He Lost Me to His Best Friend novel Chapter 806

Ignoring Melanie's shrieking insults, Yardley turned his back on them and marched out, his face rigid with determination.

He swore to himself that he would find Scarlett, no matter what it took. If she was alive, he would bring her back. If she was dead, he would find her body.

Over the next few hours, he burned through every favor, contact, and resource at his disposal.

He even drove out to the chaotic, decaying narco-town himself, wandering through the filthy alleyways, grabbing homeless addicts by their collars, and desperately demanding answers.

A full day and night passed.

He found absolutely nothing.

Exhausted, hovering on the very edge of a complete breakdown, he was just about to log onto the dark web to post a massive bounty when his phone rang. It was Veronica.

She was smirking on the other end, but forced a heavy, grieving tone. "Yardley... you can stop looking. We just got the official word."

Yardley's heart slammed against his ribs. "What?"

Veronica let out a staged, sorrowful sigh. "Scarlett... is dead."

Those three little words hit him like a freight train, completely crushing the breath out of his lungs.

His blood turned to ice. His throat seized up, and it took an eternity for him to choke out a single, fractured whisper. "What did you say?"

"Scarlett... is dead?"

He gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. A tidal wave of shock crashed over him, immediately followed by a profound, suffocating agony and total disorientation.

"Yes. We just got the news."

"She was chased by some drifters to the edge of the cliffs. She fell into the ocean. The current is brutal there... they say the bodies were swept out to sea."

"The police found blood on the rocks. They tested it—it's hers and Julian's. They're both gone."

How had such a massive rumor exploded back home in just a few days? It was beyond absurd.

Scarlett quickly turned on her phone. He wasn't exaggerating.

Her notifications were maxed out. Hundreds of missed calls and texts flooded her screen. Talia had entirely bought into the lie, sending over a hundred weeping voice notes to her inbox.

Frowning at the sheer melodrama of it all, Scarlett didn't even know where to begin.

Julian was furious. "This is a sick joke! Who is spreading this garbage?! I'm calling the media back home right now to clear this up—"

Scarlett caught his sleeve and shook her head, a slow, calculated smile spreading across her lips.

"Actually, I think it's a brilliant idea. Let's just stay dead."

Julian froze, staring at her in shock.