On the Ruins of His Regret I Soar novel Chapter 58

“It’s done,” Lance said flatly.

“Lance, you shouldn’t stay up so late. You need to get some sleep,” Catherine said, reaching over to close his laptop. As she did, she saw what was on the screen: the website for the asylum where Jessica had been kept.

“Why are you looking at this?” she asked.

Lance hesitated for a moment before confiding in her. “Her reaction earlier, when I mentioned the asylum… it was extreme. I think something might have happened to her in there. I’m looking into it.”

Catherine sighed. “Let me handle this. You have enough on your plate. I’ll find out what happened and let you know.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

She took his arm and walked him to the master bedroom door. “Go get some sleep. Goodnight.”

Lance watched her limp back to her room, rubbing his temples. Why couldn’t Jessica be more like Catherine?

He entered the dark bedroom, his path familiar, and reached for Jessica in the bed. His hand met empty sheets.

He flicked on the bedside lamp. The bed was empty. Jessica wasn’t there.

The temperature in the room plummeted.

“Lance, don’t be too angry,” Catherine added, feigning sympathy. “Imagine being locked up in a place like that. Even if they were treating her well, she must have been desperate to get out. I probably would have done something crazy, too.”

“But you,” Lance said, his voice a low growl, “would never, ever stoop to seducing another woman’s husband.”

Catherine bit her lip. “Jessica was desperate. Let’s just pretend this never happened. A woman’s reputation is a delicate thing.”

“She brought this on herself,” he snarled.