Chapter 109 Vacant Home
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The massive villa stood in silence under the night sky, not a single light on inside.
Zacharias‘ chest clenched without warning.
“She’s probably asleep by now.”
The car rolled to a stop as he spoke.
It wasn’t clear if the words were meant for Jackie or for himself.
A strange hesitation gripped him, the kind someone felt when returning to a place they weren’t sure they still belonged.
When Jackie noticed that he wasn’t moving, he quickly got out, circled around, and opened the back door for him.
“Mr. Shaw?”
Zacharias drew in a slow, controlled breath before finally swinging his legs out.
Straightening his jacket, he started toward the front steps.
Jackie trailed behind with the briefcase. As they reached the porch, a sharp crack sounded under Zacharias‘ shoe.
“What is it?”
He frowned and nudged it with the tip of his shoe,
It seemed odd that anything would be left lying at the front door.
In the dim glow of the moon, he finally saw it.
It was a bouquet of roses that lay crushed, wilted, and decaying.
Jackie saw it too.
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Chapter 109 Vacant Home
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His face changed as he stammered, “That’s… that’s the bouquet you bought for Mrs. Shaw the night you left. How is it still here?”
The memory hit Zacharias hard. He had meant to be home that evening for dinner, to try and mend things with Anneliese.
He even had Jackie bring her roses. But then Selina had called him in desperation, and he boarded a plane without saying a word.
“I told you to give those flowers to Anneliese and explain everything. So why the hell are they still sitting here?”
His voice turned sharp, his cold gaze cutting into Jackie.
Sweat broke out across Jackie’s forehead.
He felt cornered, yet what could he say? He wasn’t Anneliese’s husband. He was only an assistant.
It was Zacharias‘ job to patch things up with his wife, but he left the dirty work for his assistant while he was enjoying the embrace of another woman.
“I… I brought them that night, but Mrs. Shaw wasn’t home.
“I knocked for a long time, and nobody came to the door. So, I left them here.
“I texted her too. I thought she’d see them when she got back…”
His voice faded, and both men froze as the same grim thought crossed their minds.
Maybe Anneliese never came home that night.
Zacharias‘ anger evaporated. He spun and shoved the door open.
The lock clicked, and the moment the door swung wide, the lights snapped on.
“Anne! Honey!”
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Chapter 109 Vacant Home
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His voice thundered across the empty living room, echoing off the walls. No reply came back.
His eyes swept across the space, and his stomach dropped. His face went pale.
“What the hell… what happened here?”
Behind him, Jackie froze, his words breaking into a nervous tremor.
The villa, once warm and elegant, was wrecked.
The floor was covered in shards of glass. Branches from broken plants lay scattered across the ground.
The couch had been slashed wide open, its stuffing spilled everywhere.
Their wedding portrait had been smashed, the glass fractured, the image split clean in two.
Every vase and ornament had been shattered.
Even the towering plants by the window had withered into brown husks. The place looked like a ruin.
“Mr. Shaw, what…” Jackie couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Anne! Anne, where are you? Don’t do this to me! Anneliese!”
Zacharias‘ voice cracked as he charged up the stairs.
He tore through every room, throwing doors open, until he reached their bedroom.
The air was heavy with the stale smell of dust. The bedding she had adored with all her heart was shredded and tossed aside,
The curtains were ripped down, and she took her time picking those out.
The wedding photo that had once hung above the bed lay smashed on the floor,
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Chapter 109 Vacant Home
glass shattered, a wine bottle spilled across it.
Zacharias staggered into the walk–in closet.
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Her clothes were gone. His own suits and ties were tossed in heaps, the shelves in complete disarray.
“Mr. Shaw… are you okay?”
His knees buckled, and his vision spun.
Jackie caught him as he faltered, but Zacharias seized him back with burning eyes.
“Call the police! Right now! Someone broke in, destroyed everything, and kidnapped Anne. That’s the only explanation.”
Jackie’s face twisted with hesitation. “Mr. Shaw… I think maybe Mrs. Shaw…”
He didn’t finish before Zacharias cut him off with a furious roar.
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