Chapter 1
After soothing his mistress, he headed to check on his wife—the mother of his newborn triplets. But the moment he stepped into the room, he froze, utterly speechless.
*****
"Mr. Lane, this is an emergency! Mrs. Lane... she's gone..."
Eric Brooks, Edward Lane's assistant, blocked the entrance to the private VIP suite at Riverside Private Hospital, his face ashen with sheer panic.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his hands shook so violently that the file folder in his grasp nearly slipped to the floor.
Edward tightened his hold on a gift tote, his brows furrowed in sharp irritation. "What's with the panic? Pull yourself together. What's wrong with my wife?"
Only minutes earlier, he'd rushed over from a small upscale apartment on the Westside, where he'd spent the better part of the afternoon with Megan Shaw.
Megan had been wildly erratic lately, constantly accusing him of favoring his wife over her, forcing Edward to waste hours coddling her fragile mood.
It was just past six in the evening, the usual time he stopped by the hospital to visit Helen after work.
Eric's voice shook like a leaf in a winter gale. "Mrs. Lane checked herself out five days ago—completely alone." Fear and dread laced his tone, echoing down the quiet hospital hallway.
"I only found out today when I dropped off paperwork. The suite's been empty this entire time."
The second the words left Eric's mouth, all color drained from Edward's face. Panic flashed in his eyes for a split second, quickly replaced by a crushing wave of rage. He slammed the door open hard, barely holding back the fury coiled inside him.
Late golden sunlight filtered through the hospital window, yet it did nothing to chase away the bitter cold hanging in the air. The space that once held three bassinets and changing stations stood hollow and barren, swallowed by heavy silence.
The floral arrangements left for Helen had long wilted, their withered petals scattered across the floor—a stark reminder of how warm and lived-in this room had once been.
The hospital bed was stripped and perfectly made, smooth and wrinkle-free, as if no one had ever rested there.
The gift tote slipped from his grasp and crashed to the tile floor, its contents spilling out across the polished surface. The faint scent of cut flowers lingered weakly, unable to cut through the thick, suffocating tension hanging over the suite.
Edward stood rigid in the center of the empty room, his gaze blank and unfocused, his mind descending into complete chaos. Five days ago. Fragments of that day came rushing back to him all at once.
He had visited Helen then, watching her lie weak and pale in the hospital bed, her hair splayed loosely across the pillows. Their three newborn infants slept soundly in their bassinets, tiny swaddled bundles with wrinkled, delicate faces, still soft with the fragility of new life.
He had stayed no more than ten minutes before his phone buzzed nonstop in his pocket—Megan, calling yet again.
On the line, Megan's voice dissolved into tearful sobs. "Edward, I'm falling apart. Please come stay with me..." His heart twisted with guilt for his mistress, and without a single glance back at Helen, he'd hurried out the door.
For five long days afterward, swamped with work deadlines and Megan's endless emotional demands, he had never once returned to the hospital.
"Find the nursing station, now!" Edward snapped out of his daze and stormed down the hallway, consumed by frantic urgency.
Soft overhead lighting lit the nurse's station, its white countertop spotless and sterile. The on-duty nurse was hunched over, sorting patient records.
She jumped in surprise at Edward's furious arrival. An awkward flush crept across her face, and she nervously tugged at the hem of her uniform. "Mr. Lane, your wife checked out five days ago. We all assumed you were fully aware."
Edward's voice rose sharply, hot anger flaring to the surface. "She left alone with three newborn babies, and your staff just let her walk out? How could your team be this negligent?"
The nurse's cheeks burned red. She avoided his glare and fumbled to pull medical documents from her desk drawer, her hands trembling as she spoke.
"All of her vitals were completely stable upon discharge. She stated she'd already hired a full-time postpartum nanny and live-in housekeeper to care for her and the triplets at home.
"She signed all official discharge paperwork herself. Legally, we had no grounds to hold her against her will."
Edward's expression darkened further at her explanation. He pulled out his phone and dialed Helen's cell phone, only to be met instantly with a cold, automated message, "The number you have dialed is no longer in service."
The cold notification struck him like a heavy blow, sharp anxiety squeezing his chest. Refusing to give up, he dialed the landline at their family home, but the line rang endlessly with no answer.
"Eric, drive us back to the mansion now!" Edward barked, his voice rough with frustration and growing unease.
The car merged onto the evening highway, speeding forward like a bolt of lightning. Fading sunset light streaked across the windows, highlighting the hard, tense lines of Edward's face.
He sat rigid in the backseat, his phone clamped so tight his knuckles turned white, his eyes clouded with confusion and simmering rage. He could not fathom why Helen would leave without a single word.
They had been married for six years. Sure, their marriage had grown cold and distant in recent years; work kept him constantly tied up, and he'd fallen into an affair with Megan.
But he had never imagined things would end like this—not when Helen had just endured a high-risk triple pregnancy and needed support more than ever.
Eric darted a nervous glance at Edward in the rearview mirror and ventured a quiet suggestion. "Sir, should we contact the police? Filing a missing person report might help us locate Mrs. Lane faster."
Edward scowled, his tone icy and dismissive. "No police involvement. She's my wife, not some missing stranger or kidnapping victim. She left of her own accord, and she knows what she's doing. Focus on driving."