Chapter 284
Chapter 284
【Luna's Perspective】
Noah walked back onto the stage with a calm demeanor, as if his "bathroom emergency" had never happened. His eyes swept across the audience, briefly locking with mine. Something in his gaze made my skin crawl.
The wedding ceremony resumed its course with Grace finally getting the spotlight she craved. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, an inexplicable unease settling in my stomach. My phone vibrated with a text message from Max:
"Luna, no matter what happens, don't be afraid. Stay calm and wait for me to return."
My fingers tightened around the phone. Why would he send such a cryptic message? Before I could respond, Kevin appeared beside me, his face drained of color.
"Mrs. Morrison," he whispered urgently after ending a call, "I need to step out for a moment."
When he returned minutes later, his expression had grown even more grim.
"Mrs. Morrison," he said, his voice barely steady, "something's happened."
"What is it?" I asked, my heart beginning to race.
Kevin swallowed hard. "Mr. Morrison's car went off the Potomac River Bridge. It's in the water. Search and rescue teams are at the scene right now."
My body went rigid, but I forced myself to remain composed. "We need to go there immediately. Don't alarm anyone else."
"Understood," Kevin nodded.
As we slipped away from the reception, I caught Noah watching our departure from the stage, his smile never wavering, his eyes following me with disturbing intensity.
---
The scene at the Potomac River Bridge was chaos—flashing emergency lights, police cordoning off the area, curious onlookers gathering despite officers' attempts to keep them back. A salvage crane had already hoisted Max's black armored SUV from the river, water streaming from its shattered windows.
Divers in search and rescue gear were emerging from the murky waters, shaking their heads.
"No sign of him yet," one reported to his superior. "We've searched the immediate area."
The team leader's jaw tightened. "Deploy additional divers. We need to find Mr. Morrison."
My legs threatened to give way as I watched the scene unfold. Violet steadied me with a firm grip.
"Violet," I whispered, "help me walk."
She looked at me with confusion. "Mrs. Morrison, they haven't found Max yet. Where do you want to go?"
I took a deep breath, blinking back tears. "It's fine. He's not in the river. Let's go home."
"If he's not in the river, then where is he?" Violet asked carefully.
"I'm not sure," I replied, my voice surprisingly steady despite the storm raging inside me. "But when he finishes handling whatever this is, he'll come home."
---
Back at the Blake mansion, I methodically removed my elegant blue gown and jewelry, showered, and changed into comfortable clothes. I wandered to Liam's nursery, lifted my sleeping son from his crib, and lay down with him on the adjacent daybed.
Time lost all meaning. I drifted in and out of consciousness, clutching Liam as though he were my only anchor to reality. The baby nurse would occasionally take him for feeding, then return him to my arms. I heard voices—concerned, urgent, tearful—but they seemed to come from another world entirely.
I slept. It was easier than thinking, easier than feeling the gaping hole that had opened in my chest. I slept through day and night, refusing food and water, waiting for Max to return and wake me from this nightmare.
Nearly thirty hours later, I stirred briefly at the sound of sobbing.
"Luna, please don't do this," Violet pleaded, her voice thick with tears. "Wake up, eat something, drink some water. Max hasn't been found yet. Why are you refusing to eat?"
I opened my eyes halfway, seeing her blurred figure through my tears.
"You have Liam to think about," she continued desperately. "Please, for your child's sake, pull yourself together."
"Violet," I murmured, "I'm not hungry. Has Max come back yet?"
Her face crumpled. "Luna, Max hasn't returned."
"I'm fine, Violet," I whispered, closing my eyes again. "I just want to sleep a little longer. When Max returns, wake me up."
I slipped back into darkness, vaguely aware of Grandfather organizing expanded search teams, the Morrison family arriving in waves of concern, and doctors speaking in hushed, worried tones.
On the third day, I briefly registered a physician standing over me, administering intravenous fluids.
"Doctor?" I managed to say.
He looked startled that I'd spoken. "Mrs. Morrison, how are you feeling? Would you like to eat something?"
"I'm not hungry," I replied weakly. "Doctor, have you seen my husband? My husband is Max Morrison. Has he come back yet?"
The doctor's expression softened with pity. "There's been no news about Mr. Morrison."
"What about Liam?"
"The nurse took him for feeding."
I nodded slightly, my eyelids growing heavy again. "I'd like to sleep a bit more. If Max comes back, please wake me."