Chapter 703

With the sun, Dorothy arose the next day, her eyes fluttering open before Everett’s for a change.

Propping herself up on her elbow, she gazed adoringly at his sleeping face. Even in slumber, he

radiated a chiseled tranquility, the usual frost of aloofness melting away to unveil a softer side.

Tousled hair added a boyish charm, reminiscent of a high school jock ready to hit the field for a

game of hoops at a moment’s notice.

Not wanting to let this rare moment slip by, Dorothy instinctively reached under her pillow for her

phone to capture the scene. But after fumbling around, her phone was nowhere to be found. She

could have sworn she placed it there before drifting off to sleep.

Frustrated with her unsuccessful search, she flipped the pillow entirely, only to come up empty-

handed. The commotion was enough to stir Everett from his dreams.

When she looked back at him, his eyes were already open, watching her.

"What are you looking for?" he asked, his voice husky with the remnants of sleep, a deep and

enticing timbre to his morning rasp.

"My phone's gone missing."

There was silence as Everett didn't respond but instead got out of bed. Dorothy's eyes fell upon her

phone as he walked away, charging on the desk.

Oh? Had she plugged it in last night before going to bed?

She slapped her forehead, unable to recall, and decided to let it go.

Expecting Everett to still be in no mood for conversation, Dorothy was surprised to find him fresh

from the shower, dressed and ready, waiting at the door as she finished getting dressed.

"Let's go," he said.

"Where?"

"I promised Abigail and Langston we'd take them to the amusement park today."

Dorothy blinked in surprise, unaware of these plans.

"I'll pick up the kids. Meet me downstairs," he said, leaving the room without waiting for her

agreement.

She paused, reflecting on Everett’s words from the day before, "After these three days, you're free

to go."

It seemed Everett had shifted from planning a future to planning these three days.

...

Karen never imagined that Jeffrey wouldn't come home for the night. It was one thing not to return,

but his phone was off too, unreachable!

After waiting at home for a while and finding no sign of him as darkness fell, she reluctantly drove

back to the hospital parking lot, finding his car gone.

It appeared he had left the hospital.

Initially, Karen was furious – his disappearing act without a word was maddening! But as time ticked

by, anger turned to fear.

Her mind raced with dreadful possibilities!

What if Jeffrey, driving that flashy sports car, had been kidnapped? Or worse, what if he had been in

an accident on his way back to the office?

It just wasn't like Jeffrey to drop off the radar!

As the clock struck midnight, Karen couldn’t sit still any longer. She grabbed her phone and started

driving along the stretch between the hospital and the Lopez Corporation, stopping at every police

station en route.

"Excuse me, were there any accidents reported on this road yesterday afternoon?"

"No, ma'am! Are you looking for someone?"

"No, no, thank you!"

Street by street, Karen searched, but to no avail – no useful clues surfaced.

She thought about calling Jeffrey's parents, but it was far too late. It wouldn't be right to disturb them

in the middle of the night.