Chapter 5

Before boarding the plane, I tossed my SIM card into a trash can and turned off my phone.

Meanwhile, the ballroom had descended into utter chaos.

After returning from the parking lot, Serenity had already taken Lily home, and Dashiell was preparing to take Lavender and Melody back as well.

However, as Dashiell searched through each lounge in the ballroom, he couldn't find a trace of Lavender or Melody in any of them.

His hands began to tremble involuntarily, and he couldn't help but recall Lavender's eyes from earlier. Those eyes were filled with despair and mockery.

At the time, his heart and mind were completely consumed by Serenity, but now as he thought back on it, Dashiell felt a chill run down his spine.

He dialed Lavender's number over and over again, but all he heard was the mechanical voice of the automated message.

Just then, his secretary ran up to Dashiell, looking flustered.

"Mr. Shaw, I've asked the ladies who were present earlier, and it seems... the course of events is different from what Miss Yates described."Dashiell's head was spinning, feeling as if the situation had spiraled completely out of his control. He abruptly shoved his secretary aside and rushed to confront the group of ladies.

Upon seeing Dashiell, the women pursed their lips and began to recount the events, all talking over each other.

"I've never seen such an arrogant woman as Serenity. She waltzed in here claiming Mrs. Shaw wanted a divorce from you, and even had the gall to say Mrs. Shaw had been in a car accident, that she had heart problems, and that she had even put her daughter in danger."

"Exactly! I overheard her interrogating Mrs. Shaw about heart and kidney issues like she was some sort of doctor. And that daughter of hers, Lily or whatever her name is, just pushed Melody down without hesitation. I've never seen such a vicious child before. The way she looked at Melody, it was as if she wanted to devour her."

"When Melody fell, Serenity had the nerve to tell Mrs. Shaw not to bring such a disgusting child out in public. If you ask me, she's the one who should be ashamed. How dare she criticize someone else's daughter when she's raised her own to be such an entitled brat?"

"In my opinion, Mrs.Shaw was too gentle, just splashing her with a glass of red wine. If someone talked about my daughter like that, you'd see if I didn't flay her alive..."

The ladies didn't know about the heart and kidney transplants, so they didn't understand what those words meant, but they heard everything else crystal clear.

Everyone in their social circle knew that men fooling around outside was commonplace, so naturally, they despised women like Serenity the most.

By the end, Dashiell felt the ladies' voices growing more and more distant, until he could barely hear them at all.

Serenity had lied to him, but what about him? Had he ever believed Lavender? Had he given Lavender a chance to explain?

Dashiell went straight home, but as soon as he opened the front door, his eyes fell on the divorce papers sitting on the coffee table.

Dashiell clutched the paper tightly.

"She's gone. She left with the kids."

Seeing Dashiell like this, the secretary felt a bit panicked.

"Shaw... Mr. Shaw..."Dashiell understood Lavender. Back then, he always had Serenity in his heart, and she endured it for a full eight years before finally making up her mind to divorce him just a month ago.

Now she had lost her heart, and Melody wasn't able to travel easily.

If it was just because of the conflict in the ballroom today, she definitely wouldn't have left so decisively with Melody, who had difficulty getting around.

Dashiell suddenly raised his head, his eyes dark and uncertain.

"Investigate. Go investigate for me. Find out exactly what happened these past two days. I want every single detail!"

Watching his secretary's retreating figure, Dashiell lowered his head and dialed Serenity's number.

Serenity assumed Dashiell just missed her. After all, for so many years, Dashiell had always been at her beck and call. She went to meet him without any guard up.

"Dashiell, you missed me so soon? Why are we meeting at your place? Is Lavender not home?"

When she saw the divorce papers in Dashiell's hand, Serenity couldn't help but let out a scornful laugh."Lavender is truly ridiculous. After all these years of marriage, she's still playing this cat-and-mouse game. Last time she ran off, she got into a car accident. Now she dares to run again? She really isn't afraid of death, is she?"

"Don't worry too much. She has nowhere to go. She's a useless person without a heart herself, and she's dragging along that worthless kid without kidneys. Where could she possibly go? Dashiell, you shouldn't be so concerned."

As Dashiell looked at Serenity's face before him, he recalled the words the ladies had just spoken. Now, Dashiell felt as if he had been blind and foolish.

He didn't want to hear Serenity's voice anymore. He grabbed Serenity's throat, choking off her next words.

Seeing Dashiell's icy expression, Serenity finally felt afraid.

"Dashiell? What's wrong, Dashiell... It's me, Serenity..."

Just then, the secretary burst through the door.

"Mr. Shaw! We've found something!"