---- Chapter 11 Ethan kicked open the bedroom door. The sight that greeted him made his breath catch in his throat. The closet doors were wide open, revealing rows of empty hangers. The vanity was bare, wiped clean of all her lotions and makeup. All that was left was a single bottle of perfume he' d bought her, unopened. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, this isn't happening." He stumbled into the walk-in closet, his hands grasping at empty space. All her clothes, her shoes, her scarves-gone. He yanked open the drawer of her nightstand. The hand cream she used every night was gone. His hands started to shake. He tore through the house like a madman, searching every room, every corner. But it was all the same. Everything that was hers had vanished. The photo albums were on the bookshelf. He grabbed one, his heart pounding. He ripped it open. Every picture of her had been cut out. He was left alone in the ---- glossy photos, a solitary figure in a world of happy memories. "No!" he roared, hurling the album against the wall. He couldn't accept it. She couldn't have left him. He frantically redialed her number. It went straight to a cold, robotic voice: "The number you have dialed is no longer in service." He threw his phone against the wall. It shattered, the sound of breaking glass echoing his own breaking heart. He felt like a caged animal, pacing back and forth, his mind unraveling. The old wooden box. The one she kept her most precious sketches in. He ran to the study. It was gone. Just then, he heard the front door open downstairs. He flew down the stairs and grabbed the old butler, who was just coming in from the rain. "Where is she?" Ethan screamed, his fingers digging into the man's shoulders. "Where are all her things? Who did this?" The butler, terrified, stammered, "Sir... it was... it was Mrs. Bruce. She packed her own things." "When?" Ethan demanded, his voice a hoarse whisper. ---- "The day of Miss Wolf's birthday party, sir," the butler said, his eyes full of pity. "She came home... she was crying. She didn't say a word, just started packing. She threw most of it away. Burned the photographs." The butler' s words were like a series of hammer blows to Ethan' s chest. "She said... she said it was all a lie," the butler added softly. The strength drained from Ethan' s body. He sagged against the staircase, the world spinning around him. He knew. He knew what she must have seen. The kiss. The public choice he had made. Regret, so sharp and absolute it was a physical pain, tore through him. He remembered the look on her face as she left the party. The utter desolation in her eyes. He remembered all the times he had left her for Ilene. All the lies he had told. All the pain he had caused. He had believed he could have both. His duty to Ilene and his love for Aurora. He had been a fool. His phone rang again. A new phone he kept for emergencies. It was Ilene. He shut it off without a second thought. ---- He stumbled back up to the bedroom, his mind a chaotic mess of memories and regret. He found a small, burnt corner of a photograph on the floor near the fireplace. It was from a picture of him and Ilene, a casual selfie she had taken. On the back was the date of their first wedding anniversary. The day he had lied and told Aurora he was on a business trip, when he was really at a party with Ilene. She knew. She had known all along. "What have | done?" he whispered to the empty room, a single tear tracing a path through the stubble on his cheek. He punched the wall, the sharp pain in his knuckles a welcome distraction from the agony in his heart. He stumbled into the bathroom. The water was still dripping from the showerhead. He imagined her standing there, washing away the stench of the party, of his betrayal. The scent of her shower gel, a scent that used to bring him comfort, now made his stomach clench with pain. He slid down the wall and buried his face in his hands, his body wracked with sobs. He finally understood. He finally saw everything with perfect, horrifying clarity. And it was too late. "Sir!" The butler's voice from downstairs was urgent. "Sir, | ---- found something! A note!" Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!