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The Heiress's choice
img img The Heiress's choice img Chapter 4 4. The Ghost Wife
4 Chapters
Chapter 7 7. The gala preparation img
Chapter 8 8. The calm before img
Chapter 9 9. The moment of truth img
Chapter 10 10. Shockwaves img
Chapter 11 11. First words img
Chapter 12 12. The signing img
Chapter 13 13. The will stipulation img
Chapter 14 14. The Divorce demand img
Chapter 15 15. The family dinner img
Chapter 16 16. Dangerous Comfort img
Chapter 17 17. First day at work img
Chapter 18 18. After Hours img
Chapter 19 19. The Game img
Chapter 20 20. Caleb img
Chapter 21 21. Two weeks later img
Chapter 22 22. Close Quarters img
Chapter 23 23. The merger deal img
Chapter 24 24. What I almost said img
Chapter 25 25. The breaking point img
Chapter 26 26. When it all Caves in img
Chapter 27 27. The confrontation img
Chapter 28 28. Standing Ground img
Chapter 29 29. The morning after img
Chapter 30 30. Back to business img
Chapter 31 31. The return img
Chapter 32 32. Trapped img
Chapter 33 33. Late night Confessions img
Chapter 34 34. The solution img
Chapter 35 35. The invitation img
Chapter 36 36. The yatch day img
Chapter 37 37. Pressure & breaking point img
Chapter 38 38. The snap img
Chapter 39 39. No regrets img
Chapter 40 40. Truce img
Chapter 41 41. She lied img
Chapter 42 Finally img
Chapter 43 It meant nothing img
Chapter 44 Spa day img
Chapter 45 Christmas week img
Chapter 46 The getaway img
Chapter 47 In the hospital img
Chapter 48 He came back img
Chapter 49 All in img
Chapter 50 Home img
Chapter 51 51. Space img
Chapter 52 Halfway img
Chapter 53 It's never too late img
Chapter 54 The offer img
Chapter 55 I love you img
Chapter 56 The park img
Chapter 57 The rooftop img
Chapter 58 The miscarriage img
Chapter 59 The rumor img
Chapter 60 Decision made img
Chapter 61 One last weekend img
Chapter 62 Piano and Beach img
Chapter 63 Happy birthday img
Chapter 64 You took it. img
Chapter 65 Monday morning img
Chapter 66 Wednesday img
Chapter 67 Departure img
Chapter 68 Reset img
Chapter 69 Girls night img
Chapter 70 Hey you. img
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Chapter 4 4. The Ghost Wife

Damien's pov

"She's been gone for two weeks."

I paced around my office while Victoria watched with concern.

"You know she'll come back," Victoria said. "She's probably staying with a friend, trying to make you worry."

"She doesn't have friends."

That came out wrong, but it was true. In our three years of marriage, I'd never met any friends of Elena's. Not one. She was always just... there. At home and alone.

Have I ever asked why? Had I ever wondered where her family was, or what she did before we met?

No. I'd never asked because I never cared to know. I told myself she liked the quiet, that she preferred small circles and soft spaces. But maybe she'd simply learned that I didn't have room for her world in mine.

Victoria gave a little hum. "You sound guilty."

"I'm not," I said too quickly.

"Then stop worrying," she replied. "Where can she go? She'll eventually run out of money and come crawling back."

But something felt wrong. Elena had left with almost nothing. Just one bag, no credit cards taken, no money withdrawn from our joint account, not that there was much there anyway. And yet, she didn't call or text. Didn't even leave a note behind.

It was like she'd vanished into thin air. And it made me uneasy.

"Have you tried her phone?" Victoria asked.

"Disconnected."

"See? She's just being dramatic. Give her another week to cool off."

"Another week," I muttered. "You make it sound like she's on vacation or something."

Victoria smirked. "Well maybe she needed one from you."

Another week. I could do that.

Except at home, my mother just wouldn't shut up about it.

"I told you she was trash," Margaret said over dinner. Jessica nodded in agreement, mouth full of expensive steak. "Running away like a coward. At least now everyone will finally see her for what she really is."

"She asked for a divorce," I reminded them.

"Which proves she was a gold digger all along!" Margaret slammed her hand on the table. "She probably already found some other man with money. You're better off, Damien. Much better off."

Was I though?

The house felt empty without Elena. Even in silence, she used to fill up the space. Her footsteps and soft hums always filled the house. Now, there was no one asking about my day, no quiet presence in the background and no one making sure there was coffee in the morning or that my favorite shirts were cleaned.

I hadn't really realized how much she did until she was gone.

"Focus on work," Victoria advised. "That's what matters. In fact, I have news. Sterling Global is looking for new partners. If we could land a meeting with them..."

"Sterling Global?" I sat up straight. "They're massive. We're nowhere near big enough to even..."

"Let me worry about that," Victoria said with a mysterious smile. "I have connections. But you need to focus, Damien. This could make your career. This could make you a major player in the field."

Sterling Global. One of the biggest corporations in the world. If I could land a partnership with them... Elena would see. She'd see that leaving me was a mistake.

Except Elena was gone, and I had no idea where she was.

"Have you considered hiring a private investigator?" Victoria asked.

"To find my wife?"

"To protect yourself. What if she's planning something, Damien? What if she's gathering evidence for the divorce to take you for everything?"

"Take me for what?" I asked bitterly. "My mother's pearls?"

Victoria smirked. "You'd be surprised at what women go after."

Take me for what? I didn't have anything. All I had was a mid-level executive salary, a decent apartment that was mostly empty now, some savings.

But Victoria had a point. Women did that, didn't they? Disappeared and came back with lawyers.

"Maybe," I said.

"I know someone. He's very discreet and efficient." Victoria pulled out her phone. "Let me make a call."

---

Three weeks after Elena left, the private investigator came to my office.

"Mr. Blackwell, I have to be honest. I can't find her."

"What do you mean you can't find her?"

"I mean she's vanished completely. No credit card usage, no phone activity, no travel records. It's like she completely ceased to exist."

"That's not possible," I said. "She doesn't have the means."

The man's expression didn't change. "Then she's a lot smarter than you thought."

That didn't make sense. People couldn't just disappear not unless they had help and not unless they had resources.

But Elena had nothing. No family, no money, and no connections.

"Keep looking," I demanded.

"Sir, I've been doing this for twenty years. When someone disappears completely, they either had help from someone with serious resources, or..." He trailed off.

"Or what?"

"Or they didn't need help because they had resources of their own."

"That's impossible."

The investigator shrugged. "Then I don't know what to tell you. Your wife is a ghost."

After he left, I sat in my office, staring at my phone. At my empty message thread with Elena. None of this added up.

The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. Elena wasn't the type to pull stunts like this.

Where was she? Was she okay? Was she safe?

Why did I suddenly care so much?

"Damien?" Victoria leaned in. I forgot she was even here. "Good news. I got us a meeting with Sterling Global. Next month."

"Next month?"

"With the new CEO. No one knows who they are yet, just that they go by E. Sterling, very mysterious. But this is our chance."

"Our chance," I repeated. My voice didn't sound like mine. "Right."

Business. Career. The things that actually mattered. So why couldn't I stop thinking about Elena's face when she asked if I loved her?

Why couldn't I stop remembering the way she'd looked at those divorce papers like her heart was breaking?

"This is what you wanted," I muttered to myself.

But was it? Was it really?

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