"What do you mean?"
The director inhaled slowly before laying out all the facts.
Sebastian felt cold dread creeping up his spine.
This couldn't be happening. He had merely been jealous about Alayna celebrating Chloe's birthday. He'd paid some actors to stage that scene just to get her attention. That ambulance? Completely fake. There was no possible way her brother had actually been inside.
He rejected the reality being presented to him.
Frantically, he dialed a contact, demanding immediate access to hospital records. He needed concrete evidence. Proof that her brother was still breathing.
Within minutes, his phone buzzed with a photograph - an official death certificate.
His contact added, "Alayna personally signed the paperwork. I tried calling you that night when she came to file it. You never answered."
The memory rushed back.
That exact evening... he'd been with Chloe, toasting her birthday, sharing kisses beneath fireworks while his wife dealt with her brother's death completely alone.
He swallowed against the tightness in his throat. "Where did she bury him?"
"There was no burial. She chose cremation. Said she wanted to show him the world."
Then realization struck him. The urn. That ceramic vessel Alayna had carried back to their home - it genuinely contained the ashes of the person she cherished most.
Every word she'd spoken had been true.
And he had dismissed it all.
He'd allowed Chloe to shatter that urn... while Alayna watched everything she had left being destroyed.
He squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing becoming ragged.
He exited the nursing home with leaden footsteps.
Inside his car, he called his assistant. "Locate her. Discover where she went."
Twenty minutes later, his phone rang again.
"Sir, Mrs. Harrington has completely erased her digital footprint. We cannot track her current location."
Sebastian went rigid.
Every assumption he'd made... all the suffering he believed he could manage - everything collapsed.
Erasing her identity meant she had abandoned everything.
Including him.
No. Absolutely not!
She was his wife. She couldn't just vanish without his consent! She had forced her way into his life. She had insisted on remaining at his side. She had no permission to simply... disappear!
The guest room was stunning.
Truthfully, it surpassed the master bedroom she'd once occupied at Sebastian's estate.
Her throat constricted and tears threatened to spill over.
Apparently, Damian noticed immediately because he instantly panicked. "Is it really that terrible? Damn, I should have known better."
"Just tell me what needs changing and I'll handle it, alright? Please don't cry."
That was Damian through and through. He completely unraveled whenever she showed emotion. No matter how heated their arguments became, the moment her eyes welled up, he'd surrender immediately.
Seeing him standing there looking like he was preparing for battle, she released a soft laugh.
"I'm not going to cry, Damian." She added softly, "Thank you."
He visibly relaxed, then scowled. "Stop thanking me. I despise when you thank me."
Naturally, she thanked him again, fully aware it would annoy him.
He clenched his jaw, teeth grinding. If this were years past, he would have snapped back with some sarcastic remark. But now, he simply released an exaggerated, weary sigh.
"You're impossible."
The unexpected warmth in his tone caught her off guard. That familiar teasing affection felt foreign after all this time.
Needing to redirect the conversation before emotions overwhelmed her, she cleared her throat. "About that job you mentioned... You haven't reconsidered, have you?"
Damian looked her over thoroughly, giving her that distinctive appraisal only he could execute without uttering a single word.
"You? In this condition? I'd likely lose my entire empire within days if I put you in charge of operations right now."
She opened her mouth to object, but he didn't permit her to speak.
"Sit," he commanded, gently guiding her onto the bed. "Business can wait. I'm reserving the position for you. Currently, your sole responsibility is recovering your health."
She attempted to protest, insisting she was perfectly capable of working, but he interrupted again. "I've already arranged for a nutritionist and private chef. Don't make me waste these resources." Then he added, "But I won't let you remain completely idle. During your recovery, I'll begin briefing you about the company. We're not in America anymore, Alayna. The business culture here differs significantly. You need to understand how things operate. When you're fully prepared, you'll assume your role properly. Understood?"
She couldn't dispute his logic. Damian had already accounted for every detail.