Samuel smiled bitterly. “Our relationship has always been good. It’s just… work’s been overwhelming lately, and there have been some misunderstandings. So, I haven’t been home as much as before.”
The officer didn’t press any further. Instead, he called in a colleague, and based on the phone number and other details Samuel provided, they began tracking the locations where Isabella’s phone had been active.
Samuel anxiously watched the minutes tick by. He waited through the dark night, and by the time the sky started to brighten, there was still no word about her.
Then, an unfamiliar number appeared on his phone.
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Chapter 11
Samuel quickly answered. “Bella?”
“Mr. Grant, we’re officers from Cloudmist Mountain District. Could you please come down to the station to identify Ms. Isabella Jones’s personal belongings?”
Samuel had spent the whole night avoiding the inevitable. He would rather believe that Isabella was just upset with him, and was hiding away and missing.
He had hoped that this call was some kind of sick prank.
However, the follow–up call from the police shattered his last hope.
“Is… is my wife… is her… body at your station?” he stammered.
The officer on the other end replied calmly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Grant. There are many wild animals around Cloudmist Mountain. We’ve sent out a search, but we haven’t found your wife’s body. All we found was a bloodied, shredded piece of clothing. We suspect the body may have been eaten by the wild animals…”
“Don’t… don’t say any more…‘
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“Mr. Grant, falling from the mountain top is usually fatal, especially with the presence of wild animals. Please accept our condolences.”
“I told you, don’t say it anymore!!!”
He hung up the call, his hands trembling with rage.
Then, he blocked the number. But just moments later, another call from another unfamiliar number came through.
Samuel couldn’t contain his frenzy anymore. He shouted, “My wife is not dead! Not possible! I will find her! Don’t call me again!”
On the other end, a calm, composed voice replied, “Hello, Mr. Grant. I’m Ms. Jones’s attorney, Jonathan Sinclair. She has a message she’d like me to pass on to you. Do you have time to meet?”
“She has something to tell me?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, I’m on my way!”
Without another thought, Samuel jumped into his car and sped off toward the law firm. His mind was racing, and he didn’t even notice how many red lights he ran through. He ignored both the traffic laws and his own safety.
Jonathan greeted him politely when he arrived, handing him a document. “This is the divorce agreement Ms. Jones asked me to give you. She has already signed it.”
Samuel stared at the paper, eyes wide in disbelief. “Where is she? If we’re getting a divorce, I need to hear it from her directly!”
He couldn’t believe she would be so heartless.
Jonathan remained unphased. “Ms. Jones has entrusted me with all the related matters. If you have any issues with the agreement, you can speak to me about it directly.”
Samuel, his hands shaking, took the divorce papers and said firmly, “I won’t agree to a divorce. No way!”
In one swift motion, he tore the document into pieces and threw it into the trash.
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Chapter 11
Jonathan smiled faintly, as if he’d been expecting this. He said, “Mr. Grant, Ms. Jones anticipated that you’d tear up the first copy of the divorce papers. That’s why she asked me to prepare several copies. By the way, she took one home with her. Didn’t you see it?”
