Ronnie’s mind went blank. A deafening buzz filled his ears. His eyes widened as he gripped his fists until his knuckles turned color. The world crumbled around him.
He thought, “Andrea… she knew everything.”
“Where is Mrs. Douglas?” he demanded, his voice sharp.
The assistant’s face drained of color. After a long pause, he stammered, “Many people saw Mrs. Douglas jump into the sea. But the rescue teams searched all afternoon and found nothing.
“There were signs the anti–shark cage had been damaged. It’s possible… Mrs. Douglas‘ body was taken by sharks.”
Chapter 7
After signing the divorce papers, Brynlee took her share of the assets and burned everything that belonged to her.
She left without a trace, clean and resolute.
When Donald returned home with his young secretary, he was met with an empty house.
The old housekeeper struggled to speak, “Mr. Gardner, after Mrs. Gardner signed the divorce papers alone that day, had a sudden heart attack
that night.
“Ms. Gardner said you wouldn’t answer her calls and didn’t want to be disturbed, so she instructed us not to notify you…”
He frowned. “Mrs. Gardner is dead? Are you losing your mind? What nonsense are you talking about?”
It wasn’t until he stood before Brynlee’s gravestone that reality hit him.
The black–and–white photo on the tombstone pierced his heart.
Donald staggered back in shock. “Impossible… I was only trying to scare her…”
He stood frozen for a long time before finally accepting the truth.
The woman who had been by his side for thirty years, through youth and into their twilight, was truly gone.
Losing control, he grabbed his assistant by the collar.
“Are you crazy? Why didn’t anyone tell me something this important? Why?”
“Sir… everyone in the company knew about you and Ms. Costa. People were saying that Mrs. Gardner was divorcing you and that Ms. Costa would be the new Mrs. Gardner…”
Donald let go of his assistant and collapsed to the floor, his us
composure shattered.
For the first time, the stern and dignified man broke down in front of everyone.
Donald couldn’t understand and thought, “After all we had been through together, how could she leave me so decisively without even a chance to talk?”
He remembered their past. When he was starting his business, teetering on the edge of failure, it was his wife who pulled him through, bringing in a significant amount of money.
At that time, he only remembered her smiling face and told himself that she was the strategist.
“Strategist… someone sent to help me?”
“Yes, I’ll stay by your side, helping you achieve your dreams. Even if no one else believes in you, I will.”
He had promised her unwavering loyalty, staying faithful for decades.
On their tenth wedding anniversary, he had said with emotion during the celebratory dinner, “My virtuous wife supported my ambitions. I’ll repay her with all I have.”
<
On their twentieth, he bought her a luxury yacht and named it after her, declaring his devotion. Because of it, the gesture elevated Gardner Group’s reputation, but none of it was officially in her name.
But on their thirtieth anniversary, Donald didn’t show up. Instead, he was drunk in a hotel with Irene, the young secretary who had reignited his long–dormant passions.
The next day, he felt guilty and apologized to his wife.
“I was working late last night. It was a special situation. For our fortieth anniversary, I’ll make it up to you with a grand celebration.”
She only smiled faintly. “That won’t be necessary. Because there won’t be a fortieth anniversary for us.”
Donald thought threatening her with the family assets would make her like other housewives, turning a blind eye to his infidelity.
But before leaving, Brynlee withdrew all her shares in the company.
Unbeknownst to him, she had long since liquidated them, transferring the funds to their daughter’s overseas account.
Without those shares, the company’s stock plummeted, further destabilized by the scandal of his affair with the secretary.
Even more, Donald learned that Irene, who once claimed to admire him for his character, had been photographed at a bar after Brynlee’s death, drinking excessively and celebrating with three male models.
The continuous string of setbacks drove him to the edge of fury and despair.
He had a huge argument and fired Irene.
In retaliation, Irene posted a recording of their fight on social media to extort money from him.
At the same time, already exhausted in body and mind, he received devastating news.
“Mr. Gardner, something terrible has happened! Ms. Gardner jumped into the sea on the island! Her body hasn’t been recovered…”
Donald completely broke down.
He thought, “Why? I had only let myself indulge this once, and yet the heavens seemed determined to punish me.”
They had taken his wife, and now even his only daughter was slipping away.
His blood pressure spiked, his vision went dark, and he fainted on the spot.
