Chapter 13
The sunlight fell across Danny’s shoulders, making the brightness in his eyes seem even
more pronounced.
The bell rang.
Without missing a beat, Danny took off running toward the distance, turning back once to
wave at her with that same easy and radiant smile.
Bella stood still for a moment, caught off guard.
In that instant, she found herself thinking–Danny shone brighter than the sun.
The Caledon Volunteer Program would last two years, and by now, Bella had grown close to the people of Greendale Village. She knew their names and their quirks.
The villagers welcomed her warmly, and on weekends, some even invited her to ride on their boats, letting her experience the rhythm of their fishing life firsthand.
This was the kind of countryside life she had always dreamed of.
Now, it had become real.
…
Far away in the city, Seth was hospitalized for excessive drinking.
The incident with Faye had shaken him more than he could say. It clung to his thoughts like thick smoke. He regretted everything–regretted not listening to Bella’s explanation, regretted not seeing through Faye earlier.
But it was too late. Bella was gone.
Whether people truly didn’t know or were simply hiding it, no one could tell him where she’d gone. He had even sent people to find her, but they came back empty–handed.
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Chapter 13
At some point, he started wondering–had she gone abroad?
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But even after combing through every outbound flight, he found nothing. No trace. Not
even her name.
It was the first time Seth realized just how vast the world really was–so vast that if Bella
chose to disappear, she could erase herself entirely from his reach.
So he drank to forget, to numb the quiet but constant throb of guilt in his chest.
This wasn’t a petty mistake.
This was about a kidney.
A grown adult only had two–and he had taken one from her, unflinchingly, for Faye.
His friends came to visit him in the hospital, one by one, all offering sympathy and words
of comfort.
None of them knew the real reason he drank.
Only one friend understood the truth. And he couldn’t bring himself to sympathize at all.
To him, love was no excuse. Right or wrong didn’t matter when it came to feelings, sure— but harming someone else to feed your own selfish desire? That was inexcusable.
Even if Seth was his friend, there wasn’t a word he could say in defense.
This–everything that had happened–was something Seth had brought on himself.
Three days later, Seth was discharged from the hospital.
Back at the villa, he looked instinctively toward Bella’s room.
“Bella,” he called out.
But no one answered.
Before, she would’ve come running the second she heard his voice, bright and sweet,
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Chapter 13
calling his name with that familiar softness.
Now her room was just empty.
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His gaze dimmed. He climbed the stairs unsteadily, gripping the railing to steady himself. Step by step, he made his way to her room, half–hoping to find some lingering trace of her love, some proof that what they’d had was real.
But the photos on the wall–photos of the two of them together—had been ripped apart,
the frames shattered.
And the letters she had once written to him, pages filled with quiet affection, were now nothing but ash.
Just like Bella herself–gone without a trace.
There was a time when he had told her, again and again, not to love him.
And now that she finally didn’t, he regretted everything.
Maybe this really was what he deserved.
Seth let out a hollow laugh, mocking himself.
He looked around the room where they’d once laughed together, where her presence used
to fill every corner–and felt pain that cut straight through the bone.
As he slumped down behind the door, overwhelmed by it all, his phone rang.
“This is the detective agency,” the voice said. “The person you asked us to find—we’ve
found
her.”
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