Stephen’ POV
Seraphina was asleep when I got her back to the hospital. Her face looked pale, so fragile, like she might break if I looked at her too hard. I sat beside her bed and held her hand gently, feeling the warmth that was mine to protect. Her tears slid down her cheeks even in her sleep, and she murmured weakly.
“Stephen… don’t leave me, okay? I’m so scared.”
I lowered my voice, trying to soothe her, but there was this gnawing panic deep in my chest that I couldn’t shake. The waves outside crashed against the shore, a constant reminder of last night. My mind kept replaying Amelia’s face just before she jumped—the calm, cold certainty in her eyes.
“Seraphina, rest. I’ll make a call.”
I slipped my hand from hers and stepped into the hallway. My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed my assistant.
“Did you find her yet?”
There was hesitation on the other end. The wind and the waves made it hard to hear.
“Still looking, sir. The sea’s too dark. We sent ten more boats, but…”
I cut him off, my voice tight. “Keep looking. She’s a champion swimmer. Nothing can happen to her.”
I rubbed my forehead. I knew she wasn’t careless. “Amelia had once taken the provincial swimming championship. That stretch of sea was nothing to her. She had done this on purpose. She wanted to make me panic, make me sweat. Heart surgery is in two days, she can’t afford to disappear.”
I muttered to myself, trying to convince myself it was just worry, but my gut twisted with unease. My gaze went to the snow piling outside the window. Inside my mind, her last smile kept haunting me. That smile wasn’t hers. Not completely. It was sharp, knowing, untouchable.
No, I told myself. That’s not Amelia. She loved me before. She threw herself at me when my family went bankrupt, offered everything she had to help me pick up the pieces. She had fought for me like a warrior. She never would leave.
The next morning, I made sure Seraphina was in good hands with the nurse and drove home alone. The silence hit me the moment I pushed open the door.
“Addy?” I called out. Twice. Nothing.
I walked into the bedroom and froze. The wedding photos—the wall that used to shine with our happiness—was empty. The coffee table, the display cabinet in the living room, stripped clean. I called the servant, my chest tightening.
“A few days ago, after Miss Amelia returned from outside, she ordered all photos with you burned. Nothing left,” they said.
Impossible. She had treated those photos like treasures. She stared at them for hours, dragged me into the memories over and over. She could not have just let them go.
The phone rang. Seraphina’s voice, trembling, came through the speaker.
“Stephen, where are you? I… I had a nightmare about our babies. Can you come back?”
I looked around the empty room, every corner scanned like a hawk. No trace of her anywhere. My reply was automatic, but my heart raced anyway.
“I’m coming. Stay there.”
Even when I sounded calm, I felt every inch of my chest tighten. Amelia had disappeared, and I had no idea if she’d show up for her own heart surgery. But I would find her. I had to.
---
Seraphina threw herself into my arms the second we got back to the hospital. She was crying like her heart was breaking, and I held her tight, patting her back, trying to calm her down. But my mind wasn’t really there.
She tilted her head up, tears streaking her face, and asked softly, “Stephen… are you thinking about something?”
I could feel her trembling against me. “You… can’t find Amelia? Is she okay?”
I shook my head, the tension tightening my jaw. “No word from my men yet,” I said, thinking of the calls I’d just made. Still nothing.
Her face crumpled, and she whispered, “I’m so sorry. If it wasn’t for me… none of this would have happened. It’s because of me she… she jumped.”
I squeezed her tighter. “Hey. None of this is your fault. We just lost our twins… that’s enough. You rest now.”
She sniffled, still burying herself in my chest, and I felt her eyes flicker with something she tried to hide. I forced a slow exhale.
She’ll be fine. Amelia’s a swimming genius. She almost made the national team. She probably swam ashore and hid because she doesn’t want to see me. That’s why she hasn’t called.
And the heart surgery… she can’t miss it. She won’t.
I forced a smile for Seraphina, but inside, I was still twisting over every second she was out there.
The next two days, I focused on Seraphina, making sure she ate, rested, and stayed warm. But the moment it got quiet at night, my mind betrayed me, replaying Amelia’s face, her calm, steady look just before she jumped.
I told myself over and over she would come back for the surgery. She’s not reckless enough to risk that. She’s just… acting out. Trying to scare me. But damn, it worked. I can’t shake it.
I got to the hospital early, sitting on a bench outside the operating room, tapping my fingers on my knees without even realizing it.
The nurse came by again, looking a little nervous. “Mr. Holt, has Mrs. Holt shown up yet?”
