Chapter 22
The phone on the bed buzzed incessantly as Stefan’s notifications were flooded with photos and updates from people online.
They were leads about Alyssa’s whereabouts.
The sheer volume of information made it hard for him to distinguish the useful from the useless.
The people drawn in by the promise of a reward were an unpredictable mix. Even with a hired foam to sift through the tips, the workload was staggering
At this moment, he began to regret his decision.
But what else could he do?
Without the collective ettert of the masses or Alyssa herself willingly revealing her location, he had almost no means of finding her.
Stefan sat on the edge of the bed. He was on the brink of despair.
Just then, Leann sent over a batch of new photos, accompanied by a message.
“Mr. Splenstone, there’s a report that Alyssa was seen in front of a church in Agurla’s Bay City. We’ve already dispatched someone to investigate. Please head there as soon as possible.”
Atter Stefan received the news, he had a flicker of hope again. No matter whether it was true or not, he had to give it a try. He couldn’t let go of this one glimmer of hope
Without Alyssa, lite had become unbearable.
She was his sustenance, his air, his reason for being. Even holding on for this long had been an act of sheer willpower.
Like a tish struggling for one final breath before succumbing to the inevitable, Stefan was determined to fight until the very end.
He could no longer count the days since he last rested properly. Every day without Alyssa was a torment, and he only allowed himself to sleep in brief, -stolen moments when his body gave out from sheer exhaustion.
He feared missing even the smallest update about her.
Even on the flight to Aguria, he worked through domestic work matters.
When the plane landed and Stefan went to collect his luggage, he had no idea that Alyssa was boarding a flight at the same airport at that very moment.
By sheer coincidence, they missed each other once again.
As Alyssa’s plane took off, Stefan rushed to the area near the church. He asked at every nearby hotel, but none had seen Alyssa
After searching for an unknown amount of time, he finally got a lead at a small hotel tucked away on a street corner.
“The beautiful Hoagurtian woman? She checked out earlier today. You’re too late,” the friendly hotel staff replied with a hint of regret. “You might have caught her if you’d come just a few hours earlier!”
Stefan stood frozen in place, stunned. He was just a little short on time and luck. If only he had arrived a few hours earlier, he could have seen Alyssa again
Could fate really be this cruel? Would it not even allow him to see her just once?
“Thank you,” he murmured. After expressing his gratitude, he walked away, utterly dejected
Wandering through this foreign land, he felt lost, unable to find a sense of belonging. For a moment, his thoughts drifted back to the time before he met
Alyssa
Back then, he had never imagined loving someone this deeply. Thinking he would spend his life dedicated to work, he hadn’t even considered marriage. However, the moment he met Alyssa, he knew he was done for. The feeling of falling in love was unfamiliar, yet it allowed him to experience happiness for the very first time.
During the days when he was pursuing Alyssa, even a single glance or smile from her was enough to make him happy for days.
If the Stefan from back then could see how he treated her now, he’d probably be furious with himself.
