This can’t be… this can’t be happening!
+25 BONUS
“Bella is afraid of heights! She wouldn’t fall from the mountaintop–she’s always so careful! You’re lying to me. You have to be! Bella’s just playing hide and seek with me! She’s just mad at me. She’s upset I haven’t been spending enough time with her. She’s hiding somewhere. I just need to find her.
“Bella! Bella, where are you? I’m coming to find you…‘
The world seemed to spin. Samuel felt like the earth itself was collapsing with Isabella’s disappearance.
He rushed out of the bedroom, flinging open nearby rooms, one after the other. Then, he rushed down the stairs, frantically searching every corner of the house.
But there was no sign of Isabella.
Not just her–her clothes, shoes, bag, even her cup, towel, and toothbrush… all of it was gone.
It was as if Isabella had never lived in this house at all!
A wave of panic suddenly hit Samuel, and an unprecedented fear washed over his entire being.
Isabella had told him in that letter–if he betrayed their love, she would disappear forever…
When she said that, did she mean death?
Samuel’s rational mind knew Isabella couldn’t possibly still be in the house, but emotionally, he couldn’t accept that truth. “No, it’s impossible. Bella would never leave me…‘
He wandered through the villa like a lost soul, driven by something he couldn’t explain. Eventually, he found himself heading to the two places she had always loved to be.
In the backyard, Isabella had personally tended to the flowerbeds. Even the daisy growing on the edge was something she had carefully nurtured. In the summer, she would sit here for hours with her camera, waiting just to capture the moment a butterfly landed.
Now, the roses were in full bloom, but the one who had cared for them was nowhere to be found. Only the servants, following routine, watered and fertilized the plants.
Samuel’s heart twisted painfully, and he could no longer appreciate the beauty before him.
He returned to the house and quickly climbed to the rooftop, hoping that Isabella was only upset and had gone up to the terrace to pull some prank on him.
But the terrace was empty. The only thing left was the swing they had once sat on together, gently swaying in the breeze.
Samuel sat on it, consumed by nostalgia.
He couldn’t remember the last time they had sat there, but he vaguely recalled that Isabella had been nestled in his arms. They gazed up at the stars, casually chatting until they fell asleep, leaning against each other.
He had ruined such a good life with his own hands, all for a fleeting attraction and his ridiculous, inflated sense of pride.
