The Hide and Seek Game That Lasted a Lifetime novel Chapter 19

Chapter 9

Dominic Faulkner stole a glance at her through the rearview mirror, the faintest curve of a smile tugging at his lips.

“Already smiling? Does divorce suit you that well?” he teased quietly.

It was then that Nora finally gathered the courage to ask the questions swirling in her mind.

“Who exactly are you? And why did you take me away like this?”

She studied his reflection in the front mirror carefully—his sharp eyebrows, the defined angles of his face, and his thin lips pressed into a firm line. Even without a word, his presence felt commanding, like the calm before a brewing storm.

Yet strangely, there was no hint of hostility in his gaze.

Dominic chuckled softly, a sound that was both amused and slightly incredulous.

“You don’t even know my name, and yet you climbed into my car without hesitation?”

Nora nodded firmly, her eyes steady.

“You saved me. That’s enough reason for me to trust you.”

His brow twitched ever so slightly, but he remained silent.

Meanwhile, high above the city in a rotating rooftop restaurant, Chase sat across from Camila, sharing dinner. The gentle hum of conversation and clinking glasses surrounded them, but an unexpected wave of dread suddenly washed over him. It felt as though something invaluable had just slipped through his fingers, leaving a hollow ache in its wake.

With every passing second, the unease tightened its grip.

Abruptly, Chase pushed his chair back with a sharp bang, sending it toppling over as he rose.

“I need to check on something. Stay here—I’ll be back quickly.”

“But you promised we’d go to the amusement park tonight…” Camila’s voice held a note of disappointment.

Chase was already gone before she could finish.

Biting her lip, Camila forced herself to wait patiently, just as he had instructed.

Chase raced back to the Whitmore estate, heart pounding in his chest.

The moment he opened the door, he was met with darkness. An eerie silence filled the air, thick with emptiness.

He hurried to the bedroom.

The bed was empty.

The closet doors stood open, completely bare.

Every sign that Nora had ever lived here had vanished as if she had been erased from existence.

Panic surged through him like a tidal wave.

His fingers fumbled for his phone as he dialed her number.

All he heard was the cold, unyielding beep… beep…

Nora had never ignored his calls before—not once.

He redialed, over and over, desperate.

This time, the call didn’t even connect.

Her phone was switched off.

His hands trembled uncontrollably. His mind raced, unable to keep pace with the rising panic.

He was unraveling.

She must have truly believed he would save her.

But where was he?

Kissing Camila atop a Ferris wheel, lost in a moment that now felt like a cruel betrayal.

He squeezed his eyes shut, pain radiating through his chest.

Was this the moment her heart shattered?

The final breaking point that drove her to leave?

Had she stopped loving him already?

“Sir,” one of the technicians spoke hesitantly, “there are signs of tampering in the video. Look here—there’s a frame skip. Mrs. Whitmore is lifted into the air, as if being carried, but no figure appears.”

Chase’s face darkened with fury.

Fast-forwarding confirmed his worst suspicions.

She had been taken—but whoever carried her was invisible.

He sprang to his feet, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Who had the audacity to break into the Whitmore estate and abduct his wife?

“Restore the original footage. I want every single frame recovered.”

“And activate every branch of the Whitmore Group—use every resource. Find her. Now.”

“Whoever finds her first,” he added grimly, “fifty million, no questions asked.”