Running for my life

A Father's Rageode

Chapter Nine

Evan’s POV

She’s gone. My Rochelle is missing. That thought keeps running through my mind, over and over again.

I’ve had my men search the entire town, but no one can find her. I can’t believe this is happening. And now, I have to keep seeing that woman her face makes my blood boil. This is all her fault. How could she let my little girl disappear?

It’s the first time this week I’ve sat behind my desk, but no work is getting done. I’m still fuming over this mess. I know Jonathan is looking for her too. I think he’s truly fallen in love with my little girl though she’s not so little anymore. She’s twenty now.

He would be a good match for her. It’s comforting to think their marriage could be for love and not just business. In the beginning, it was meant to protect her. But right now, all that matters is finding her. I need to protect her. She’s out there somewhere, alone, and I know it’s not just my people searching. My enemies will be looking too.

I slam my fist on the desk.

My thoughts are a storm I can’t quiet. I faked my death to protect her and for what? So those two idiots could scare her into disappearing? I let that woman live after everything she did, only so she could look after my daughter.

I’m half a mind to deal with Scarlet once and for all. But I know that would devastate Rochelle. That’s the only thing keeping me in this chair instead of out there tearing the city apart. I’m trying to hold back, to not take down everyone in my path. But I would if it meant finding her.

The same thought keeps echoing in my head:

Why would she run away? She always listened to me. What changed? What aren’t they telling me?

I hit the call button on the phone, ordering my secretary to get me Rex. I need answers. I don’t want to see him, but I have to. He knows something, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get the truth. I just pray nothing has happened to my Rochelle.

My blood is boiling by the time he finally opens my office door over an hour later. The arrogant man walks in like he owns the place, sitting down across from me without permission. That only fuels my anger.

I stare at him, forcing myself to breathe slowly. Right now, I could lean across this desk and kill him. But not yet. He has information I need, and I will get it.

“What happened?” I demand, my voice low and sharp. “Tell me everything leading up to Rochelle’s disappearance. My security team said you took away her car keys. Why did you do that?”

Rex looks at me, sweat glistening on his forehead and running down the back of his neck. He knows how this will end. I only ask so many questions before I lose my temper and when that happens, he’ll be dead.

Rex’s POV

I was in my car, driving aimlessly through the city, scanning every street, every shadow, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But there was nothing no sign of Scarlet anywhere. The night felt heavy, pressing down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake. That’s when my phone buzzed. A message. Short, cold, and to the point: Evan wants to see you.

My stomach dropped. I knew this was coming. I’d been waiting for it, dreading it. There was no escaping it now. I had to act fast.

I called Scarlet. My hands were shaking as I gripped the steering wheel, the phone pressed to my ear. When she answered, I didn’t waste time. “It’s time,” I told her. “You need to get out of here now. Get on the next plane out of the country and don’t come back.” My voice cracked on the last word. I prayed she would listen. I prayed she’d finally do something for herself, not for anyone else.

Because I knew this was the end for me.

Evan wouldn’t let me walk out of that room alive not after what I had to tell him. But I couldn’t lie anymore. He had ways of making people talk, and I’d seen them. I’d seen what he could do to a man who tried to keep secrets. I’d rather take a bullet to the brain than endure what he calls “persuasion.”

Still, my thoughts kept circling back to Scarlet. What would happen to her after I was gone? Would Evan hunt her down too? Or would he let her go, pretend she never existed? She hadn’t done anything wrong. Not really. So she made one mistake a one night stand after too many drinks. That was after Rochelle was born, after Evan had ignored her for two months straight. Since then, she’d followed every rule he set, every twisted command. She’d been loyal. Obedient. Too obedient.

It’s my fault. All of it. I should’ve protected her. Instead, I dragged her deeper into this mess. I’ve been searching for her everywhere every place she might’ve gone, every corner of the city that might’ve offered her shelter. But how do you find someone who never talked about what they wanted? Someone who only ever did what others told them to do? That’s what makes this so hard. She always listened to him.

I wonder if Jonathan’s had any luck finding her. He’s better at this than I am colder, more methodical. But even he might not be able to track her down if she’s really gone.

I pulled the car over and sat there for a moment, staring at the dark horizon. The city lights blurred through the windshield, and I realized my hands were trembling. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The air felt thick, suffocating. My heart pounded like a drum in my chest.

This was it. No more running. No more hiding.

I was going to face Evan. And I was going to tell him exactly what happened that day every detail, every truth he didn’t want to hear. Even if it killed me.

So I did. Sitting in his office, the air cold and still, I told him everything. My voice shook at first, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. Every memory, every mistake, every secret I’d buried came spilling out. Evan didn’t interrupt. He just sat there behind his desk, eyes sharp and unreadable, fingers tapping slowly against the wood. The silence between my words was louder than any threat he could make.

When I finished, the room felt heavier than before. I could feel his rage simmering beneath the surface, quiet but deadly. I knew what came next. And I didn’t fight it.

Because for the first time in years, I’d told the truth.