No Mercy, No Forgiveness

The phone alarm rang. Geoffrey glanced at the time, clocked out right on schedule, leaving Sean alone in the office.

The office was empty.

Sean clenched the Heirloom Pendant in his hand until blood seeped from his palm before finally releasing it.

Stepping outside, he spotted Stuart lying barely breathing on the roadside. “Take him back,” he coldly ordered.

Pearl.

An eerie silence filled the rooms. In the corner of the living room sat a glaringly bright red case, jarringly out of place.

Geoffrey returned home precisely on time and settled onto the sofa Maureen used to favor.

Everything felt the same, yet utterly different.

He didn’t know how long he’d sat there when his gaze drifted to that case.

Sean had sent it over–Maureen’s belongings. He hadn’t opened it until now.

Approaching the case, Geoffrey bent down and lifted the lid.

The passcode was painfully simple: his birthday.

He knew because Maureen had used his birthday for every lock in this villa.

Inside lay everyday items and clothes, sparse for a woman’s belongings.

Geoffrey couldn’t bring himself to sift through them. He shut the case again.

Without eating, he retreated to the bedroom they once shared.

The moment he entered, Maureen’s cremation urn and her black–and–white photo stared back at him.

Skeletal remains couldn’t yield DNA after cremation, but Geoffrey remained certain–Maureen wasn’t dead…

She absolutely wouldn’t die!

She wouldn’t dare die!

How could someone as pain–averse as Maureen dare to die?

She was just deceiving herself to be with Gareth.

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had Gareth investigated–perpetually single, Maureen’s prince

him all

woke unusually early the next morning.

washing up, his assistant delivered

unchanged–until subtle shifts

at the

photograph in

nagging texts when working

welcoming light upon

leaving work

entire company witnessed

Maureen lived, Geoffrey deliberately worked past midnight daily–avoiding

exchanged

much did Mr. Sutton despise that

she died, he clocks out on the

288 Vouchers

I’d never fancy some

If only I were as pretty as her, I’d make sure to look my best every single

special assistant, overheard their conversation and spoke up

he liked meddling, but

had been doing nothing but work, having

Wayne, this behavior wasn’t just because Geoffrey

and Geoffrey never gave up searching for

New Year’s Eve, snow

Geoffrey back to the old

this year was different. Geoffrey went

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19:25

Chapter31

288 Vouchers

he was when Maureen first left, now Geoffrey mostly sat alone, hardly speak-

a hurry and left in a hurry

snow lay white

some reason, it felt like something

floor–to–ceiling window, lighting

you’d better not let me find

door behind

turned to see his mother, Heather,

what’s wrong with

a different person since