Chapter 225: Return Without You

Jasmine's POV

The flight back to New York felt like a betrayal. Every mile that carried me away from the mountains, away from Louis, was a knife twisting in my heart. I stared out the window of my father's private jet, watching the Alps fade into the distance, taking my husband with them.

Isabella sat beside me, her hand occasionally squeezing mine in silent comfort. She'd been my rock these past few days, staying with me through the long, sleepless nights, holding me when the grief overwhelmed me.

"Try to sleep a little," she urged gently. "You need to rest."

I shook my head. Sleep was impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Louis falling, disappearing into the darkness. I heard the gunshot, saw Alan's cruel smile. The nightmares were worse than staying awake.

"The moment they find anything, they'll call," Isabella assured me. "Your father and Richard won't stop searching. You know that."

I nodded mechanically. I did know that. But I also knew what the search coordinators weren't saying aloud—that the chances of finding Louis alive, after nearly a week in those conditions, were virtually nonexistent.

My hand moved unconsciously to my stomach. A child. Louis's child. A tiny life that would never know its father. The thought sent a fresh wave of grief washing over me.

The doctor had confirmed what the hospital in Switzerland had discovered—I was pregnant, about two weeks along. The timing was devastating. How could something so precious come into my life at the same moment I'd lost the man I loved?

The jet began its descent into New York. The familiar skyline appeared through the window, but it no longer felt like home. Home was wherever Louis was.

Emma was waiting for us at the airport, her face drawn with worry. She embraced me tightly as soon as I stepped off the plane.

"Oh, Jas," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

I couldn't speak, could only hold onto her as tears threatened to fall again. I'd thought I had none left to shed, but they seemed endless.

The ride to the Mitchell estate was a blur. I'd insisted on staying there rather than at my father's house. I needed to be surrounded by Louis's things, his presence, even if it was only in memory now.

As the car pulled through the gates, I noticed extra security personnel patrolling the grounds. Of course—with Alan Blackwood still at large, no one was taking any chances. One more reminder of the danger that still lurked out there.

The house felt empty without Louis, the rooms too quiet, too still. I wandered through them like a ghost, touching his possessions, breathing in his lingering scent on the pillows. In his closet, I ran my fingers over his suits, neatly hung, waiting for his return.

Daisy met me there, her eyes red-rimmed. "Jasmine, darling," she said, pulling me into a tight embrace. "We've been so worried about you."

I let her hold me, drawing comfort from her maternal warmth. In the few months since Louis and I had married, Daisy had become like a second mother to me. Now we shared the same grief—the gaping hole Louis had left in our lives.

"Have you heard anything?" I asked, though I knew the answer already.

She shook her head sadly. "Nothing yet. But Richard called this morning. They're bringing in specialized mountain search teams from France. They won't stop looking."

I nodded, grateful for the Mitchell family's resources and determination. If Louis could be found, they would find him.

"You need to eat something," Daisy said, shifting into practical mode. "And then rest. Doctor's orders." She gave me a pointed look, and I realized that Isabella must have told her about the baby.

"You know," I said softly.

Daisy nodded, fresh tears welling in her eyes. "A grandchild," she whispered. "Louis would be..." Her voice broke.

"So happy," I finished for her, my own tears spilling over. "He would have been such a wonderful father."

Daisy's face hardened slightly. "He will be," she said firmly. "We have to believe that, Jasmine. We have to believe he's still alive out there."

I wanted to believe it. God, how I wanted to. But the rational part of my mind, the part that understood the brutality of nature and the frailty of human life, knew better. Louis had been shot before he fell. Even if he had survived the fall somehow, the gunshot wound, the exposure to cold, the lack of food and water... It was too much to hope for.

But hope was all I had left.

That night, I lay awake in our bed, my hand resting on my still-flat stomach. "Your daddy loves you," I whispered to the tiny life growing inside me. "Wherever he is, he loves you so much."

I turned to Louis's side of the bed, empty and cold without him. "Come back to us," I pleaded into the darkness. "Please, Louis. Find your way back home."

The days blurred together. I moved through them in a fog, going through the motions of living while feeling half-dead inside. Emma and Daisy took turns staying with me, making sure I ate, trying to distract me with talk of the baby, of the future.

But my future had plunged off a cliff with Louis.

A week after my return to New York, Richard called. My heart stopped when I saw his name on my phone, hoping against hope for good news.

"Jasmine," he said, his voice weary. "How are you holding up?"

"Any news?" I asked, ignoring his question.

A heavy sigh. "Nothing concrete. The French team has been exploring some of the deeper ravines, areas the initial search couldn't reach. But the weather's turned bad again. It's slowing everything down."

I closed my eyes, fighting back disappointment. "And Alan?"

"Still no sign of him. Daniel has people watching all the Blackwood properties, all known associates. He's gone to ground, but we'll find him."

I gripped the phone tighter. "When you do, I want to be there."

"Jasmine—"

"I mean it, Richard. He took my husband from me. From our child." My voice hardened. "I want to look him in the eyes when you make him pay."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Then: "We'll talk about that when the time comes. For now, focus on taking care of yourself and the baby. Louis would—"

"Don't," I cut him off, unable to bear hearing what Louis would want. "Just... don't."

After the call ended, I sat staring at nothing, my hand resting protectively over my stomach. Even in my grief, I was determined to keep this child safe. It was all I had left of Louis now—the last piece of him in this world.

I whispered to the empty room. "I'll find you, Louis. I promise."