For two days, Jarrett Sheppard was a man possessed. He had his security team trying to track Alayna's movements, but they came up with nothing. No credit card usage, no flight bookings under her name, no new address. It was as if she had vanished.
He paced the empty mansion, the silence amplifying his growing desperation.
He remembered his decision to keep his distance, to be cold to her. He had thought it was for her own good, to cure her of her crush. Now, he saw it was just cruel. He had driven her away.
He felt a constant, dull ache in his chest, a physical manifestation of his anxiety.
He found himself scrolling through his old chat history with her on his computer. It was mostly one-sided. Hundreds of messages from her, sharing small details of her day.
[Jarrett, I tried a new song today! It's your favorite.]
[The weather is nice, don't forget to wear a jacket.]
[I saw a dog that looked just like the one we wanted when we were kids.]
He remembered the day she had played him that song. He had come home with Kisha. Alayna had been so excited to have him listen. He had barely listened, dismissing it with a cold "It's fine," before turning his attention back to Kisha.
He remembered the look of disappointment on Alayna's face, a look he had seen so many times and had chosen to ignore. He remembered how she kept trying, day after day, to share her life with him, and how he had pushed her away every single time. A deep sense of guilt and regret washed over him.
Finally, his assistant called.
"Sir, we found her."
Jarrett's heart leaped. "Where is she?"
"She's in California, sir. She's with her father, Samuel Dickerson. It appears she has enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley College of Music."
The news hit him like a physical blow. California. Thousands of miles away. She hadn't just moved out. She had left the country.
"She... she left?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Yes, sir. Her flight was on the night of your birthday."
Anger and a possessive rage surged through him. How dare she leave without telling him? How dare she just disappear from his life?
"Book me the next flight to California," he commanded, his voice cold and hard.
He was going to find her. He was going to bring her back.
He rushed to the airport, a storm of emotions raging inside him. He didn't know what he would say to her, what he would do. He just knew he couldn't let her go. He had to face her.
