Chapter 22
The plane landed.
On the way to the restaurant, Devlin’s excitement grew with every passing moment.
But as he stood at the restaurant’s entrance, a wave of fear suddenly washed over him.
It had been three months.
She must have seen his apologies and promises by now. Surely, her anger had lessened a bit?
Up until now, all he had were vague rumors and scattered clues. This was the first time he had a photo and a precise location.
She must have forgiven him and given him this opportunity, right?
It had to be.
They had loved each other for so many years. She was the soft–hearted type; she wouldn’t be able to leave him for good..
Devlin forced himself not to think about her resolute attitude when she left and instead repeated his reassurances to himself over and over.
Holding the box of steak he had brought across the ocean like a treasure, he walked in and showed the photo to the restaurant owner.
Jennifer had used a voucher from a guesthouse for her meal. Devlin exchanged money for the voucher and hurried to the guesthouse.
The guesthouse had a distinctive local charm.
Handcrafted bead curtains hung at the entrance, and under the drowsy afternoon sunlight, romantic light patterns danced on the ground.
Only then did Devlin remember how, before they got married, Jennifer had once mentioned her dream of traveling and exploring different places.
He had promised her that they would travel together on weekends and holidays.
But he hadn’t kept that promise, not even once.
Thankfully, he could spend the rest of his life making it up to her.
Devlin entered the guesthouse but then turned back, heading to the flower shop across the street to pick a bouquet of purple roses.
He had so much he wanted to say to Jennifer.
One important thing was that he would never again forget her favorite color.
When he reached the upstairs room, he took out the steak from his arms.
The door was slightly ajar, and he eagerly stepped forward.
“Honey, I brought your favorite steak. It’s gotten cold because of the long journey, but when we get back, I’ll take you to eat a freshly made one, okay?”
There was no response from inside.
“Jennifer, I’m not asking you to forgive me right away. Just watch how I act. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes, until you’re willing to start over with me.”
Still, no response.
Devlin’s throat felt dry. With trembling hands, he pushed the door open.
Inside the room, there was only a cleaning staff tidying up, clearly in the process of turning over the room.
Devlin’s face turned pale.
“What about the previous guest?”
“They just checked out. They were heading to catch a flight.”
The purple roses slipped from Devlin’s hands to the floor as he immediately turned and rushed out, heading for the airport..
At that moment, Jennifer was at the airport, preparing to leave for the next city according to her plan.
While waiting to board, she couldn’t help but think of Byron.
She hated unnecessary trouble and never shared her travel photos online or discussed her plans with anyone.
Where did Byron get the confidence to bet that he would meet her again in the next city?
Her phone buzzed with a trending topic: Devlin’s Nationwide Pursuit of His Wife. She glanced at the comments below.
[Witnessed the chase! President Devlin showed up at the restaurant in the photo.]
[Now he’s at the guesthouse, and the bouquet of purple roses must be for his wife.]
[He’s holding something close to his chest. It’s hard to see from far away, but whatever it is must be important to him and his wife.]
Jennifer immediately recognized the item Devlin was clutching: the steak.
But it seemed he had forgotten.
That steak represented his mistake.
And he had long since lost the right to ask for her forgiveness.
The boarding announcement played over the loudspeakers, and just as Jennifer put her phone away, she saw Devlin rushing into the airport, drenched in sweat..
He looked around frantically, scanning the crowd.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, his gaze landed on Jennifer.
Chapp
