The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 135

First Clues-1

The war at the northern border had been brutal.

Relentless.

Bloody.

But none of it-

Not the battles, not the riots, not the endless nights of strategy and bloodshed-

Had pushed Caleb to the edge like this.

Nothing compared.

Nothing even came close.

Because now he was unhinged.

Completely.

He hadn’t slept properly.

Hadn’t eaten more than a few forced bites.

Hadn’t even tasted the expensive liquor that once came so easily to him, now sitting untouched as if it meant nothing.

Because nothing did.

Nothing except one thing.

Iva.

Her absence clawed at him like a living thing, tearing through his chest, suffocating his thoughts, poisoning every moment with a single, unbearable question.

“Where is she?”

୮

His hands slammed against the desk in his penthouse with a violent crack, the wood splintering slightly under the force as his breathing came out harsh, uneven, his entire body vibrating with restrained rage.

“Find her,” he growled for what felt like the hundredth time, his voice low but deadly, directed at the men standing in front of him.

His security team.

His most trusted.

And yet-

Even they were failing him.

We are trying. Your Highness,” one of them replied cautiously, his posture rigid under Caleb’s oppressive aura. “There are no signs of forced entry… no struggle… no indication that she was taken-”

“That means nothing!” Caleb snapped sharply, his eyes flashing dangerously as his patience snapped further. “She could have been coerced, threatened-”

Or worse.

The thought alone made something dark twist violently inside him.

Chaos roared.

“Someone took her. Someone dared to touch what is ours. We will tear them apart.”

Caleb’s jaw clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms as he fought to maintain control, his entire body tense with the need to act, to move, to destroy something.

But another thought-

A more dangerous one-

Kept creeping in.

Unwanted.

Unforgiving.

What if she left?

His chest tightened painfully.

No.

No.

That wasn’t possible.

Was it?

“She wouldn’t just leave…” he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else, his voice strained, uncertain.

But the doubt was there.

And it was eating him alive.

Because if that was true-

If she had chosen to leave-

Then why?

What had he done?

His thoughts spiraled back to their last moments.

7

First Chiesi

The fire between them.

The way she looked at him-

His chest constricted violently.

“Your Highness…”

The voice broke through his thoughts.

Claim

Caleb’s head snapped up sharply, his eyes locking onto his security analyst who had just entered the room, holding an iPad in his hands, his expression serious.

“I believe… we have something.”

Everything in Caleb stilled.

“Show me,” he ordered immediately, his voice low, dangerous.

The man stepped forward quickly, handing him the device.

Caleb’s fingers wrapped tightly around it, his gaze dropping to the screen.

And then-

The world stopped.

The footage played.

Clear.

Unmistakable.

The penthouse entrance.

And there-

She was.

Iva.

Walking.

Alive.

Unharmed.

A small backpack slung over her shoulder.

Leaving.

Not running.

Not struggling.

Leaving.

315

First Clues

Claim

A sharp, brutal pain tore through his chest so violently that for a moment, he couldn’t breathe.

His grip on the iPad tightened, his knuckles turning white as his entire body went rigid, his eyes locked on the screen as if refusing to believe what he was seeing.

“No…” he whispered under his breath.

But it was real.

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