I Fell for the Man Who Ruined Me, Then He Forgot He Ever Loved Me Back novel Chapter 299

The city at night was a bustling blur of traffic, its dazzling lights flowing like rivers of gold.

The skyline that Jorrod usually observed through his expansive office windows was now framed by the narrow confines of his car windshield. He drove recklessly fast, the world outside streaking by in vibrant, chaotic lines.

His body, which used to power through late-night shifts until three or four in the morning without breaking a sweat, felt completely drained, as if something vital had been violently hollowed out of him.

For the first time in recent memory, he went home early.

It was only seven o'clock when he pulled into the driveway.

Susan was genuinely taken aback.

Jorrod was a workaholic who rarely ate dinner at home, let alone arrived this early. It was completely out of character.

She hurried over to greet him. "Mr. Vaughn, would you like me to prepare some dinner for you?"

"No."

Jorrod's flat, two-word refusal was perfectly polite, betraying zero emotion.

He didn't even break his stride. He simply loosened his tie and headed straight for the stairs.

Susan stood rooted to the spot, watching his tall, commanding silhouette disappear around the corner, her brow furrowing slightly.

He actually seemed... fine.

She was probably just overthinking it.

The lights in his bedroom were off. When he pushed the door open, the ambient glow from the hallway crept across the floorboards.

Jorrod stood motionless in the doorway for a couple of seconds, tracing the shadowy outlines of the furniture, lost in a silent storm of his own thoughts.

Finally, he reached out and flicked the switch.

The overhead light flooded the room with stark, blinding brightness.

Jorrod's gaze immediately snapped to the display cabinet against the wall.

A sudden, icy wave of panic crashed into his chest.

Without even bothering to shrug off his suit jacket, he strode over to the cabinet and reached for the Memory Lamp he had meticulously placed on the highest shelf to keep it safe.

The transparent acrylic board resting in his palm was pristine and crystal clear. It looked as if it had been swapped out for a brand-new one. Not a single trace of handwriting remained.

His expression was terrifyingly blank.

Yet, the air around him plummeted to freezing. His eyes darkened into an abyss, radiating a sudden, explosive fury.

Jorrod summoned his staff.

Jorrod didn't waste another second. He brushed past Wesley and sprinted downstairs.

The outdoor trash bins were hollow and empty, save for a few stray bags of fresh kitchen waste. There wasn't a single trace of the little lamp.

Susan peeked out from the doorway. "Mr. Vaughn, are you looking for something?"

Jorrod forced down the hurricane of desperation clawing at his chest. He turned his head, his voice strained but heavily controlled. "Was the morning trash already taken away?"

Susan nodded. "Yes, the sanitation workers came by bright and early. This is just the waste from after lunch."

Outside in the courtyard, the moon hung high and cold, washing the manicured grounds in an unforgiving, silvery pale light.

Susan lingered by the door. Through the crisp moonlight, she watched the man—who was notoriously obsessed with cleanliness—grip the dirty edges of the garbage bin. He stared into the pitch-black void inside, his knuckles slowly turning white as he squeezed the plastic.

She frowned. "Mr. Vaughn, please, that's filthy."

-

When Jorrod returned to his bedroom, Wesley was still waiting anxiously by the door.

He knew he had made a catastrophic mistake and was bracing himself for a reprimand.

As Jorrod approached, his sleeves were slightly damp, evidence that he had just scrubbed his hands raw.