Part 10

Amanda had searched high and low, asking everyone she could think of, but no one knew where Lucas had gone.

Sitting in her office, Amanda's expression darkened, her face clouded with a growing sense of desolation.

Just then, the phone rang. She glanced at the screen.

It was Ethan calling.

She immediately hung up.

But the phone rang again. She ended the call once more.

When it rang a third time, Amanda's patience finally broke.

"Is this ever going to end?"

The voice on the other end was startled by her sharp tone. After a brief silence, the person cautiously spoke.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Miss Johnson. I have a delivery for you. Would you be able to sign for it now?"

A delivery?

Amanda frowned, her brows knitting together in confusion.

"Yes, I'm outside your villa. May I have you sign for it?"

"I'm not available right now."

"Okay, I'll try again tomorrow."

"Wait," Amanda suddenly remembered something.

"Who sent it?"

"It's from Mr. Lucas."

Amanda's heart skipped a beat. She stood up quickly, her voice suddenly sharp.

"I'll be there right now. Don't go anywhere!"

She hurried out the door, disregarding the red lights as she sped toward the neighborhood.

At the entrance, she ran into the delivery man who was about to leave.

"Where is my package?"

Startled as she grabbed him, the delivery man hesitated before answering.

"Your husband signed for it and took it inside."

"Husband?" Amanda's frown deepened. "My husband isn't home."

"Ah? But the man who was here just now claimed to be your husband..."

Amanda's brows shot up in suspicion, and she stormed into the house without another word.

"Ethan! Where are you?!"

In the bathroom, Ethan jumped at the sudden sound of her voice. He quickly threw what he had in his hands into the toilet and frantically pressed the flush button.

The door to the bathroom was kicked open with a crash.

Amanda grabbed the box from his hands without hesitation.

Inside were countless photographs.

The pictures spanned the course of her life—from her youthful, innocent university days to the sophisticated, seductive woman she had become.

There were photos of her in her school uniform.

In her sportswear, running under the sun.

In formal attire, looking serious at work.

And in her casual home clothes, cooking with a spatula.

All of them taken by Lucas.

Some she knew about, others were a complete surprise.

They were candid shots, taken without her knowing, capturing her unguarded moments.

She had never realized how talented Lucas was at photography.

Each photo was filled with love, as though he had captured her essence, surrounding her with a golden glow.

His love seemed to spill out from every frame.

Amanda's hands trembled as she flipped through the photos, her movements slow and deliberate. Slowly, tears began to well up in her eyes.

When she reached the last photo, Amanda froze.

It was a picture of her and Ethan lying together on the bed.

A sharp pain sliced through her heart, sudden and unbearable.

She pressed her hand to her chest, the photo slipping from her fingers.

It was then that she noticed the writing on the back of the picture.

Lucas's handwriting.

"Amanda, have you ever felt guilty about me?"

Amanda froze for a moment, panic rising as she hurriedly grabbed the other photos.

Each one had a note written on the back.

"Amanda, you're so beautiful and serious when you're working."

"Amanda, I love you."

"Wife, I took another photo of you. Will you blame me when you see it?"

"Amanda..."

The last one had only half of the message, just the name "Amanda."

Fury ignited inside her as she grabbed Ethan's wrist.

"Where's the other half?!"

"Sis, please, don't— You're scaring me..."

"I'm asking you—where's the other half?! Answer me!"

Terrified, Ethan pointed toward the toilet.

"I tore it up and flushed it away!"

Slap!

Amanda slapped him across the face with a force that left him reeling.

"S-Sis?"

Ethan's eyes filled with shock and rage.

"You said you didn't love him anymore. Why are you still holding on to these?"

"I destroyed them so he wouldn't affect you anymore!"

"Get out!"

"I'm the one you love, Sis. Lucas isn't here anymore. You still have me!"

He stood up, trying to pull Amanda into an embrace.

But Amanda stepped back, her eyes filled with disgust and warning.

"Don't make me say it again—get out!"

"Sis..."

"Leave!"

Realizing Amanda's fury had reached its peak, Ethan quickly changed the subject.

"Uh, uh, I'll go make something for you in the kitchen. You...?"

Amanda glared at him, her voice slow, deliberate, and full of finality.

"Get out of Lucas's house."