Chapter 144

Evening had stretched soft gold across the skies by the time Keegan’s car rolled into the estate’s driveway. The second the front gates opened, a smile tugged at his lips.

He was home.

And she would be waiting.

Keegan barely waited for the car to stop fully before reaching for the door handle himself, already loosening his tie, eager to see her face—even just the back of her head with a book in hand or the sound of her humming off-key in the kitchen. Anything.

But the second he stepped out of the car, his smile faltered.

The estate was quiet. Keegan froze at the foot of the steps as his heart thudded in his chest.

He didn’t know why the silence made him uneasy, but it did.

An that’s when a sick thought flickered across his mind.

What if she left? What if she ran?

It would make sense, wouldn’t it? The waving goodbye that morning. The hesitant look in her eyes. What if that had been her way of saying goodbye?

He clenched his