Free Web NovelChapter 242: Returning home
Jim was already waiting at the airport when we arrived.
He immediately stepped forward, greeted me, and took my luggage to the car while Jane and Henry got into another vehicle sent by Aurelius Technology.
I sat quietly in the back seat, watching the city through the window.
It had only been a week.
Yet somehow, Velaridge City felt unfamiliar.
The familiar sense of warmth I used to feel whenever I returned from a business trip was gone.
Back then, I would always look forward to coming home.
No matter how exhausting the trip had been, the moment I returned, a sense of calm would settle over me.
Especially whenever I stepped into the villa.
But today, even after arriving, I felt nothing.
Only emptiness.
The car eventually pulled into the driveway.
I stepped out and walked into the villa.
The living room was silent.
Too silent.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the familiar space.
Then a bitter smile tugged at my lips.
The realization hit me harder than I expected.
It was never the city.
It was never the villa.
Those things had never been the reason I was always eager to return.
It was the person I expected to find waiting for me.
The person who made this place feel like home.
The person who made me feel complete.
Alicia.
It was almost laughable.
After all this time, I was only realizing it now.
Perhaps Aiden was right.
I had simply been too blind to see it.
"You’re back, sir."
Maria’s surprised voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I turned around and saw her standing near the dining area.
"Maria."
Her expression softened.
"Welcome back, sir."
"Thank you."
She glanced toward the entrance behind me before looking back at me.
"Why didn’t you inform me that you would be returning today?"
"It was unplanned."
I paused briefly.
"Something came up."
"Oh."
She nodded before hesitating.
Then she asked quietly,
"Did you return alone?"
The question struck a nerve.
For a moment, I couldn’t bring myself to answer.
My gaze lowered slightly.
Maria seemed to understand immediately.
The hope in her eyes faded, replaced by concern.
"I’m sorry, sir."
I shook my head.
"There is nothing to apologize for."
An awkward silence settled between us.
Eventually, Maria forced a small smile.
"You should go freshen up."
"I’ll prepare something for you to eat."
I wasn’t hungry.
In fact, I hadn’t had much of an appetite for days.
But I knew Maria well enough to know she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So I simply nodded.
"Alright."
With that, I turned and headed upstairs.
The villa remained as quiet as ever.
And for the first time since returning home, I truly understood what was missing.
I walked into the walk-in closet and, almost unconsciously, reached for the box I had found hidden among Alicia’s things.
Carrying it to the island in the center of the closet, I slowly opened it.
One by one, I took out the items and examined them again.
My gaze fell on the report card with the little note attached to it.
A memory resurfaced. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Back in high school, I used to top my class almost every semester.
My grades were always among the best, and eventually it became something everyone in school talked about.
Alicia had transferred to the same school after her father’s death.
At the time, I never paid much attention to it.
But now...
After everything Aiden and Uncle Steve had said, I finally understood something.
I was the person she was talking about.
The person she wanted to measure herself against.
The person she had looked up to all those years.
My fingers tightened around the paper.
The realization left a bitter taste in my mouth.
While she had been quietly admiring me from afar, I had spent years overlooking her.
I remembered the bracelet.
The bakery bag.
The ultrasound picture.
All the little things she had carefully preserved.
Things that seemed insignificant to everyone else.
Yet she had treasured them for years.
Suddenly, everything became clearer.
Not completely.
But clearer than before.
I had always thought Alicia cared about me because of Nana.
Because Nana asked her to look after me.
Because she was simply kind by nature.
Now, for the first time, I began to wonder if there had been something more.
If there had always been something more.
Then why did she hide it?
And what about that night?
The night we argued.
The night she said she wanted to be with Aiden after the divorce.
My brows furrowed.
Could she have only said that out of anger?
Could she have been trying to push me away?
Or perhaps she simply didn’t want me to know how she felt.
The more I thought about it, the more confused I became. freewebnøvel.coɱ
All this time, I had convinced myself that Alicia loved someone else.
Yet now every clue seemed to point back to me.
I lowered my gaze and gently placed everything back into the box.
For a long moment, I sat there staring at it.
Then I finally closed the lid.
No matter how much I thought about it, Alicia was the only person who could answer those questions.
And she was nowhere to be found.
A heavy sigh escaped my lips.
Eventually, I stood up and headed into the bathroom.
After showering and changing into fresh clothes, I made my way downstairs.
Maria had already prepared dinner.
The moment she saw me, she quickly began serving food onto my plate.
"Thank you," I said after she finished serving the large portion she clearly expected me to eat.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
At least she seemed relieved that I was finally eating properly again.
When I finished, I carried my dishes into the kitchen.
Maria was washing vegetables by the sink.
The moment she saw me holding the plate, she looked surprised.
"Oh, sir, you should have just left it there for me."
"It’s alright."
I placed the dishes beside the sink and turned to leave.
But Maria suddenly called out.
"Sir."
I stopped and looked back.
"There is something I forgot to tell you."
My brows furrowed slightly.
"What is it?"
"Mr. Tristin came by a few days ago."
I paused.
"Tristin?"
Maria nodded.
"Yes."
"He wanted to see you."
"When I told him you weren’t home, he left."
She wiped her hands with a towel before continuing.
"He asked me to let you know he stopped by once you returned."
I stared at her for a moment.
A faint crease appeared between my brows.
Why would Tristin come looking for me?
Almost immediately, I already knew the answer.
The company.
The thought made me release a quiet sigh.
It seemed I could no longer avoid facing reality.
