She was someone who valued simplicity, a person who preferred a quiet, minimalist life.
Ezra watched the surveillance footage from the night before she left–the day he had passed out from the spiked wine. A delivery man had come to take away several large boxes from her apartment. They were filled with her things.
While he had been lost in his own world, running into another woman’s arms each night, Shermaine had been quietly planning her departure. She had carefully arranged everything, leaving him with nothing but his regret.
Now, as he reflected on the past, Ezra couldn’t help but feel the sharp sting of irony. The thrilling moments he once enjoyed with Melanie had turned into painful reminders of the betrayal he had inflicted on Shermaine. The weight of his actions, the grief and regret, tormented him relentlessly.
The scent of Shermaine, once so familiar, was fading in the air. He had exhausted every connection and every possible resource, trying to find any clue about where she had gone. But there was nothing. It was as if she had vanished without a trace, leaving no sign that she had ever existed in his life.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that he would never see her again, and that thought alone twisted his insides, making him feel like he was being torn apart.
It was cruel. She hadn’t even given him a chance to explain.
At the annual Yarbrough International conference, Ezra’s mind was completely elsewhere. His phone suddenly vibrated, and when he saw the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat. He grabbed the phone and rushed out without a second thought, not even acknowledging the deputy CEO still giving his report.
It was Shermaine’s parents calling. Ever since Shermaine’s disappearance, Ezra had reached out to them. After finding out about his affair, they had suspected Shermaine would leave him, but they refused to tell him the truth. They had remained silent, believing their daughter could handle it on her own.
Ezra had hoped they finally had news about Shermaine. His hands trembled as he answered the call.
“Dad? Mom?” His voice was soft, filled with caution. “Did Shermaine agree to see me?”
Instead, Isaiah Stout’s angry voice cut through the line. “What gives you the right to call me ‘Dad‘? Ezra, you’d better get over here within the next thirty minutes!”
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+15 BONUS
Ezra’s assistant, who had been about to mock Isaiah for his outrageous demands, froze. Ezra was known for his workaholic tendencies–nothing mattered more to him than business.
But to his surprise, Ezra ordered coldly, “Tell them the meeting is canceled. I have something important I need to take care of.”
The assistant was stunned. “Mr. Yarbrough, you haven’t been to the office in days. If you leave in the middle of the meeting, the senior executives will be upset.”
“I don’t care if they’re upset,” Ezra snapped, his voice hard as steel. “If they have a problem with it, they can leave. I don’t care.”
His steps were quick, his anger fueling him as he made his way to the Stouts‘ house. When he saw the ambulance parked ourside, his heart sank. He rushed upstairs, only to be met with a scene that shattered him completely.
