Chapter 4 The Void

• She looks over her shoulder at the approaching figure of Andrew Calloway, Adrian’s secretary.
• Andrew, a sharply dressed man in his late thirties with an air of calm professionalism, notices the woman’s hesitation immediately. “What’s going on?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.
• Emma gestures to the door. “Mr. Hale isn’t in a good mood today, sir. I—I don’t think I can go in.”
• Andrew sighs and straightens his tie. “I’ll take care of it. Give me the file.”
• Relieved, Emma quickly hands over the folder and retreats back to her desk. Andrew watches her go before squaring his shoulders and pushing open the door.
• Inside, the scene is as expected. Adrian stands by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, his posture rigid as he stares out at the city below. His desk is cluttered—unusual for the typically meticulous CEO—and his phone is lying face-up on the surface, the screen blank but clearly a source of frustration.
• Andrew closes the door behind him and clears his throat. “You called me in on my day off, Mr. Hale. What’s so urgent?”
• Adrian doesn’t turn around. His voice is cold and clipped. “Why isn’t Lila answering my calls?”
• Andrew blinks, caught off guard. “I—what?”
• Adrian finally turns to face him, his expression dark and unreadable. “You heard me. Is her family hiding her? Have they done something?”
• Andrew hesitates, then steps forward to place the file on the desk. “Sir, I looked into it. Mrs. Hale—I mean, Ms. Montgomery—is no longer in New York.”
• Adrian’s jaw tightens. “What do you mean?”
• “She left the country,” Andrew continues, his tone carefully neutral. “Her family isn’t hiding her, but they may have done something to erase the trail. Her travel history has been wiped clean—there’s no record of where she went.”
• Adrian’s eyes narrow, his expression hardening further.
• Andrew shifts uncomfortably but presses on. “Also, regarding the divorce… Ms. Montgomery has already settled everything on her end. The process is complete except for the final approval. There’s nothing left to address.”
• Silence falls over the room. Adrian doesn’t respond, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond Andrew.
• Andrew ventures cautiously, “So, there’s no need to worry about her. She’s moved on, as per the agreement.”
• The words hang heavy in the air. Adrian’s lips press into a thin line, but he doesn’t speak.
• Andrew watches him for a moment before sighing. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
• Adrian doesn’t reply, so Andrew quietly exits the room, shutting the door behind him.
• Alone, Adrian sits heavily in his chair, leaning back as he runs a hand through his hair. His phone sits on the desk in front of him, and despite himself, he picks it up again. His thumb hovers over Lila’s number before pressing the call button.
• As the phone rings, he waits, his heart beating faster despite the frustration bubbling within him.
• “The number you have dialed is no longer available,” the automated message says for the tenth time that day.
• He exhales sharply, slamming the phone onto the desk. His mind races. ‘Why does it bother me so much?’ he thinks. ‘Why do I care if she answers or not?’
• Leaning back in his chair, he stares at the blank ceiling. The silence in the room feels deafening, punctuated only by the faint hum of the city outside.
• And yet, all he can hear is the echo of her voice, soft and resolute, as she told him goodbye.
• Across the Atlantic, the streets of Paris are alive with the hum of activity. The city is bustling, but in the quiet corner of her rented apartment overlooking a small cobblestone street, Lila Montgomery sits alone.
• The soft afternoon light filters through the lace curtains, bathing the room in a golden glow. Lila rests her hand gently on her stomach, her thoughts far away. The faint curve beneath her palm feels surreal, a quiet reminder of the secret she carries.
• No one knows about her pregnancy—not her best friend Claire, not her parents. Only she and her doctor share this knowledge.
• She lets out a faint, humorless laugh. ‘And Adrian?’ Her heart clenches at the thought. ‘He wouldn’t know either. He’s too busy, too consumed with his work… and Katrina.’
• Her throat tightens as her mind wanders to the past few months. She had spent years trying to fit into Adrian’s life, bending herself into a version she thought he could love. But now, with their marriage ending and her life in pieces, she is left with one undeniable truth: Adrian never wanted her, and he never will.
• Her fingers press slightly harder against her stomach, her voice breaking the silence. “Don’t worry,” she whispers, her tone soft but resolute. “I’ll take care of you. Both of you. You won’t need anyone else—not even your daddy.”
• Her chest rises and falls as she takes a steadying breath, her gaze fixed on the faint blue sky beyond the window. “I won’t let him know about you if it means protecting you from being hurt. I promise.”
• Her lips tremble as tears gather at the corners of her eyes. For all the pain Adrian had caused her, she knows she still loves him. But love isn’t enough—not when it comes at the cost of her children’s happiness.
• Running a hand over her belly once more, she leans back against the cushions of the small sofa. Her voice is barely a whisper now, almost as if she’s afraid to speak the words aloud. “I guess this is really a goodbye for us.”
• The room falls silent again, save for the distant sounds of Parisian life outside. But inside, Lila makes a vow: she will give her children the life they deserve, even if it means carrying the weight of this secret forever.
• With a deep breath, Lila reaches for her phone. Her fingers hover over the screen for a moment, almost as if trying to steady the storm of emotions swirling inside her. She scrolls through her contacts, her eyes landing on his name.
• My hubby♡
• Her chest tightens. The name alone feels like a shadow she can’t escape, but she knows she has to let go. Slowly, deliberately, she taps his contact. The options appear before her:
• Call, Message, Delete Contact.
• Her finger hovers over the delete button, a pang of hesitation flickering in her chest, but she presses it anyway. The screen confirms her decision:
• Are you sure you want to delete this contact?
• Without another thought, she taps “Yes.” The name vanishes from her contacts list, and in that moment, something inside her feels lighter.
• But it isn’t enough. Not yet.
• She exits the contacts and opens her social media apps. She starts with Instagram, scrolling through the list of connections, each one reminding her of a life she once thought she could be part of. One by one, she blocks every person connected to him—the people who still follow him, the mutual friends, the acquaintances she’s shared moments with.
• Each block feels like another step in severing the ties that bind her to the past. She does the same on Facebook, Twitter, and any other platform where his name still lingers. The digital threads that once linked her to him are severed, and as she finishes, she takes a moment to breathe.
• ‘This is the end,’ she thinks. ‘I am moving on.’
• Her heart still aches, but she knows deep down that this is the only way forward—for her, for her children. She won’t let the past hold her back anymore.