Chapter 10

Kendrick Page POV:

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable." The robotic voice echoed in the silent study, each syllable a hammer blow to his chest. He hung up, his hand trembling slightly. Unavailable? He checked the number again, meticulously, his legal mind questioning every detail. No, it was correct. He tried a second time, then a third. Always the same, cold, mechanical reply.

Panic, raw and unfamiliar, began to claw at his throat. He tried her email, her messaging apps, every digital avenue he could think of. Within seconds, his phone buzzed with a notification: "User 'Amirah_Holland' has unfriended you." Then another: "User 'Amirah_Holland' has blocked you."

His world tilted. Unfriended. Blocked. It wasn't just 'unavailable'; it was a deliberate, absolute erasure. He sprang from his chair, his mind a whirlwind of disbelief and a surging, irrational anger. She couldn't do this. Not to him. He had to go find her. Now. He had to demand an explanation, to force her to understand.

He stormed out of the study, his footsteps heavy on the marble floor, heading straight for the door. Chrissy, who had been lounging on the cream sofa, looked up, startled. "Kendrick? Darling, where are you going? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Amirah," he ground out, the name a strangled confession. "She's... she's blocked me. She's gone."

Chrissy's eyes widened, a flicker of something triumphant in their depths quickly masked by feigned concern. She rose, moving quickly to his side, her hand resting gently on his arm. "Oh, darling, I'm so sorry. I knew she was a little sensitive. She's probably just upset about the wedding plans, you know? She always had a bit of a temper." She squeezed his arm, her voice soothing. "She just needs space, Kendrick. To cool off. Don't go after her. It'll only make things worse."

He hesitated, the raw, illogical fury warring with Chrissy's calm, rational advice. She was right. Amirah was probably just throwing another tantrum, albeit a more extreme one. He needed to be the adult, the steady hand. He needed to let her cool off.

His phone vibrated. A new call. His executive assistant, an urgent tone in his voice. "Mr. Page, the Jenkins merger just hit a snag. We need you on this immediately."

Work. The familiar, comforting pull of his profession. He could control work. He could control the outcome. Amirah, with her volatile emotions and unpredictable behavior, was a chaotic storm he couldn't tame. "I'm on my way," he snapped into the phone. He had to prioritize. He had to be rational. He had to believe Chrissy. He had to believe Amirah would eventually come to her senses. He had to.

He spent the next few weeks immersed in the Jenkins merger, throwing himself into the intricate legal battles with a desperate, almost manic energy. He worked around the clock, his focus absolute, using the relentless demands of his career as a shield against the gnawing emptiness in his home, against the silent accusation of Amirah's absence.

But even through the long nights and intense negotiations, a part of him was always listening, always waiting. For a call, a text, an email. Anything. But nothing came. The silence from Amirah was absolute, unwavering. The kind of silence that didn't scream for attention, but that spoke of a deep, permanent severance.

He remembered her past stunts, her desperate cries for his notice. The credit card bills, the police calls, the drunken pleas. Each one had been a desperate attempt to make him react, to make him see her. But this silence. This was different. This was not a cry for help. This was a declaration. She wasn't seeking his attention anymore. She was simply gone.

The realization hit him like a cold, crushing wave. She was truly, finally, irrevocably gone. She had cut him out. Completely. The girl who had built her entire world around him had finally found the strength to dismantle it, to leave him behind. He had pushed her away, believing it was for her own good, believing she would eventually return to his orbit, albeit in a more 'mature' role. But he had fundamentally misunderstood. He had driven her away not just from his home, but from his life.

An unfamiliar ache bloomed in his chest, a profound sense of loss that shocked him with its intensity. He had thought he was protecting her, guiding her. But he had simply broken her, then dismissed her. And now, she was free. And he was... empty.

He tried to suppress the feeling, to rationalize it away. It was relief, he told himself. She was growing up, just like he wanted. But the emptiness persisted, a hollow void where her chaotic, vibrant presence used to be.

He remembered his promise to celebrate her birthday. It was next week. A hollow gesture now, but a promise nonetheless. He called a high-end bakery, ordering a small, elegant cake-her favorite, chocolate ganache. He even indulged in a moment of sentimentality, picturing her face lighting up as she saw it. He chose a delicate silver bracelet, something simple, understated, thinking of the quiet maturity he wanted for her.

The bakery owner, a kindly woman who had seen him through many of Amirah's birthdays, chuckled softly over the phone. "Oh, Mr. Page, a birthday cake for Amirah? She's such a lovely girl. I hope she finds a wonderful young man in Boston to share it with."

A jolt, sharp and unexpected, shot through him. A wonderful young man. The thought was a jarring, unwelcome intrusion. Amirah, with someone else? Someone who would look at her the way she used to look at him? The thought twisted his gut, a possessive, irrational anger flaring within him. She was his responsibility. His ward. She couldn't just... move on. Not with someone else.

He ended the call abruptly, his hand shaking slightly. The cake, the bracelet, the entire gesture suddenly felt futile, meaningless. He slammed his phone down, the anxiety a cold knot in his stomach. He was losing control. The thought was unbearable. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe, to regain his composure. He had to be calm. Rational.

The next morning, he drove to the East Village, the cake box on the passenger seat, the small gift box clutched in his hand. He told himself he was simply fulfilling a duty, ensuring her well-being. But his heart pounded with a frantic, desperate hope. He pictured her face when she saw him, a flicker of surprise, then perhaps a grudging smile. Maybe, just maybe, she would still be there. Maybe she wouldn't have completely cut him out.

He pulled up to the brownstone, his gaze fixed on the windows of her apartment. A slight tremor ran through him. No lights. No sign of life. He got out of the car, the cake box heavy in his hand, and walked to her door. He pressed the doorbell. Once. Twice. Silence.

An icy dread began to spread through him. He tried the handle. Locked. He looked down. Tucked under the doormat, half-hidden, was a small, neat package. It was the bracelet he'd ordered online for her, the one that had been delivered to her apartment. Unopened. Untouched.

His heart sank, a cold, heavy stone in his chest. He backed away from the door, his mind reeling. This couldn't be happening. She was supposed to be here. She was supposed to be waiting. He felt a desperate urge to try the door again, to shout her name, to force his way in. But the locked door, the untouched package, spoke a chilling truth.

Just then, an elderly woman emerged from the neighboring apartment, a small dog on a leash. She smiled politely. "Oh, hello. Looking for someone?"

He forced a smile, his voice tight. "Yes. Amirah Holland. She lives here." He gestured vaguely at the door.

The woman frowned, her brow furrowing. "Amirah? Oh, dear. She hasn't lived here for weeks, honey. That apartment' s been empty since she left. I thought she moved away, for good."

He stared at the woman, his mind a blank, hollow space. Left. For good. The words echoed in his ears, a chilling symphony of his own undoing.