A Cold Homecoming

"Yes, give her a call," Desmond firmly instructed Nolan, wasting no time. Audrey had intentionally followed him all the way to Oakhaven under the thin guise of being a tourist, and he refused to leave her behind. Nolan quickly executed the order and booked their immediate flight. Soon, the trio departed for Caldwell.

During the grueling ten-hour journey back, Nolan silently observed the intense dynamic playing out between his boss and Audrey in the first-class cabin. Desmond displayed meticulous, unwavering care for Audrey's comfort. He constantly checked on her, ensuring she had a warm blanket and a comfortable seat. It was a jarringly stark contrast to the frigid indifference he had systematically shown his actual wife, Maya, for three years.

Upon landing, as they navigated the thick, bustling airport crowd, Desmond actively shielded Audrey with his broad body. He kept a protective arm raised, preventing any passing travelers from bumping into her. He looked much more like a fiercely devoted husband to her than he ever had to Maya.

Meanwhile, emerging from a completely different exit in the same airport, Maya looked breathtakingly radiant. Having shed her conservative, mild-mannered wife persona, she wore a stunning V-neck spaghetti strap dress that accentuated her curves, paired with chic sunglasses. A genuine, relaxed smile graced her lips as she gracefully pushed her luggage toward her eagerly waiting best friend, Sienna.

But as Maya closed the distance, Sienna’s bright expression suddenly soured into a deep scowl. Her eyes fixed sharply on something directly behind Maya's shoulder. Sensing the sudden shift in the air, Maya stopped and turned around.

There, walking side by side through the busy terminal, were Desmond and Audrey.

At the sight of them, Maya's casual grip on her suitcase handle tightened significantly. The radiant smile vanished from her lips, leaving her beautiful face entirely devoid of any emotion. She didn't allow a single crack of vulnerability to show, refusing to let the sight break her stride. Without even waiting for Sienna to voice a scathing comment, Maya simply stated, "Let's go," and walked away.

As the two women walked away, Desmond's sharp, predatory gaze caught a fleeting glimpse of Maya's retreating figure slipping through the crowd. He paused in his tracks. Audrey noticed his distraction immediately and gently tugged at his sleeve, sweetly asking what was wrong.

Desmond shook his head, actively dismissing the sight from his mind. He rationalized that while the woman in the distance strongly resembled his wife, Maya always wore gentle, highly conservative clothes. She would never dare to wear a revealing spaghetti strap dress in public. Pushing the intrusive thought aside, his brows furrowed in irritation as he turned his attention back to his assistant.

"Haven't you found out where Maya is?" he demanded.

Nolan, clearly nervous under his boss's piercing glare, hastily promised to locate her exact whereabouts by the end of the day. Highly displeased by the delay, Desmond ordered Nolan to safely escort Audrey back to her home, while he decided to head directly back to his own Radcliff villa.

Upon turning the key and stepping inside, Desmond was greeted by a pitch-dark, suffocatingly dusty house. The familiar, comforting warmth of Maya’s welcoming smile was entirely gone, replaced by a cold, abandoned stillness that chilled him to the bone. She had never, in their entire marriage, stayed away this long. She always waited up for him.

A creeping, heavy unease began to settle over him as he walked further into the quiet foyer. He flicked on the lights. This unease sharply peaked the exact moment he spotted the items resting perfectly centered on the living room table.

Maya's diamond wedding ring and a neatly printed divorce agreement sat together, both of which were now covered in an entire month's worth of accumulated dust.

Desmond strode forward and snatched the document from the glass surface, flipping aggressively to the very last page. There, sitting stark against the white paper, he saw Maya’s elegant signature already inked permanently on the dotted line.

An unprecedented, volcanic fury violently surged through Desmond's veins. He clutched the fragile papers so tightly his knuckles turned white, his handsome expression twisting into something grim and terrifying. *How dare she divorce me!* he seethed internally, unable to process her absolute rejection.

Just as his burning anger threatened to boil over completely, his cell phone rang loudly in the silent house. He yanked it from his pocket and answered it to hear Nolan's voice.

"Mr. Radcliff, we have tracked down Ms. Monroe's whereabouts. She is now in Eastridge..." Nolan hesitated, a tremor of fear bleeding into his tone.

"Speak up!" Desmond demanded sternly, his patience completely evaporated. "Where exactly in Eastridge is she?"

Trembling visibly on the other end of the line, Nolan delivered the bombshell news. "In a villa... The owner of that villa is the recently acclaimed actor Caleb Prescott."