My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back-Chapter 11: Dilemma

Eryx slammed his fist against the front seat, his frustration boiling over. The tension from the hospital room had followed him, clinging to him like a shadow. His jaw tightened as he exhaled sharply, trying to rein in his emotions.

Callum glanced at him through the rearview mirror but wisely kept his mouth shut. The silence in the car was thick, broken only by the low hum of the engine.

"Find her," Eryx muttered, his voice tight with restraint.

Callum gulped and took a deep breath before finally speaking. "Sir, I actually asked our people to find Miss Hayes earlier. Unfortunately, the flower shop was destroyed just a few minutes before we arrived."

"What do you mean?" Eryx frowned. "Destroyed?"

"I mean... it was burned down by someone," Callum clarified. "I confirmed that Miss Hayes wasn't there at the time. She had been living at the shop for the past few years, so she has nowhere else to go back to. There's very little information about her... perhaps she has been taking extra precautions to avoid being found?"

Eryx instantly glared at him through the rearview mirror. "Are you implying that she was hiding from me?"

Callum stiffened under Eryx's glare and quickly shook his head. "No, sir, that's not what I meant," he said carefully. "I'm just saying... She made sure to leave no trail behind. It's like she knew someone would come looking for her."

Eryx scoffed, his fingers tapping impatiently against the leather seat. "She knew someone would come looking for her, yet refused to leave that place?"

Callum hesitated before nodding. "Well... as you remember, the shop was the only thing her mother left behind. To protect it, she even agreed to marry you."

Eryx's expression darkened, "And now that shop is gone," he muttered. "So tell me, Callum, where would she go next?"

'What the hell am I supposed to know?' Callum cursed in his mind but kept his expression neutral. "I will do my best to find her, sir."

"One day. I'll give you one day to find her." His tone left no room for argument.

Callum understood immediately. "Okay, sir." His voice held a hint of hesitation before he added, "Oh, sir... about the woman at the hotel earlier, do you still want me to look for her?"

Eryx's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Wait..."

Callum shifted in his seat, turning slightly to hear Eryx's next order.

"That woman from the hotel... bring her and her family to me, as soon as tomorrow?"

Callum blinked in surprise but quickly nodded, understanding the weight of the order. "Understood, sir. I'll arrange everything."

Eryx leaned back, his gaze distant, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. "About the woman I married...her mother, is she still alive?"

"Ah..." Callum straightened his back again, "Yes, sir but her condition didn't look good."

Eryx's brow furrowed, his thoughts momentarily shifting to the woman he had once married. "How bad is it?" he asked, his tone laced with a hint of concern he rarely showed.

Callum hesitated before answering, "Her health has been declining for the past few months, sir."

Eryx's expression remained unreadable, but the hint of something deeper flickered in his eyes. "Is there any chance of recovery?" he asked, though his voice was low, almost to himself.

Callum shook his head. "It's uncertain, sir. The doctors haven't given any clear answers."

Eryx's jaw tightened. "Keep me informed if there's any change," he muttered, his voice cold again. The topic seemed to weigh heavily on him, but he quickly pushed it aside. "For now, focus on the other matters."

"Sir..." Callum's voice held hesitation, but he proceeded anyway. "About Miss Seraphine... She's in the hospital. After leaving the hotel last night, she collapsed from exhaustion."

"And?" Eryx raised an eyebrow, clearly uninterested.

"I just thought you might want to know," Callum stammered, suddenly wondering if he'd made a mistake by bringing it up.

Eryx's gaze shifted to the window. "That's all, right?"

Callum hesitated, choosing his words carefully. Sometimes, Eryx could be unpredictable. "She had a slight bruise on her wrist, but it's been taken care of."

Eryx's sharp eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. "Great. Now... don't report anything about her to me again."

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Naomi narrowed her eyes, slightly angry. "Tell me, what really happened, Ara?"

But Lunara remained silent, wrapping her arms around herself. She rested her head on her knees, still caught up in everything that had happened last night.

She didn't even know what she felt at the moment. Anger? Yes, she was angry. But was it at her father, for drugging her and selling her to settle his debt? Or was she more furious at the man who had signed the marriage papers two years ago, only to appear before her now without even remembering her?

"This can't be!" Naomi stood up, pouting in frustration. "Ara, yesterday, I found you shaking in the emergency stairwell, wearing a damp bathrobe. You were terrified! If you don't tell me what happened, how can I help you?"

Lunara finally lifted her head, locking eyes with her one and only best friend. "You know who did it, Naomi... He won't stop. Not until I'm no longer useful to him."

"Your father?!" Frustration flared in Naomi's eyes. "I thought he stopped two years ago! What made him come back this time? Money? Did his business fail again? I thought his tea or whatever boba thing shop franchise was doing well!"

"I don't know, I thought..." Lunara rested her chin on her knees again, her voice weak. "I thought it was over after two years. But then... a week after I married that man, you remember the black card he gave me as compensation? My father... he took it."

She paused, her voice trembling as she fought back the frustration. "Used it to start that boba tea franchise. Spent it all on that shop, and now that he's failed again, he's come back to use me. Nothing's changed, Naomi."

Naomi stood there, stunned. "So, he took the money that man gave you... and now he's back to squeeze more out of you? Unbelievable."

Lunara let out a bitter laugh. "Exactly. He never stopped, Naomi. Not until he's drained every last piece of me."

Naomi sighed, her eyes narrowing. "Okay, I get it, your father's always been a bastard. But what about this man you should call a husband?"

Lunara blinked rapidly, hesitating to speak the words that were already at the tip of her tongue. "Hmm... actually..."

"Actually?" Naomi's patience was wearing thin.

"I met him last night."

"You met him!"