongings. Nathaniel hadn't opened it until now. He bent down. The code was his birthday—Cecilia had used it for the entire villa's security system. Inside were everyday items and clothes; it seemed hardly a woman's suitcase. He closed it without examining the contents further. He skipped dinner and went to their bedroom. The urn holding Cecilia's ashes and a black-and-white photograph were immediately visible. DNA testing was impossible after cremation, but Nathaniel was certain Cecilia wasn't dead. She wouldn't die! She wouldn't dare! How could Cecilia, so afraid of pain, die? She was merely deceiving him to be with Calvin. Nathaniel had investigated; Calvin remained single. To Cecilia, he was her prince charming, her childhood sweetheart.
Sleep eluded him. He woke early the next day. His assistant delivered breakfast after he freshened up. At first, the changes were subtle. A missing place setting at the dinner table. An extra photograph. The absence of persistent texts when he stayed late. The house was dark on his return, not brightly lit as before. He'd begun coming home earlier, more punctual than ever. Everyone at the company noticed. Before Cecilia's death, Nathaniel had worked late to avoid going home. His secretaries sighed.
"How much did Mr. Rainsworth despise that deaf woman? Since her death, he leaves punctually every day."
"If I were as exceptional as Mr. Rainsworth, I wouldn't fall for a deaf woman who doesn't know how to dress or understand romance!"
"Exactly! If I were as beautiful as her, I'd doll myself up every day!"