Twenty-Six receipts of betrayal Novel novel Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Leaving the hospital, Nicholas called Elara several times. Each call went straight to voicemail. A cold knot of panic began to tighten in his chest.

He hailed a cab to the airport and booked the next available flight back to Switzerland

While waiting at the gate, he sent message after message. Still no reply.

As time dragged on, his heart pounded faster, his mind spiraling into dark possibilities.

He replayed everything that had happened before he’d left Switzerland, sensing something was wrong–something he couldn’t quite put his

finger on.

But what exactly? He couldn’t figure it out. All he could see in his mind was that final look she’d given him–empty, emotionless.

By the time he landed in Switzerland again, it was already the 26th.

He rushed straight to the hotel. When he pushed open the door, the room was empty. Completely empty.

He searched every corner–even tore through the closet. Nothing. No trace of her.

Elara had vanished without a trace.

A deafening roar filled Nicholas’s ears. His mind went blank, his blood running cold.

He yanked out his phone, hands shaking, and hit her number again. Nothing.

The cold, mechanical voice echoed in his ear: “The number you have dialed is currently unavailable.”

His composure shattered. He stumbled down to the front desk, words tumbling out incoherently.

“Excuse me–the guest in room 607–did she… did she check out?”

The receptionist tapped at her computer and shook her head.

“No, sir. Checkout isn’t until noon tomorrow.”

Nicholas exhaled shakily, relief flooding through him.

He collapsed into a lobby chair, head in his hands, forcing himself to calm down.

She’s fine. She probably just went out for a walk. She didn’t see the messages. She’s fine.

After muttering this to himself a dozen times, something suddenly clicked.

They’d come to Switzerland to see the first snow, hadn’t they?

Nicholas glanced out the window. Clear skies. Bright sun.

No snow in Switzerland?

He opened his phone to check the local forecast. But the weather app was still set to New York.

“19°F. Light snow.”

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Twenty–Six Receipts of Betrayal: My Silence Was the Countdown to His Eternal Regret

7.7%

Chapter 9

Seeing those words snapped him back to some semblance of clarity.

Maybe she saw it was snowing back home and just… flew back? Without telling him?

Or was she angry that he’d abandoned her on Christmas Eve–so pissed that she disappeared just to scare him?

Both possibilities battled in his head, neither one feeling quite right.

He stared at the unanswered messages on his screen, his frustration mounting.

Hours passed. Night fell.

Nicholas stayed planted in that lobby for six straight hours, eyes glued to the entrance.

She never showed.

His last shred of patience snapped. He approached the front desk and asked to review the security footage.

The video showed Elara leaving the hotel alone on Christmas morning at 10 a.m., wheeling her suitcase behind her.

He checked the timestamp. She’d been missing for thirty–two hours.

The conviction that she must have returned to New York solidified in his mind.

He immediately booked the next flight home.

Just before boarding, he called his mother, who lived in the suburbs outside the city.

“Mom, are you free right now? Could you check if Elara’s at the house? I can’t reach her.”

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