Nelson was in Anbusea.
An almost abandoned residential building, with ivy climbing up its rough walls, stood in stark contrast to the beautiful government building behind it. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the wealth disparity was evident in the properties.
Only a few elderly residents ventured out of the building. As they passed by, they curiously glanced at the luxury car behind Nelson.
Anthony said, “There won’t be any clues to find here. Many people have already moved away.”
Nelson’s gaze turned fierce. “Wait downstairs.”
They climbed up the narrow corridor, dimly lit by a few flickering lights that created an eerie atmosphere reminiscent of a horror movie.
The voice on the phone had been calm, asking him about some official matters. Then, suddenly, it softened, “Can you come back on the twentieth?”
He immediately replied, “Yes.”
He owed her so much, yet she still remembered his birthday. He shouldn’t have held onto that resentment.
An old lady in simple attire passed by. “Young man, looking for someone? There’s no one here anymore. You should look elsewhere.”
Anthony caught up with him. “Mr. Oconnor, we should go.”
“Let’s go.”
On the twentieth day, Callie was at the Paucaster Villa, making a cake with the chef.
It wasn’t something she had planned to do, and Nelson probably wouldn’t even enjoy eating it.
But it was a gesture, after all. Birthdays had always been important to her when she was younger.
Callie stepped out of the kitchen halfway through to answer a call from Regan. She insisted that Callie come to the studio urgently for something important.
Callie told Nancy, “Ma’am, can I come back that night?”
The cake was almost done.
Without hesitation, Callie replied, “Of course I’ll come back.”
At dusk, Nelson returned home. “Where’s my wife?”
“She went out and said she’ll be back tonight.”
Nancy quickly led Nelson to the kitchen and tried to cheer him up. “Look, the cake was made by your wife herself.”
Nelson felt delighted, of course. But as he worked in his study later, he couldn’t sit still. Every few minutes, he would come out and ask the servants, “Has my wife returned?”
The answer was always disappointing.
Nelson pursed his lips and suddenly felt like he was eighteen again-restless and impulsive.
He thought to himself, it’s okay, just wait a little longer. Callie wouldn’t break her promise.
Because he believed that, he resisted contacting her.
But little did he know that this aimless waiting would continue until ten o’clock at night, eleven o’clock, midnight, past midnight into the early hours of the twenty-first day-Callie still hadn’t returned.
The entire Paucaster Villa was brightly lit. In an instant, Nelson exploded with anger. He tried calling Callie repeatedly but couldn’t reach her.
Amidst his overwhelming sense of loss was intense worry. In the late hours of the night, he gave an order: “Find my wife by eight o’clock at the latest!”
Many people were mobilized for a city-wide search.
This birthday ended without any resolution. Nelson personally went out and had Kieran drive him around, quietly probing for any sign of Callie. They raced through the streets but found nothing at the studio either.
He had someone check Callie’s phone records and traced them back to Regan. She was awakened in the middle of the night and panicked, saying, “Yes, I did meet Callie, but we separated after less than half an hour!”
They continued to search, checking surveillance footage and phone records, but found nothing more.