Chapter 3

Logan dialed his assistant, Nathan. "Get Elena over to Chloe's place right now to apologize! Tell her that if she refuses, she can pack her bags and stop calling herself my wife!"

Chloe suppressed a smirk and patted his arm soothingly. "Logan, don't be too hard on her. When she gets here, speak to her gently. I don't really need a formal apology anyway."

Logan looked down at her. "No way. She's apologizing to you today. There's a limit to throwing tantrums, and she's crossed it."

A few minutes later, Nathan called back. "Mr. Vance... Mrs. Vance isn't at her condo."

Nathan meant the apartment I had bought under my own name.

Ever since Chloe returned to the country, Logan and I fought constantly over her.

Once, Logan brought Chloe to stay at our house. When I protested vehemently, Logan snapped at me: "I bought this house. I can invite whoever I want to stay here. If you can't stand it, get out!"

So, I bought that condo. The longest I ever stayed there was three days.

Logan paused, confused. Aside from that condo, I had nowhere else to go.

For the past seven years, my entire world had revolved around him. I didn't even have any close friends left to confide in. Where could I possibly be?

Chloe chimed in innocently, "Elena really shouldn't have checked into a hotel just to make us worry."

Her words instantly stoked Logan's fury. "Run a search. Find out every single hotel Elena might have booked!"

"She thinks turning off her phone and hiding in a hotel will keep me from finding her? She's dead wrong!"

After hanging up, Chloe continued playing the sweet peacemaker. "Logan, please don't be mad. What Elena did was wrong, but she only did it to get your attention!"

Logan let out a cold laugh. "Get my attention? Does she think she's a three-year-old child?"

Nathan pulled every connection Logan had, searching through hotel registries across the entire city. But there wasn't a single record of me checking in anywhere.

To make sure nothing was missed, he even checked budget motels. Still nothing.

Uneasy, he called Logan back. "Mr. Vance... we couldn't find any hotel records under Mrs. Vance's name."

Chloe gasped. "Did she... go out of town on a trip?"

Watching Chloe's performance, I felt sick.

Every single time, just a casual remark from her was enough to send Logan into a rage, turning all his suspicion and cruelty onto me.

Logan was the CEO of a massive company, the head of the Vance family, yet he couldn't tell truth from lies. He blindly believed whatever Chloe fed him.

And this was the man I had loved for seven whole years.

Chloe had clearly tripped on her own feet, yet she claimed I shoved her.

No matter how desperately I pleaded my innocence, Logan refused to listen.

He snatched my purse, took my flashlight, and told me to find my own way back down.

He knew better than anyone how terrified I was of the dark. I couldn't even sleep at night without a nightlight on.

He carried Chloe down the trail, walking so fast. Without a flashlight, I couldn't keep up. I stumbled along, crying out his name, trying desperately to follow the sound of his footsteps.

In my panic, I took a wrong step in the dark and fell off the edge of the cliff.

I never imagined that even after my death, Chloe would still be stoking the flames in front of him, and Logan would swallow every word.

Suddenly, Logan's phone lit up. The screen displayed my caller ID.

Logan answered immediately, barking into the receiver, "Elena! Where the hell have you been hiding these past few days? Why was your phone off? Do you have any idea that Chloe can't even sleep because of you? Every time she closes her eyes, she relives you shoving her!"

"Get your ass over here right now and apologize to her!"

There was a heavy silence on the other end. After a long moment, an unfamiliar voice spoke up quietly:

"Excuse me, sir... are you the husband of Elena Vance?"