My Husband's Affair My Anniversary Gift (Lily and David) novel Chapter 364

Cristo stopped walking when he realized the sound of Riyana’s footsteps was no longer behind him.

At first, it did not alarm him. She often walked slower than him. Sometimes she stopped suddenly when her thoughts pulled her somewhere else. Sometimes she changed her direction without telling him. It had happened before.

He turned around, scanning the corridor behind him.

People moved around, faces unfamiliar, busy with their own worries. Riyana’s slim figure, her light-colored dress, her calm but tense walk, none of it was there.

“Mrs. Grey?” he called softly, not wanting to draw attention.

No answer.

For a moment, he told himself not to overthink it. Maybe she had gone back to her stepfather’s ward.

She worried about him constantly. Maybe she remembered something and turned around without saying anything. She did that too.

Cristo turned back and walked quickly toward the ward.

With every step, an uneasy feeling started to crawl into his chest.

When he reached the ward, his eyes searched immediately. He looked near the bed. He checked near the window. He even looked behind the curtain, even though he knew how foolish that was. Her mother was there. The room was quiet.

She was not there.

Cristo’s heartbeat picked up.

“Maybe restroom,” he muttered to himself, though his voice lacked confidence.

He walked down the opposite hallway, checking corners, checking near the vending machines, the small waiting area, even the emergency exit door. Nothing.

Cristo swallowed hard.

He stepped back into the hallway again, his eyes moving faster now, sharper. He walked a few steps in one direction, then turned and walked the other way. His heart began to beat faster.

“She must be nearby,” he muttered to himself. “She wouldn’t just disappear.”

But the longer he looked, the more empty the corridor felt.

Cristo’s palms began to sweat.

A cold thought slipped into his mind, slow and heavy.

What if something happened?

That thought alone made his chest tighten painfully.

Jabco’s face appeared in his mind. His cold eyes. His calm voice when he gave orders. The way his silence could be more frightening than shouting.

Jabco had trusted him.

No. Jabco had not just trusted him. Jabco had made him responsible.

“She’s in your care,” Jabco had said clearly. “You don’t leave her alone. Not even for a minute.”

Cristo’s throat felt dry.

If Jabco found out he had lost Riyana inside a hospital, a place that should have been safe, Jabco would not listen to explanations. He would not care about excuses. Jabco was not the kind of man who forgave mistakes, especially not mistakes involving Riyana.

Cristo felt fear settle deep in his stomach.

Not fear of losing his job.

Fear of losing his life.

He turned around again, walking faster now. His eyes checked every corner, every open door, every bench. He asked a nurse if she had seen a woman matching Riyana’s description. The nurse shook her head.

Cristo’s breathing became uneven.

“Think,” he told himself. “Think clearly.”

Hospitals had cameras everywhere.

CCTV.

Cristo’s eyes lifted toward the ceiling, spotting a black camera fixed above the corridor. Relief mixed with urgency rushed through him.

Without wasting another second, he turned sharply and started walking fast toward the security section.

As he walked, his hand moved to his phone almost on its own.

He dialed Jabco’s number.

The call connected quickly.

"Boss" Cristo said as soon as the line picked up. His voice was tight, controlled with effort. "I lost her"

There was silence on the other side.

Not the kind of silence that meant the call had dropped.

The dangerous kind.

“What do you mean, you lost her?” Jabco’s voice finally came, low and calm.

Cristo’s heart pounded harder. “She was walking behind me. I reached the canteen area, turned back, and she was gone. I checked her stepfather’s ward. She’s not there.”

Another pause.

Cristo could almost picture Jabco standing somewhere, his jaw tightening slightly, his eyes darkening.

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