Chapter 908:

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Once Amelia was finished talking to the children, Carlee stepped forward. “I should get going now.”

Leaving Hillside Villa behind, Carlee steered her car to her place.

As she approached her doorway, a flutter of nerves rose unexpectedly within her. After a brief pause, she pushed the door open, only to stop short at the sight inside. The house was completely empty.

Sanford was nowhere in sight.

Without bothering to remove her coat, Carlee hurried inside and began checking rooms in quick succession. First the bedroom, then the kitchen, then every remaining space she could reach.

Not seeing any sign of Sanford in any of the rooms, she felt a faint coil of panic tighten inside her chest.

𝘙𝖾a𝘥 f𝗋𝘰𝗺 𝘺𝗈u𝗿 ph𝘰𝗻е оn gаlո𝘰𝘷𝘦𝗹s.c𝗼𝗆

Swiftly, she pulled out her phone and opened her chat with Sanford. She typed several times but eventually didn’t send him anything.

She slumped onto the living room sofa, her gaze drifting across the familiar surroundings. Every corner seemed touched by Sanford’s presence, and even the air held traces of his scent, wrapping around her like a blanket.

In the past three years, she and Sanford had quarreled more times than she could count. And every time, Sanford had been the one to yield first.

Carlee’s fingers tightened around her phone as she checked the screen again and again, but nothing changed on the chat page. Sanford had not sent a single message.

Just then, her phone suddenly lit up with an incoming call. She answered in a rush. “When are you coming back? I am starving—”

“Carlee, it’s me.”

At the sound of her mother’s voice, disappointment flickered across Carlee’s eyes, though she tried to speak lightly. “Mom, why are you calling?”

Nathalia sidestepped the question entirely. Her voice came soft and steady. “Have you eaten?”

“I am not hungry yet. I will eat later.”

“Come and have a meal with me then,” Nathalia said, then ended the call abruptly, leaving no room for refusal.

Their houses stood only a few hundred yards apart within the same secluded community. Minutes later, Carlee stepped into Nathalia’s place.

“I cooked everything you love. Sit and eat.”

Although her appetite was nonexistent, Carlee could not ignore the gentle hope on her mother’s face. She lifted her fork and forced herself to eat.

When the meal ended, she prepared to return home, but Nathalia stopped her with a quiet suggestion. “Stay here with me for a few days. Sanford has left the country.”

Only the last sentence reached Carlee’s mind. Every other word slipped past her. She grabbed Nathalia’s hand, her voice trembling slightly. “Mom, did you just say Sanford went abroad?”

“You didn’t know? He even called me earlier to make sure you are eating well.”

Seeing the look on her daughter’s face, Nathalia let her expression soften with worry. “Carlee, did something happen between you two?”

Carlee could hardly focus on anything except the thought of Sanford leaving the country. Her mother’s voice drifted toward her, and she answered without truly listening, murmuring, “Mom, I’ll talk to you later. I really have to go right now.”

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