The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 27

Early the next morning, Gideon pushed open the front doors of the house.

The place was eerily quiet. The usual warm lighting was gone, and the lingering scent of lilies was missing from the air.

The entryway was perfectly still. The slippers were neatly stacked on the rack, and not a single coat belonging to Nora was on the hooks.

Gideon swapped his shoes and casually draped his jacket over his arm.

He instinctively glanced toward the living room—it was completely empty.

Tugging at his tie, he maintained a steady pace toward the second-floor study. After managing Giselle's mood, he had finally remembered the woman waiting at home who needed appeasing.

On the mahogany desk in the study sat a conspicuous manila envelope, resting next to a dark green velvet jewelry box.

Gideon walked over and popped the box open first.

The million-dollar emerald set glowed under the cold desk lamp, untouched against the black velvet.

He brushed his finger against the edge of the box, his brow furrowing instinctively.

She hadn't taken it.

In his mind, Nora loved collecting jewelry, especially pieces with such rich hues. Whenever he bought her something of this caliber, no matter how upset she was, she would always offer a submissive, contented smile before carefully locking it in the safe.

Was she seriously trying to play hard to get?

He dropped the box, his gaze shifting to the envelope. He pulled out the papers inside, the bold black title glaring under the lamp: Divorce Agreement.

Flipping to the last page, he found Nora's signature on the dotted line. The strokes were clean and sharp, completely devoid of hesitation or alterations.

Gideon stared at the signature for a long time before letting out a scoff.

He tossed the papers back onto the desk and leaned deep into his leather chair, crossing his long legs as his eyes drifted over the document.

Gideon picked up his phone and called Liam York.

"Mr. Hayes."

"Come to the house immediately."

Twenty minutes later, Liam rang the doorbell.

Gideon was already seated on the sofa, gesturing with his chin toward the coffee table.

"Take that envelope off the table."

Liam walked over, glancing at the manila envelope. His expression shifted slightly, but he stood respectfully before his boss.

"Mr. Hayes, Mrs. Hayes's phone is currently unreachable. HR reported this evening that after completing her resignation, she packed up all her personal belongings from her desk. Security confirmed she drove out of the underground garage. Shall I look into her current residence?"