Chapter 10 Deleted Message

• Kendrick reminded himself that in a month, they would be going in different directions, so he had no intention of looking into Raelynn's life.
• He didn't care about her, so there was no reason to search for information.
• Every night, Raelynn would visit his house to spend the night with him, but their interactions were strictly limited to that. They never inquired about each other's lives.
• Raelynn would avoid talking to the doctor when Kendrick was around, and he chose to ignore it. However, there were several occasions when he noticed her deleting the messages after talking to the doctor.
• If their relationship wasn't meant to be kept a secret, then why go to such extremes?
• There were many times when he felt curious and tempted to check her phone while she slept, but she always turned it off at night, and it was locked with a password. Her fingerprint alone wasn't enough to unlock it, so he had no choice but to turn her phone off again.
• It was odd that since Raelynn returned, even with the added stress from work, he could now fall asleep without the need for sleeping pills.
• And he would sleep until morning.
• Raelynn always woke up before him and made sure not to disturb his rest.
• Kendrick tried waking up earlier than her to see what she did after she woke up, but whenever he woke up, she was already gone.
• He realized his mindset was shifting. While he anticipated the end of their one-month agreement, the passing days made him feel uneasy about losing more time with her.
• What if she found herself in need of money again in the future?
• If she stayed away from gambling, everything would be fine. But gambling was unpredictable. What if she lost everything in one round? Would she end up sleeping with someone just to pay off her debts?
• The thought of this kept Kendrick awake again.
• He finally realized when Raelynn got up. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and got dressed. She approached the bed and stood next to him, and he felt her presence as her lips gently touched his forehead, whispering, "Good morning."
• She turned and left.
• He lay there motionless, stiff in bed.
• Is this how she left every morning?
• His chest tightened, overwhelmed with a mix of suffocation and pain.
• On the final night of their one-month arrangement, Raelynn hadn't come back to Kendrick's villa by ten o'clock.
• Kendrick felt a sense of frustration rising in him, wanting to call her, but unsure if he should.
• Close to midnight, just as he was about to dial her number, the gate's password lock was pressed.
• Today, Raelynn was dressed in a very casual outfit. She wore flat shoes and walked in slowly.
• She walked in, carrying some groceries, and found him sitting on the sofa, reading the news on his phone. She smiled and asked, "Still awake? I got some groceries. Do you want me to make supper for you?"
• In the past month, she had never offered to cook.
• She began unpacking the groceries from the eco-bag, revealing a plentiful amount.
• This wasn't just supper. It felt more like the last dinner.
• It seemed like she, too, was bound by time.
• Kendrick didn't respond. He stood up and headed upstairs, saying, "I'm not hungry tonight."
• "It's fine, I made it, you can try it tomorrow. If you don't like it, just throw it away."
• Her tone was as light-hearted as always, with no sign of hesitation or sadness.
• She mumbled to herself as she washed the vegetables, "Have you ever had celery leaves stir-fried with eggs? A fellow inmate told me about it in prison. Let's try it out.
• "Tomatoes are a great ingredient. You can add them to anything, and it will taste amazing.
• "Beef is healthy. It's full of calcium.
• "A fellow inmate told me you have to pan-fry the tilapia to make the soup nice and milky, with a richer aroma."
• Kendrick didn't move. He stood there as though frozen, watching Raelynn prepare the meal, setting each dish carefully on the table.
• Her cooking wasn't perfect, some dishes were too salty, others too bland, but he still ate a lot.
• Later, as they lay in bed, Raelynn didn't climb on top of Kendrick as she usually did. Instead, she lay still. When he tried to make a move, she softly said, "I'm not feeling well today, be gentle with me."
• Her voice had a protective quality as if she were guarding something.
• Kendrick hadn't planned to sleep, but the past month of rest had been peaceful, and his heart felt calm.
• Raelynn was careful when she got up.
• She brushed her teeth, washed her face, straightened herself up, and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, her hand resting on her belly.
• She was pregnant, finally carrying the baby, and it was safe.
• From this moment, they would go their separate ways.
• She approached Kendrick's bedside. This time, she didn't kiss his forehead like usual. Instead, she looked at his handsome profile, her eyes filled with unshed tears.
• "Kendrick, this is goodbye, forever."
• ...
• When Kendrick woke up, he instinctively reached for the side of the bed, only to find it empty.
• He sat up quickly and got out of bed. For the past month, Raelynn's toiletries had been left here, and the maid had even prepared slippers for her.
• But now, everything was gone.
• Even the toothbrush and cup were neatly put away.
• A month had passed, and it was over.
• He had believed that when this moment arrived, his emotions wouldn't be so shaken and that he would simply go on with his usual routine. However, as time went by, his mind became increasingly unsettled.
• Struggling to fall asleep at night, he found himself relying on sleeping pills once more.
• The money he had given her was enough to last for some time. She understood his generosity and assumed she could always turn to him when she needed more.
• But she didn't. For an entire three months, there was no attempt to reach out to him.
• Sitting in his office, Kendrick looked at Tim. "Has Raelynn been in touch with you?"
• "No, Mr. Reece."
• "Is there any update on her from outside?" Kendrick asked again.
• "Nothing, Mr. Reece. The money you gave her last time is enough for her to buy both a car and a house, ensuring a comfortable life. There's no need for you to be concerned."
• Kendrick remarked, "She's a gambler. She can't stop herself from spending. Look into whether she's been gambling again lately or if she's involved with someone new."
• He couldn't even admit it to himself, but what truly troubled him was the thought that Raelynn might have found another man.
• A woman like her, not only talented but with remarkable beauty, surely there would be someone eager to spend on her.
• Thirty minutes later, Tim entered his office. "Mr. Reece, three months ago, Ms. Elway left Couhgan, and there has been no information since then."
• Kendrick suddenly stood up.
• What do you mean, no information at all?
• Has she disappeared forever?
• A cold sweat ran down his back, and his powerful frame trembled involuntarily. He gripped the desk tightly. "Fine, there's no need to search for her anymore. Whether she's alive or dead doesn't matter!"
• He left his office, feeling as though he was floating on air. His steps were light and almost weightless, a feeling he had never experienced even when he sent Raelynn to prison.
• The car took him all the way to the prison. As Kendrick stepped out, he gazed at the iron gates and towering walls. Two years and seven months—this was how long that woman had been paying for his father's wrongs.
• That was the debt the Elways owed him.
• He had no reason to feel guilty!
• Behind those towering walls, whoever was involved with her, he would make sure to eliminate them!
• But he searched in vain, unable to uncover the identity of the man related to Raelynn. What he did discover, however, was that Raelynn had given birth to a baby girl in prison, through a cesarean section. The medical report from the surgery revealed that one of her kidneys was missing.
• Further examination of the records showed that the missing kidney had been transplanted when she was 23 years old.
• The recipient of that transplant was listed as ...