The moment Abby saw who had arrived, her smile froze.
“Mr. Connolly.”
Neville glanced around the room. “Star’s not back yet?”
Abby shook her head, a flicker of worry in her eyes. “I’ve tried calling her over and over—she never picks up. But the phone’s still on; it’s not switched off.”
She looked at Neville, her voice tight. “Mr. Connolly, you haven’t heard from Star either?”
For once, Neville’s expression turned serious. “You all go ahead with the show. I’ll check the security cameras.”
He was just about to leave when a small hand caught the sleeve of his coat. Neville turned to find Marvin looking up at him, eyes wide and pleading.
“Dad, Stella’s going to be okay, right?”
Neville ruffled Marvin’s hair gently. “Star’s going to be fine. I promise.”
“Swear you’ll help me find her, Dad.”
Neville’s voice was low and steady. “I promise. I’ll bring her back.”
With that, Neville stepped out, closing the door softly behind him. A cool breeze drifted in as the door shut, leaving the room heavy with unease.
Everyone stared at the closed door, their faces etched with worry.
Out in the audience, Aurora glanced at the row beside her and caught sight of the Watsons’ anxious faces. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
She leaned over and whispered, “Florrie, do you know the performer on stage?”
Florrie Watson hesitated, then replied in a whisper, “He’s my brother. My real brother.”
Aurora’s eyes widened. “You mean... Mr. Watson’s... son from another relationship?”
Men like Nicolle never lacked for admirers. Women threw themselves at him, no matter how many times he turned them away.
His wife saw it all—and the resentment festered. At first, she’d simply hire someone to scare off his admirers. But her tactics grew more vicious over time—slashed faces, staged accidents, making sure those women’s lives were ruined beyond repair.
Eventually, women started to disappear altogether.
No matter what she did, Nicolle never spared her a second glance. Deep down, she knew he could never forget his first love.
So she set her sights on the woman herself.
By then, Nicolle hadn’t spoken to his old flame in years. But driven to desperation by his wife’s relentless attacks, the woman finally reached out to him, begging him to rein in his wife.
Nicolle intervened, pleading with his wife to stop and promising to try to make their marriage work. By then, they had a son and a daughter, but his wife was beyond reason—determined to erase any trace of the woman who haunted Nicolle’s heart.
She dug deeper, following every lead, until she stumbled across a secret: the woman had quietly given birth to a boy.
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