(07
It had never happened before. In the three years they’d been married, they’d barely even argued and now Winona
completely vanished without a trace. Corey wasn’t even equipped with the experience to coax her back, let alone deal with this. The mechanical beeping of the unanswered phone call grew louder in his ears, heightening his
unease.
When he pushed open the door, he froze. The spot on the wall where their wedding photo used to hang was now empty. Every single trace of me in the house was gone.
Corey’s eyes reddened as he ran to the bedroom and threw open the closet doors. Only his suits remained.
He searched every corner of the house, but the only thing left behind was a divorce agreement on the table. He picked it up, flipping through its pages. The section on property division clearly stated, “Leaving with nothing.“.
The words stung his eyes and pierced his heart. Corey sat on the sofa while clutching the agreement, chain–smoking one cigarette after another.
His mind was flooded with memories of the past three years. Scene after scene played out, threatening to shatter his composure. The phone continued to auto–redial, but no one answered.
Finally, he snapped out of his reverie. He sent a message to his secretary. [Find her. No matter the cost, find Winona.]
That night, he didn’t stay home. He brought the divorce papers straight to the company’s lawyer. The lawyer took one look and shook his head helplessly. “She’s already made up her mind. If she hasn’t dragged you to court, she’s already being merciful. You should let it go. If you push her any further, it could be the end of your company too.”
Corey looked defeated, slumping back in his chair. “I won’t give up. If I can find her, I’ll accept whatever she wants -whether it’s sending me to prison or ruining my reputation. I’ll take it all …”
The lawyer was stunned by his sudden change in attitude. After a long silence, he spoke. “I warned you before, using marriage to obtain a letter of understanding was never a good idea. When you chose that path, you should’ve known that your relationship with Mrs. Zettel could never be simple.”
“This is already the best outcome. I don’t understand why you’re still trying to find her. What do you want to say to her? Apologize? Admit you shouldn’t have used her name to release the person responsible for her mother’s death? Beg for forgiveness for deceiving her into a marriage?”
Corey swayed, his face pale. “Jennie was innocent. This whole thing…”
Before he could finish the lawver interrupted coldly “Mr Coil
4:11 PM
Loving a Liar
Before he could finish, the lawyer interrupted coldly, “Mr. Gail, as your lawyer, let me give you another advice: don’t let your emotions blind you to the facts. In law, feelings are worthless. A judge won’t care about how you feel. Neither will the police. All the evidence in the car accident case pointed to Jennie!”
“How did she end up at that location? Where did the faulty car come from? How did she know Mrs. Zettel’s mother would be getting off a plane at that exact time? Why was she there to pick her up?”
The barrage of questions left Corey speechless. He sank to the floor, shutting his eyes in despair.
“Also, whose idea was it to issue a letter of understanding in the name of the family? Mr. Gail, you’re a smart man. I’ll only remind you of this: only Mrs. Zettel can be considered truly innocent in this matter. Your love shouldn’t be built on her mother’s death!” The lawyer’s words were like a slap in the face, jolting him awake.
