Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Kristopher’s frown deepened as he stared at the darkened house before him. Previously, no matter how late he returned, Belinda would always leave a warm yellow light on at home. She believed that a single lit lamp could banish the cold, unwelcoming shadows, making the house feel cozy and lived-in. But tonight, darkness enveloped the house completely, not a single light shone through the gloom. This stark absence seemed to carve a hollow space in Kristopher’s heart. He stepped out of his car, simultaneously dialing Belinda’s number and unlocking the front door with his fingerprint. As he flipped on the wall lights, a stark, emotionless automated message informed him that Belinda’s number was no longer in service. A chilling realization dawned on him as he scanned the empty house. All signs of Belinda’s presence had vanished. The fluffy pink slippers that usually waited at the door were missing. The bunny pillows no longer adorned the sofa, and even her cat, Fluffy, was nowhere to be seen. With a heavy heart, Kristopher set down his phone and moved further inside. A thin layer of dust covered the coffee table, upon which lay a divorce agreement, signed by Belinda. The date on the document revealed it was drafted a week ago. It was the exact day she had lost their child. “Kristopher. Let’s get a divorce.”’ offers tales worth telling Belinda’s words reverberated through his mind. At that moment, he had dismissed it as a mere outburst of emotion, never truly believing that she would follow through. His mother had reassured him daily over the past week, claiming she was looking after Belinda and that everything was fine. He assumed Belinda’s silence was just residual anger towards him. The revelation that his mother had been deceiving him all along struck him hard. Belinda had left, leaving only the divorce papers behind. His hands clenched, veins bulging with the strain. Raised in the countryside by mistake, Belinda had always been estranged from her family, the Nelsons, and had not returned home once in their three years of marriage. With hardly any friends in Nawrin either, where could she have gone so late at night? The thought that she might be with the man who attended the party with her gnawed at Kristopher. Frustrated, Kristopher grabbed his phone and called Marc, his voice edged with desperation. “Find out where Belinda is, immediately!”’ Marc’s response was hesitant. “Mr. Cox, I’ve looked into it. Belinda canceled all her contact numbers a week ago. She’s also turned off any devices the Cox family provided her. All I could track was her flight back to Nawrin”¦ But I can’t pinpoint her exact location.”’ “How is that possible?!”’ Kristopher was seething with fury. “You better stay up all night and figure it out. If you can’t give me her location by tomorrow morning, you might as well go to HR and hand in your resignation!”’ He hung up the phone and surveyed the vacant house, his restlessness mounting by the minute. Belinda was becoming more and more out of hand! Had she really managed to maintain the facade of a gentle and virtuous wife for three years before her true nature burst forth? After pocketing his phone, Kristopher marched up the stairs with heavy steps. The walk-in closet on the second floor was crammed with belongings; it appeared she had taken only a few outfits and her cat. The bedside table’s drawers were ajar, displaying a collection of rings and necklaces neatly arranged inside. Each piece was a gift from Marc, procured for her on holidays and anniversaries over the years. Kristopher had barely given these trinkets a second thought, but to Belinda, they were treasures. She would often photograph them from various angles to share on social media and kept them meticulously stored in her drawer. Now, however, the jewelry boxes lay deserted, shrouded in dust, forsaken by Belinda just like her departure. A pang of sorrow gripped Kristopher’s heart as he looked at the abandoned treasures. In that instant, he felt a profound sense of abandonment, mirroring the neglected state of these cherished accessories….