The CEO’s Unspoken Love (Eleanor and Derek) novel Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Derek POV

I don’t remember falling asleep. One moment I was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the empty spaces where Eleanor’s things should have been, and the next, sunlight was streaming through the windows I hadn’t bothered to close.

My mouth felt dry, my head heavy. I’d slept in my clothes, my tie loosened but still around my neck. The stubble on my face had grown past the point of fashionable into unkempt territory. I ran a hand over my jaw, feeling the rough texture against my palm

Eleanor was gone.

The thought hit me again with the same force as when I’d first realized it last night. The house felt eerily empty without her, presence. I had never noticed how much space she occupied in my life until she wasn’t there anymore. The silence was deafening,

rooms suddenly too large, corridors too long. Her absence had created a void that seemed to follow me from room to room, a

constant reminder of what was missing.

Downstairs, Mrs. Hughes was already bustling about the kitchen. She looked up when I entered, her expression somewhere between

sympathy and reproach.

Good morning, Mr. Wells,” she said, setting a cup of coffee in front of me. ‘Would you like some breakfast?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice yet. The coffee was strong and bitter, exactly how I needed it.

“Mrs. Hughes, I finally said, keeping my tone deliberately casual, ‘do you know where Eleanor went?*

She paused in her preparation of my eggs. “No, sir. She didn’t tell me where she was going.”

“Did she say anything at all? I pressed, watching her movements carefully.

‘Not really.” Mrs. Hughes turned to face me, wooden spoon in hand. But she took Sunny with her. That little dog follows her

everywhere.”

Something in my chest tightened at the mention of the dog. Eleanor loved that ridiculous golden retriever, had insisted on keeping

him despite my initial objections about my allergy issue.

“Did she take much with her?” I asked, though I already knew the answer from my midnight inventory.

I presume just a small suitcase. And her personal items.” Mrs. Hughes hesitated. She didn’t take any other things.”

I finished my breakfast quickly, barely tasting the perfectly prepared eggs and toast. My mind was already mapping out possible locations, calculating the probability of each. I headed to my study, instructing my assistant via phone to locate Olivia Parker’s

contact information immediately.

Within fifteen minutes, I had Olivia’s number. I dialed it without hesitation, drumming my fingers against the mahogany desk while

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Chapter 74

I waited.

“Hello?” Her voice was wary, as if she’d checked the caller ID and was already on the defensive.

Olivia, it’s Derek Wells.”

“I know who it is,” she replied coldly. “What do you want?”

“I need to speak with Eleanor.”

A harsh laugh came through the line. “Of course you do. After you’ve driven her away, now you suddenly need to talk to her?”

I closed my eyes, willing myself to remain calm. ‘Do you know where she is?”

“No, I don’t,” Olivia snapped, her voice rising with anger. “I’ve been trying to reach her all morning. Her phone goes straight to

voicemail.

“I need to find her, I insisted, gripping the phone tighter.

“Why? So you can hurt her more?” Olivia’s voice trembled with fury. “If she’s done something drastic because of you, I swear I’ll

make you pay for the rest of your life.”

My blood ran cold. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, Derek. She was devastated last night. When someone’s pushed to their breaking point-

“Eleanor wouldn’t do that, I cut her off sharply. “She’s not that fragile.”

“How would you know?” Olivia challenged. “You’ve never bothered to understand her at all.”

The accusation stung, but I pushed past it. “This isn’t helping. We need to find her.”

Olivia was silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was slightly calmer. She might have gone to her parents’ old house

in Newton. She mentioned reclaiming it recently.”

“Newton, I repeated, already reaching for my car keys.

“I’m going there too,” Olivia said firmly. “Jayden and I are leaving now.”

“Fine,” I replied, not in the mood to argue. I’ll meet you there.”

“Derek, Olivia’s voice stopped me before I could hang up. “If you hurt her again, I swear to God…”

I just want to talk to her,” I said, and ended the call.

The drive to Newton was filled with thoughts I didn’t want to have. Images of Eleanor’s face when Seraphina answered my phone.

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Chapter 74

The dinner she’d prepared, going cold while I sat in a hospital waiting room. The empty spaces in our closet where her clothes/

should have been.

I called her phone repeatedly, each call going straight to voicemail. Each time, I heard her voice-professional, detached, nothing like the warmth she reserved for people she cared about-asking me to leave a message. Each time, I hung up without speaking.

What would I even say? ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there’? ‘I’m sorry Seraphina answered my phone? The words seemed inadequate, hollow.

By the time I pulled up to the Victorian house in Newton, my knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel too tightly. The house looked different in daylight than it had when I’d driven Eleanor here to confront her aunt and uncle. It seemed more alive

somehow, as if it had been waiting for her return.

I rang the doorbell, hearing it echo through the house. Moments later, the door swung open, and there she was.

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The CEO’s Unspoken Love