Chapter 15
The package was from the Social Security Administration. Joseph tore it open immediately. Inside was a receipt, and after reading the contents, he froze in shock.
The receipt stated that the deactivation of Evangeline’s Social Security number had been processed. The date listed was yesterday–the day she had fallen.
Deactivation of Social Security number?
Furious, Joseph immediately dialed the Social Security Administration.
“You’ve made a mistake. Evangeline Decker is my wife. How could her Social Security number be deactivated?”
The staff on the other end of the line said, “Please provide your identification number. If you are confirmed as Ms. Decker’s spouse, we can provide you with the transaction reference number.”
After entering the identification number provided by Joseph, the staff member apologized.
“Mr. Cunningham, according to our records, you and Ms. Decker divorced two weeks ago. As a result, you are no longer her spouse, and we cannot process your inquiry.”
Joseph laughed in anger. “Are you kidding me? How could Eva and I have divorced? We just announced our marriage! We’re deeply in love. We’ll be together forever… Never mind. You wouldn’t understand!”
Even after he hung up the phone, his anger still hadn’t subsided.
He immediately instructed Antoine to obtain their marriage certificate from the Vital Records Office. He planned to take it to the Social Security Administration to demand an explanation.
How could they have dared to so casually deactivate Evangeline’s Social Security number? This was absolutely a mistake on their part!
But soon, Antoine returned with news that felt like a thunderclap. “M–Mr. Cunningham, I checked the records. It’s true. You and Mrs. Cunningham…. are divorced.”
Antoine also handed him a copy of the divorce agreement, with Joseph’s signature clearly visible.
Joseph stared at the document in shock for a long time. Then, a memory flashed in his mind.
It was the day he had asked Evangeline to give her script to Evelyn. She had wanted to exchange it for a bunch of properties, and Joseph had signed several transfer agreements. Thinking back to Evangeline’s sudden anxious expression at the time, Joseph was almost certain that she must have slipped the divorce papers into the pile of documents.
It seemed she had already given up on him back then.
Joseph rummaged through the house, quickly finding two copies of the divorce certificates. What hurt even more was that she hadn’t taken a single one with her.
Joseph was overwhelmed by regret. If he had known how much he’d hurt her, he would never have acted that way.
His face darkened, for he knew all too well that there was no way to change the past. However, one question gnawed at him. Why would Evangeline request the deactivation of her Social Security number even if she wanted a divorce?
Once her number was deactivated, she could no longer be considered a resident here.
She had asked for so many things from him. If her number was deactivated, it no longer belonged to her.
Then it hit him.
When he had searched earlier, the drawers seemed emptier than usual. He opened each drawer again, then the safe, searching once more.
Sure enough, all the expensive jewelry he had given Evangeline over the years was gone.
He trembled as he ordered Antoine to investigate further. Soon, the results came back.
All those precious items, along with the properties Evangeline had asked for, had been donated to charity.
She hadn’t taken anything with her.
Even the diamond necklace he had given her during the proposal–something she had once cherished and kept with utmost care–wasn’t spared.
The 200–million–dollar necklace was donated without a second thought.
Everything strange seemed to come together, and Joseph felt a growing sense of unease.
It was as if Evangeline had planned this all along. She had accumulated enough disappointment and had already decided to disappear from this world without a trace.
Joseph pounded his fist against his temple, as though the truth were just beyond his reach.
He racked his brain for any clues and finally remembered a small detail.
When Evangeline had fallen, he had rushed to her with his arms outstretched. At that time, he had heard a mechanical voice nearby, which was saying words like “affection“, “100 points“, and “quest“.
Following this trail, Joseph dug through more information and eventually began to form a theory–one that seemed absurd but could be close to the truth.
It seemed that Evangeline had bound herself to some kind of system, and it was this system that helped her leave.
For a moment, Joseph felt his heart break. He realized that he might have just been Evangeline’s target for her quest.
But then hope surged within him.
If his theory was correct, it meant that Evangeline was simply in another world. She was still alive.
And as long as she was alive, there was still a chance they could meet again. Their love, which had been forcibly paused, could one day resuine.
Joseph picked himself up and resolved to take two actions.
First, he would preserve Evangeline’s body in the ice coffin since he was unsure if he would need it as a vessel to bring her back.
Second, he would spare no expense in establishing a research institute, gathering specialists to study this system.
He knew that the chances were slim, but as long as there was even the smallest hope, he would fight for IL There were still so many things he needed to tell Evangeline. He had to see her again. He needed her back by his side.
