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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Maureen’s prince charming, her

eluded him all

early the next morning.

washing up, his assistant delivered

life seemed unchanged–until subtle shifts

less bowl at

photograph in the

nagging texts

welcoming light upon

leaving work earlier.

entire company witnessed

deliberately worked past

exchanged knowing

much did Mr. Sutton despise that

since she died, he

288 Vouchers

were an accomplished man like Mr. Sutton, I’d never fancy some deaf

her, I’d

the special assistant, overheard their conversation

that he liked meddling, but he was better at

Geoffrey had been doing nothing but work, having people look for Maureen,

wasn’t just because

Geoffrey never

New Year’s Eve, snow was falling

the past, Maureen would always accompany Geoffrey back to the old estate

this year was different.

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19:25

Chapter31

288 Vouchers

now Geoffrey mostly sat alone, hardly speak- ing, radiating

in a hurry and left in

white and pure,

some reason, it felt

by the floor–to–ceiling window, lighting one cigarette after

better not let

behind him

his mother, Heather, dressed

wrong with

become a different person