His heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt. He knew his face must look terrible right now. He was shaking, completely on edge, and honestly, scared out of his mind.
He tried to reassure himself, telling himself there was no way the victim was Isabella. But his secretary had seen Isabella almost every single day for the past three years. She knew her too well to be wrong about something like this. The thought made his chest tighten. The victim was probably Isabella.
He needed to talk to Laura. Laura was Isabella’s best friend. After the divorce, Isabella had moved out. She couldn’t go back to the Lane family, and they weren’t about to take her in anyway. She barely had any money, not enough for a hotel, and she had nowhere else to go. If she needed help, Laura would be the one she’d turn to.
If Laura said Isabella was with her, then it meant his secretary had made a mistake. That hope was enough to make him grab his phone and call.
He dialed Laura’s number, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from his palm.
“Mr. Adams, what’s going on?” Laura’s voice was cool, a little distant.
“Laura, sorry for the sudden call. Is Isabella with you?”
“Isabella? No, she’s not here,” Laura replied. She paused, then asked, “Did you two really get divorced? She told me that after it was finalized, she wanted to travel for a while, clear her head. I figured she was already on her way somewhere.”
The day Isabella got the divorce papers, she’d texted Laura. She’d even said she planned to come stay with her. Laura had told her she was always welcome, that living alone was lonely anyway. But Isabella hadn’t shown up in the last couple of days. Laura just assumed she’d decided to take that trip first. She’d texted Isabella but got nothing back. The calls went through, but Isabella never picked up.
Laura had been busy with a deadline, so she hadn’t thought much about it. She figured Isabella just needed time to herself, so she didn’t push. Just earlier, she’d messaged Isabella again, saying it was time to reply after a couple days of silence.
“She’s not with you? She’s out traveling? Where would she even go, Laura? She doesn’t have any money. How far could she even get?” Ethan’s voice cracked a little.
“Have you been able to reach her at all?”


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