Chapter 3

• The sky was darkening.
• Nathan walked out of the hospital in a daze and looked around, but he didn't know where he was going.
• Valentina, where did you go?
• Suddenly, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a number.
• "Robert, find Valentina, no matter how much you have to search, no matter where you have to go. Find her!"
• "Yes sir, I will start immediately."
• Hanging up the phone, Nathan held the device tightly. People were coming and going in front of the hospital, but there was no one to give him an answer about Valentina's whereabouts.
• The phone in his hand suddenly rang, and his heart raced with excitement. He answered immediately.
• "Hello? Are you Mr. Mercer?"
• The calm voice of a man was heard on the other end of the phone.
• Nathan was speechless for a moment, then snapped out of his daze and replied.
• "Yes, I am Nathan Mercer."
• "Hello, Mr. Mercer. I am the lawyer from the Garrigues law firm. I am lawyer Taylor Shaw, a few days ago, Miss Miller entrusted me with..."
• "Where is she?!"
• Before lawyer Shaw could finish speaking, Nathan's pupils suddenly contracted and he roared.
• "Where is my wife?! Where is Valentina?!"
• "Um..."
• Lawyer Shaw was surprised and said.
• "I, I don't know where Miss Miller is. She requested my services a few days ago."
• "What did she ask you to do?! And why do you keep calling her Miss Miller?"
• Nathan had a bad feeling.
• "Uh... " the lawyer continued " Miss Miller entrusted me with handling her divorce. She signed the petition and sent it to me. I wanted to ask Mr. Mercer when he has time to meet. She didn't ask..."
• Divorce...
• Divorce...
• Divorce...
• The word repeated incessantly in Nathan's mind, without answering, he plunged into his own pain.
• Valentina, do you really want to leave me? I haven't been able to ask for your forgiveness yet.
• "Mr. Mercer? Mr. Mercer, are you listening?"
• The lawyer asked several times without receiving a response.
• Nathan suddenly hung up the call, his eyes were red, and his right hand holding the phone hung weakly.
• Did I arrive too late?
• When Nathan was finally ready to fight fiercely for Valentina, she gave up on him.
• No, he couldn't believe it!
• Nathan hurried out onto the road and called a taxi.
• "Garrigues law firm."
• The lawyer looked at the phone in his hand, and thought how rude the person was who had inexplicably hung up the call and shook his head in frustration. He looked at the time and supposed he would call tomorrow to confirm their meeting, it was time to leave work.
• The lawyer processed the document left behind, packed up his things, and was about to leave when he saw a man running into the office.
• The imposing figure filled the room, the dark look in his eyes told him that the news he had received a moment ago did not please him. He thought it would be a difficult case.
• Before the lawyer could speak, Nathan ran up to him and grabbed him by the collar.
• "Where is the lawyer named Shaw?"
• "I, I am..."
• The lawyer was surprised, it was more difficult than he predicted.
• "You, are you Mr. Mercer?"
• "What did my wife tell you?"
• Nathan asked firmly, a flash of pain in his eyes became evident.
• "Mr. Mercer, let me go first..."
• "Hmmp!"
• Nathan let him go immediately.
• The lawyer quickly ran to his desk, took out the documents given to him by Valentina, and turned to Nathan.
• "Here is the prepared document, there is also the signed divorce agreement, as well as a real estate transfer agreement and a black card. Plus a salary card."
• Nathan's Adam's apple bobbed as he took the documents, but it seemed like the papers were so heavy that his hands were shaking. He reached out and pulled out the thin sheets from the file bag.
• DIVORCE AGREEMENT.
• Valentina's signature handwriting was like a knife piercing his heart. He felt as though he had been struck hard by something, his fingers loosened, and the document fell gently to the ground.
• "Miss Miller also said there is 200,000 on the salary card, which will be returned to Mr. Mercer, and in this way they owe nothing to each other," said lawyer Shaw.
• They owe each other...
• Nathan's eyes darkened like a storm, turning red.
• He said we owe nothing... but he still owes her. He owes her a lifetime of happiness, he owes her an apology!
• The cell phone rang in his pants pocket, Nathan answered with a vacant look and seemed to choke on his voice.
• "Hello?"
• "Sir, we found out that the lady went to her hometown two days ago."
• Hometown, Natal?
• Nathan's eyes lit up immediately.
• "Come pick me up at the Garrigues law firm!"
• In the middle of the night, on the road from London to Salisbury, a Lamborghini drove at high speed. Nathan sat in the car, his eyes bloodshot. His mind could only think of Valentina, how hurt she was and all because of his stupidity.
• Valentina, do you need me? How defenseless are you? Wait for me, I will not divorce you, from now on let me protect you.
• "Speed up!" Nathan exclaimed.
• It was almost dawn and the Lamborghini had already arrived at the small town where Valentina's childhood home was. Looking at the closed door in front of him, Nathan sank and told his bodyguards.
• "Open it."
• The two men hurried to obey the order, they were about to open the door when someone spoke.
• "What are you doing?! Who are you? Who authorized you to open that property?"
• Nathan looked back and saw an old man carrying agricultural tools looking at them with sharp eyes.
• "I am... the son-in-law of this family, I am here to find someone," said Nathan.
• "Son-in-law?"
• The old man looked Nathan up and down, frowned, and said.
• "This family is gone, don't you know? If you are her son-in-law, how come you are not aware?"
• "Valentina, is she here?" Nathan asked.
• These days he didn't bother to shave, facial hair had grown a bit all over his chin and he looked decadent and unkempt.
• "She's not here," the old man waved his hand. "Her mother was buried a few days ago and I haven't seen little Valentina since then."
• "Her mother..."
• Nathan paused, his throat dry, and asked.
• "Where is she buried?"
• "She's in the main cemetery, it's further ahead," the old man pointed.
• Nathan raised his head, his eyes fixed, he didn't speak and just advanced gradually. The two bodyguards followed him immediately.
• The old man frowned and shook his head. Yesterday another man came looking for Valentina. His expression was exactly the same as the man in front of him.
• Nathan arrived at the place indicated by the old man and, indeed, saw a lonely grave, the ground still fresh. He opened his mouth, a thousand words stuck in his throat, but he didn't know what to say. Nathan bent his knees and knelt in front of the grave. He still remembered how he took her hand when he first saw Valentina's mother and asked him to take care of her daughter, and how he later said she was his most precious treasure.
• He could almost imagine Valentina kneeling in front of this grave, just like him, and crying in solitude. It was all his fault because of his excessive jealousy. He had thought Jacob was with her, he blamed her without reason.
• His eyes turned bitter, and a few drops of tears fell on the fresh soil.
• Valentina... Where are you? Come back to me... I beg you.
• Nathan didn't know how he returned to London and to the apartment that now felt painful to him.
• He stood at the door with the key in his hand, regardless of his shame, he just thought, maybe, just once he could see Valentina as soon as he opened the door.
• Are you back?
• Why did you take so long?
• Perhaps, Valentina would still be sitting on the couch waiting for him as always.
• Maybe she's watching TV.
• Or she's eating snacks...
• The door opened and Nathan entered.
• No TV, no snacks, no Valentina...
• "Valentina!" Nathan shouted hoarsely, his eyes red.
• He took two steps forward, looking at the empty room, and there was not a moment in his heart that was colder than now.