Requiem of a Broken Heart

Chapter 50

Chapter 50:

Ten minutes later, Rachel powered her phone back on, clinging to a fragile thread of hope. She remembered an old tech tip—that sometimes letting a dead phone rest before restarting could breathe new life into it. When the familiar glow of the startup screen illuminated her face, relief flooded through her with such intensity that tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Her trembling fingers frantically dialed Brian’s number.

“I’m here. Come down!” His voice crackled through the speaker, strong and clear.

Rachel’s heart stopped. “Where are you?”

“In Amberfield!”

“But—” The words died in her throat as the screen plunged into darkness, the phone surrendering its last breath of life.

She jabbed desperately at the power button minutes later, but the device remained stubbornly silent.

Guided by the dim ambient light, she navigated her way to Brian’s desk, her movements cautious and measured. A spark of optimism flickered in her mind—surely he would keep a charger somewhere.

After rifling through drawer after drawer, her persistence finally paid off. The sight of the charging cable nearly brought her to tears of relief.

Her joy evaporated the instant she connected the charger. The cruel reality crashed over her—the building’s power automatically shut down after 10 p.m., a safety protocol implemented after a dangerous electrical fire had once threatened the premises. The entire structure now stood as a powerless fortress at night.

The weight of this revelation crushed her spirit.

What twisted the knife deeper was her sudden understanding of the brief call. The auction was happening in Amberfield, a detail Brian had never specified. The pieces fell into place with devastating clarity—she and Brian were in different cities now.

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Enveloped by the suffocating darkness, Rachel felt hope slipping away like water through cupped hands. Her deep-seated fear of the dark clawed at her consciousness, but tonight, there was no escape. She would have to endure the long, dark hours alone. No rescue would come.

Meanwhile, Brian stared at his phone in frustration as his repeated calls were met with the hollow response of Rachel’s voicemail.

“Ronald, go find out what’s going on,” he commanded, tension evident in his voice.

Five minutes later, Ronald returned, looking distinctly unsettled. “Sir, there’s been a misunderstanding. Ms. Marsh went back today.”

almost thought he had misheard. “She went

the moment the words left his mouth, the pieces snapped into place. He hadn’t explicitly mentioned where the auction was being held. Rachel must have assumed it was at

been a simple conversation had spiraled into a

around. We’re heading back,” Brian instructed

Even so, the journey home would take over two

hesitation. But after searching every inch of the house—checking the bedroom, the study, even

around his phone as he immediately dialed Ronald. “She’s not home,” Brian said, his voice clipped with urgency. “Check if she’s checked into any

nothing—Rachel hadn’t registered

brows furrowed. “That doesn’t

his unease grew. His gut twisted. Something

he ordered. “I don’t care if you have to comb through every street—find

for the auction. She wouldn’t have just disappeared without a reason. There was only one explanation—something had happened

despite Ronald’s exhaustive search, Rachel was nowhere to be found. Brian called again and again, each attempt met with the same frustrating silence. He fired off text after text, but

over the screen—and by accident, he tapped

recent post popped

Fireworks?

as he examined the background. The reflection in the floor-to-ceiling

downstairs, jumped into his car, and tore through the streets toward the company. By the time he arrived,

was frigid, seeping through every crack and crevice, and Rachel was trembling

office sofa, her body stiff, her fingers and toes numb from the relentless cold. She knew Brian’s office had a private resting area, a space that offered warmth and comfort, but only his fingerprint could unlock the door. She had no

herself, she tried humming softly, a desperate attempt to distract herself from the unbearable cold. It didn’t work. Her body wouldn’t stop shuddering, her teeth clattering uncontrollably. Wrapped in the suffocating

slipped down her cheek, icy as

her voice barely above

reflected on how Brian had always been her beacon of hope in moments of despair, his presence becoming her instinctive comfort. But as soon as she spoke, the

no matter how desperately

she whispered one last time, curling up even

a

Footsteps.

slow, steady rhythm, growing louder,

At this hour, who