Henry Dawson opened his phone to check his WhatsApp chat with me. It had been quite a while since I last sent him a message.
Just then, his assistant, James Butler, entered the room, looking somewhat distressed. "Mr. Dawson, it seems that there's been a fire at the villa in the countryside."
"Should we go take a look?"
Henry owned many properties, so he pondered for a moment before replying, "If there's a fire, then put it out."
James sighed. "But it seems that Miss Megan might still be inside the villa."
Upon hearing this, Henry chuckled coldly, his eyes icy as he looked at James. "Did Megan tell you that?"
"She's probably just using this as a trick to escape. She wants to avoid punishment. You tell her that unless she apologizes to Grace, she's not leaving."
James reluctantly nodded. "Understood."
As James left, the office door was suddenly kicked open. Ethan Collins stood in front of Henry, his voice trembling. "Henry, where is Megan?"
Henry slowly looked up, unfazed. "She's in the villa."
Ethan was a close friend of Henry's, someone we had both known since university.
"Then why isn’t she answering my calls?"
Henry shrugged nonchalantly. "How should I know?"
Compared to Henry's calm demeanor, Ethan appeared anxious. He grabbed Henry by the collar. "Henry, you're her husband."
"If you don't know, who does?"
Henry leisurely signed the paperwork and gently pried Ethan’s hand off his collar. "She's at the villa in the countryside."
"You can go find her yourself, but until she apologizes to Grace, I won't let her leave."
Hearing about the villa, Ethan's expression darkened. "The countryside?"
"It's so remote out there that even food delivery doesn't reach. What has she been eating all these days?"
Henry paused. "A woman as resourceful as her will find a way. She won't starve. Besides, this is just her punishment. I told you, as long as she apologizes to Grace, I'll let her go."
"If she refuses to apologize, then she won't be leaving."
Before leaving, Ethan shot Henry a glare.
Ethan drove out to the villa to find me. When he opened the door, he couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the smell.
The air was thick with the scent of charred wood.
His expression changed as he rushed to my room. The door was scorched black, and with a gentle push, it swung open.
In the corner lay a charred body.
Seeing my body, Ethan froze, his face a mask of disbelief.
He fell to his knees beside me, just staring at me numbly.
As he looked, a tear slipped from his eye onto my hand.
My body, like a desert long deprived of water, immediately absorbed and evaporated that single tear.
