Chapter 76 What Losing Her Feels Like
Damian's POV
I didn't sleep. I couldn't.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Elena's face when she shoved me away, her voice shaking as she screamed for me to get out. My chest still stung with those words, like she had driven a knife straight through my ribs.
But I kept telling myself she'd calm down. That by morning she'd answer her phone. That we'd talk like we always somehow did.
Except morning came... and silence followed.
By 8 a.m., I had called her twenty-eight times.
By 9 a.m., fifty-two.
No response. Not even a "stop calling me."
That was when panic began creeping in like slow poison.
I paced the living room, staring at her last message-the one where she told me she was pregnant. The one I didn't respond to. The one I didn't deserve.
I went straight to her apartment.
"Elena!" I called. "Open the door. I'm not leaving until you-"
Nothing.
I knocked again. Harder.
Still nothing.
A cold, sinking feeling crawled into my stomach.
I pressed my forehead against the door for a second, trying to breathe-trying to convince myself she was simply avoiding me.
Then I twisted the knob.
Locked.
I clenched my jaw, turned around, and nearly bumped into Mrs. Koya, a middle-aged neighbor living opposite her.
She blinked. "Are you looking for Elena?"
"Yes," I said quickly. "Have you seen her?"
The woman adjusted her wrapper. "She left late last night. Suitcase and all."
My heart stopped.
"Left?" I repeated, voice dry. "As in... left the building?"
The woman hesitated. "Left the country, I think. She looked tired. And she wasn't alone."
My pulse exploded.
"Who was she with?" I demanded, stepping closer.
The woman's eyes widened. "A young man. Very charming. I've seen him visit once or twice."
Brian.
It had to be Brian.
Even just thinking his name made my vision blur.
I didn't wait. I turned and sprinted to the elevator, hands shaking violently. The ride down felt like an eternity, each floor stabbing me with questions.
Why did she leave?
Why didn't she tell me?
Why him?
Why now?
By the time I stormed into the garage, my breathing was erratic. I got into my car, slammed the steering wheel, and sped out of the building.
I drove straight to the company headquarters.
Our building.
Her building too.
If she wasn't answering my calls, maybe she came here. Maybe she needed space from me-not from everything.
Maybe-
But when I walked into her office, the sight nearly brought me to my knees.
Empty.
Not empty like she hadn't arrived yet.
Empty like she had stripped the soul from the room.
Her tablet, laptop, planner-gone.
Her mug-gone.
Her jacket always hanging on her chair-gone.
Her lavender diffuser-gone.
My throat closed.
"Elena?" I called into the echoing space, even though I knew she wasn't there.
My voice broke.
I turned sharply to the company secretary standing awkwardly in the corner.
"When did she leave the office yesterday?"
The secretary swallowed. "Sir... she didn't come in today. She sent an email last night that she would be 'away for a while.'"
"Away?" I repeated slowly, like the word itself was poisonous. "Away where?"
"I don't know, sir."
I dragged both hands down my face, a headache pounding behind my eyes.
She was really gone.
Actually gone.
Before I realized what I was doing, I walked into my office, grabbed my phone, and dialed her number again.
And again.
And again.
Number unreachable.
I stared at the screen until it blurred.
The world felt suddenly too loud and too quiet at the same time.
Elena, pregnant with my child, had left the country... with another man... while I was engaged to someone else... because I had failed her every step of the way.
I sank into my chair, elbows on my knees, hands covering my face.
"What have I done?" I whispered.
The answer hit me with brutal honesty:
Everything.
I had done everything wrong.
I ignored the gut feeling that something wasn't right.
I let Elena walk around feeling unwanted.
I let her believe I didn't care.
I let her face a pregnancy alone.
I let her reach a breaking point so severe she fled her entire life.
My chest tightened painfully.
I stood up abruptly, grabbed my jacket, and stormed out.
If she had taken a flight, there had to be a record.
I drove straight to the airport.
At the terminal, I approached an attendant.
"My fiancée traveled last night," I lied impatiently. "I need to confirm her destination. It's urgent."
"Sir, we can't release passenger information-"
I slammed my palm on the counter. "Please. I'm begging you."
The attendant flinched, then sighed.
"I can't give you her destination, but... I can tell you she did take a flight."
My breath caught.
"She did?" My voice cracked.
"Yes, sir. Around 11:30 p.m."
"Alone?"
The attendant hesitated... then nodded.
"No."
I nearly stumbled.
She did travel with Brian.
My heart sank.
I stepped back, feeling the weight of everything-of the engagement ring burning a hole in my pocket, of the truth I had discovered too late, of the woman I loved slipping out of my reach.
I whispered her name like a prayer.
"Elena..."
I didn't know where she went.
I didn't know how long she'd be gone.
I didn't know if she'd ever come back.
But I knew one thing with absolute certainty:
I wasn't letting her disappear from my life.
Not like this.
Not ever.
And if I had to cross the world to find her...
I would.