Chapter 10
Kendall only returned to the hospital the following day. The hospital ward looked the same, but the patient inside wasn’t who he expected. He stormed in and grabbed the patient, snarling, “Where’s Isabel?”
The patient was startled and hastily rang the bell for a nurse. One hurried over and said, “Ms. Court was discharged from the hospital yesterday, sir.”
Kendall frowned. “Where has she gone?”
The nurse didn’t know who he was and shot him a look. “If a patient has been discharged, shouldn’t you, as her family, know better than everyone else where she’s gone?”
He was rendered speechless by that. He strode out of the hospital and drove to the villa. On the way there, he kept dialing Isabel’s number, but all he heard was a busy tone.
Kendall put the pedal to the metal as his irritation peaked. He couldn’t believe Isabel was still being so insolent after everything that had happened. He would teach her a lesson once he got home.
The familiar scenery changed within his line of sight. He had no idea that Isabel’s presence would never again grace the city in which they’d spent the last 11 years together.
Kendall hurried back to the villa and burst inside. However, he found the place dead and empty. He stopped a passing maid and asked, “Where’s Isabel?”
She was confused. “Isn’t she with you, sir? It’s been ages since she last came back. She dismissed us all and paid us our salaries. I’m leaving today, too:”
Kendall searched the whole villa, but Isabel was nowhere in sight. That infuriated him, and he swept a vase off its shelf to vent his anger.
Isabel had truly grown a pair. She’d run away from home after failing to get his attention with her attempt to take her own life.
As night fell and the bars started getting noisy, the table where Kendall was seated was eerily quiet. Occasionally, women wearing revealing clothing would try to hit on him. He didn’t even bother sparing them glances before the bar’s manager chased them away.
“Are you asking me which Mr. Johnson he is? How many of them do you think there are in Nord City? Look, get lost. He’s been in a bad mood lately, so don’t push his buttons…” the manager warned.
Kendall didn’t seem to hear the conversation. He swirled his whiskey before downing glass after glass. It had been a whole week since he’d spoken to Isabel
He’d sent her several messages after failing to find her, which was rare for him. He’d softened his tone as he tried to persuade her to return, but he didn’t receive any reply.
Irritation surged in him. He shut his eyes, but all he could think of was Isabel crouching on the hospital’s rooftop with her arms around herself as tears streamed down her face.
His heart ached at that memory. He downed another glass of whiskey.
Suddenly, someone tapped his left shoulder. Felix threw an arm around his shoulder and scanned him. “What’s up with you? I heard from the manager that you’ve been drinking here every day for a week. Winnie also asked me to ask why you haven’t been replying to her messages.”
It took Kendall a while to react. He shook Felix off and poured him a glass of whiskey. “I’m fine. I’ll call her later to explain.”
Felix nodded and sipped his whiskey. Then, he looked at Kendall again. It was odd that the latter was acting this way.
Kendall met his gaze. After a few seconds of hesitation, he asked, “Have you seen Isabel?”
“Who? Isabel?” Felix was even more confused. Kendall rarely mentioned Isabel, so Felix thought he didn’t care about her anymore.
“She’s gone missing. I’ve been trying to find her for the past week, but she’s nowhere,” Kendall said.
Felix chuckled. “Why bother looking for her? You know how scheming she is. I bet she’s just throwing a tantrum and acting like she’s gone missing. She’ll show her face again when everyone starts pitying her.
“She’s more manipulative than you think, you know. She’s an expert at these little tricks.‘
Kendall frowned without saying anything. He continued downing glasses of whiskey. He’d initially thought the same thing, but this had gone on for too long
Felix had mixed feelings when he saw how Kendall was acting. He thought Kendall had long since lost interest in Isabel. That was why he’d insulted her to his face without a care. But now, it seemned Kendall still felt something for her.
But what about Winifred? She liked Kendall so much. It seemed Felix had to think of a way to help her.
After some thought, Felix stood up and said, “I only dropped by to remind you that it’s Winnie’s birthday tomorrow.”
“Got it.” Kendall nodded. Only then did Felix leave.
Before that, Felix added, “Don’t drink too much. Remember to come over earlier tomorrow.”
Kendall didn’t seem to hear him. He left the bar only in the wee hours before heading home alone. He kicked off his shoes and sat on the couch, his head spinning. Almost out of reflex, he called, “Izzy! Izzy, come here!”
Chapter 10
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No one responded to him. Only then did he realize that Isabel was no longer there.
He stumbled to the kitchen. In the past, whenever he was drunk, Isabel would make him a cup of honeyed water that was at the perfect temperature. She would also have something warm for him to eat.
But now, the kitchen was in a mess. Used cups had been thrown carelessly into the sink, and they were starting to stink.
Kendall left the kitchen and got the box where all their medication was stored. The boxes were lined up neatly, and the only one missing was the gastric medicine that he usually took.
For some reason, this made him feel horrible. He couldn’t help thinking that Isabel was truly going all out this time. This temper tantrum was lasting a lot longer than he’d expected.
