Chapter 160

Chapter 160
Elena’s POV

Something felt wrong before I even opened my eyes.

It wasn’t a sound that woke me. The house was quiet, just as it always was at that hour. The curtains shifted gently as the morning breeze found its way through the slightly opened window, carrying with it the scent of dew and freshly cut grass from the garden below.

I lay still for a moment, my hand instinctively reaching across the bed.

Cold sheets.

I frowned. Dante had never been much of a morning sleeper, not since he’d come home. More than once, I’d woken to find him standing by the bedroom window, staring into the darkness as though he was waiting for his mind to catch up with his freedom.

He probably couldn’t sleep again.

The thought settled me enough to close my eyes for another minute.

He was downstairs. Or outside. Maybe making coffee, or watching the sunrise.
Maybe he was sitting in Bella’s room, unable to resist checking on her the way he had every single night since coming home.

A smile tugged at my lips. He was trying. Every day, I saw it.

Sometimes it was in the way he looked at Bella when she wasn’t paying attention. Other times it was the way he lingered beside me just a little longer than necessary, almost as if he was reassuring himself that I was real.

He was trying so hard to fit back into a life that had continued without him.

I just wished he knew he didn’t have to earn his place here. He already belonged.

I pushed the thought aside and climbed out of bed.

The smell of coffee greeted me before I reached the bottom of the stairs.

Mrs. Peters was already in the kitchen, humming softly as she stirred something on the stove.

She looked up with her usual warm smile. “Good morning, dear.”

“Morning.”

I glanced around the room. There was no Dante.
“He isn’t with you?”

She looked momentarily confused. “Who?”

“Dante.”

Her brow lifted. “I thought he was upstairs.”

“No. He wasn’t in bed.”

Mrs. Peters shrugged lightly. “He probably stepped outside.”

I nodded. “Probably.”

It wasn’t unusual enough to worry me. I poured myself a cup of coffee before walking through the dining room and onto the back patio.

The garden was quiet. The swing Bella loved sat perfectly still and the bench beneath the old oak tree was empty.

There was still no Dante.

I wandered farther, checking the greenhouse, the small walking path behind the fountain, even the gazebo where he had spent an hour with Bella the day before pretending to host a tea party for stuffed animals.

Nothing.

A strange uneasiness brushed against my chest but I shook it off.

He was somewhere, the house was large anyways.

When I stepped back inside, Adam had arrived. He stood at the dining table with a tablet in one hand and a folder tucked beneath the other arm.

He looked up. “Morning, Madam.”

“Morning.” I hesitated. “Have you seen Dante?”

His expression remained calm. “No, I assumed he was with you.”

“So did I.”

He set the folder down. “Did he go out?”

“I don’t know.”

That was the first time saying those words made my stomach tighten.

Adam noticed. “I’ll check.”

Within minutes, the quiet morning shifted enough for everyone to stop what they were doing.

Mrs. Peters checked the downstairs rooms, Adam searched the home gym, the study, the security office and the garage.

I went upstairs again. I checked Bella’s bedroom, the guest rooms, the library and even the studio.

Every room I opened greeted me with silence. The house suddenly felt far too large.

When Adam returned from the garage, he frowned. “His car’s still here.”

I looked at him. “He didn’t drive?”

He slowly shook his head. “No.”

That made even less sense.

I found myself walking back into his bedroom without really knowing why. Perhaps because I expected him to suddenly appear.

To laugh softly and ask why everyone looked so worried.

But the room waited exactly as we had left it.

The curtains swayed gently while morning light stretched across the wooden floor.

My gaze drifted toward his bedside table then something white caught my eye.

A folded piece of paper. It hadn’t been there when we’d gone to bed. Or maybe it had and I simply hadn’t noticed.

My feet carried me toward it before my mind caught up.

There was only one word on the front.

Elena.

My heartbeat slowed with a strange calm that arrives just before something breaks.
I unfolded the paper carefully.

Elena,
I’m sorry.
Please don’t look for me.
Take care of Bella.
Dante.

I read it again. The words didn’t change. I read them a third time and they were still the same. 

Please don’t look for me.

I don’t know how long I stood there. The room seemed strangely distant. Somewhere downstairs, I heard cupboard doors opening and closing.

Life definitely continued even though mine felt suspended.

He left. Not for work, or a walk or even a meeting. 
A thousand questions rushed through my mind all at once.

Why? When? Where? Had I missed something? Had I said something wrong?

Yesterday…Yesterday had been beautiful. Bella had laughed until her cheeks hurt.

We had eaten together, talked, smiled and he looked happy. 

Didn’t he?

I folded the letter carefully before unfolding it again, though another sentence might appear if I looked long enough.

Nothing.

Just five short lines. Five lines that suddenly made the room feel unfamiliar.

I don’t remember walking downstairs. Only that Adam looked up the moment he saw me.

His expression changed immediately. “Madam?”

I couldn’t speak. Instead, I held the letter out toward him.

He took it carefully, his eyes moved across the page once, then again.

His jaw tightened. “No.” The word escaped quietly. “This…” He looked back at me. “This can’t be right.”

Mrs. Peters stepped closer. “What happened?”

Adam handed her the letter. She covered her mouth before she’d even finished reading.

“Oh, dear God…”

Silence settled over the room. It was heavy and uncomfortable. 

Adam was the first to move. “I’m checking the security cameras.”

He was already reaching for his phone. “I’ll have the guards search every road leading away from the estate.”

“No.” My voice surprised even me.

He stopped.

I swallowed. “He said not to look for him.”

Adam stared at me. “Madam, he could be in danger.”

“He could.” I said. 

“He could also be hurting.” Adam retaliated. 

His words landed between us.
Hurting.

I looked back at the letter. He clearly asked not to be searched for. 

Mrs. Peters reached for my hand. “Did the two of you argue?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Anything at all?”

Again, “No.”

Yesterday replayed inside my head. Had any of it been fake?
I honestly couldn’t tell.

Small footsteps echoed across the hallway.

Bella. She rubbed one sleepy eye as she wandered into the dining room, Teddy tucked beneath one arm.

She smiled the moment she saw me. “Mama.”
I crouched instinctively, opening my arms and she walked straight into them.

“Morning, baby.”

She yawned dramatically before looking around the room. “Daddy?”

The question stole every ounce of strength I had left. I held her a little tighter. “Daddy…” The words refused to come.

She looked up at me with complete trust. “Daddy where?”

I forced myself to smile, it felt unnatural. “He… had to go away for a little while.”

She frowned. “Work?”

“I don’t know.” The answer slipped out before I could stop it.

Bella seemed to accept it with the simple faith only children possessed.

“When he coming back?”

I kissed the top of her head. “I hope soon.”

Hope. It was the only thing I had, because standing there with Dante’s letter still clutched tightly in my hand, I realized something that frightened me more than his absence ever could.

I had no idea why the man I loved had walked away.

And somehow, that hurt almost as much as losing him.