The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 14

Chapter 15 Haunted

+25 Points

Chapter 15: Haunted

Caleb POV

The clock on my nightstand read 3:47 AM, and I was staring at the ceiling again, counting the minutes until I could pretend sleep was even an option. Bella’s eyes haunted me every time I closed mine.

I’d tried everything: sleeping pills that left me groggy and useless, whiskey that only made the nightmares worse, even meditation apps that my assistant had nervously suggested. Nothing worked. The moment I drifted off, I was back in that office, watching her face shatter as she saw Jade in my lap, hearing my own voice say those unforgivable words.

“Get rid of it.”

I threw off the covers and headed for my home gym, the only place where exhaustion sometimes won over guilt. By 4 AM, I was on the treadmill, running until my lungs burned and my legs screamed. By 5 AM, I was in the shower, letting scalding water pound against my shoulders while I tried not to think about how Bella used to hum softly in the guest bathroom down the hall.

By 6 AM, I was in my office at Black Tower, dressed in a fresh suit, my third coffee already cooling on my desk.

“Sir, you’re here early again,” James said when he arrived at seven, concerned, flickering across his face. “Did you sleep at all last night?”

“I slept fine.” The lie came easily now. “What’s on the schedule?”

He didn’t believe me, I could see it in his eyes, but he was too professional to push. “Board meeting at nine, lunch with the Singapore investors at noon, and your grandmother called again. She’s asking when you’ll visit.”

My chest tightened. Grandmother. I’d been avoiding since she recovered from her surgery, I sent her on a trip with the excuse of i wanted her to unwind, sending flowers and gifts instead of showing up in person. Because how could I face her when she asked about Bella? How could I tell her I’d destroyed the one thing she’d wanted for me, a real marriage, a family, a chance at happiness?

“Tell her I’ll come this Sunday,” I said, knowing I couldn’t put it off forever. “Confirm it this time.”

James nodded and retreated, leaving me with reports I couldn’t focus on and a coffee I didn’t want. Since Bella left had turned me into something worse than I’d been before. I worked eighteen-hour days, slept maybe three hours a night, and took out my frustration on anyone who crossed me. The media called me the “Winter King” now, colder and more ruthless than ever.

They had no idea it wasn’t a calculation. It was rage. Rage at myself, at Richard and Jade for their manipulation, at the universe for letting me be this stupid. And underneath the rage was something worse grief for a woman I’d never really known, for a child I’d thrown away, for a life I’d destroyed before it even began.

My phone buzzed with a text from Detective, the third investigator I’d hired over the months.

Mr. Black, checked like you asked. No hospital records, no birth certificates, no employment under the name Bella Hart or Bella Black. She’s not there.

Chapter 15 Haunted

+25 Points

read the message three times, then threw my phone across the room. It hit the wall and shattered, pieces scattering across the marble floor like my hope.

James appeared in the doorway within seconds, drawn by the noise. “Sir?”

“Get me another phone.” I rubbed my face, exhausted beyond measure. “And tell the detective to expand the search. Every city within two hundred miles of Newark. I don’t care what it costs.”

“Sir, it’s been months, maybe she doesn’t want to be found.”

“I know she doesn’t want to be found.” I looked at him, and whatever he saw in my face made him step back. “But I’m going to find her anyway. Even if it takes the rest of my life.”

He left without another word, and I stood at my window, looking out at the city I’d conquered but couldn’t enjoy. Somewhere out there, Bella was hiding from me, maybe raising our child alone, hating me with every breath. I didn’t blame her. I hated myself too.

The board meeting was a disaster. I snapped at three directors, shot down every proposal without discussion, and walked out halfway through when someone suggested we needed to “think more creatively about market expansion.”

“What I need,” I said coldly, standing up, “is a board that can actually do their jobs without holding my hand. Figure it out yourselves.”

James chased me down the hallway. “Sir, you can’t just walk out of board meetings. They’re already talking about”

“About what? Replacing me?” I laughed, bitter and sharp. “Let them try. I own sixty percent of this company. They can talk all they want.”

He fell silent, and I felt a stab of guilt. James didn’t deserve my anger, none of my employees did, but I couldn’t seem to stop. Everything felt like sandpaper against my skin, every interaction grated, every

moment awake was torture.

Sunday came too quickly. I drove to my grandmother’s estate in the countryside, my hands tight on the steering wheel, practicing what I’d say. But when I walked into her sunroom and saw her sitting in her wheelchair, looking smaller and frailer than I remembered, all my prepared words died.

“Caleb.” Her face lit up, then fell as she studied me. “You look terrible, when did you last sleep?”

“I sleep fine, Grandmother.” I kissed her cheek and sat in the chair beside her. “How are you feeling?”

“Don’t change the subject.” She reached for my hand with fingers that trembled slightly. “You’ve lost weight, your eyes are hollow. And you haven’t brought Bella to meet me yet. What’s going on?”

The question I’d been dreading. I looked away, unable to meet her knowing gaze. “Bella and I… we’re having some difficulties right now.”

“Difficulties?” Her grip tightened, surprisingly strong for someone so frail. “Caleb James Black, look at me.”

I did, and the concern in her eyes nearly broke me.”Where is your wife?” she asked softly.

“I don’t know.” The admission came out raw, honest in a way I hadn’t been with anyone else. “She left a few months ago. And it’s my fault, Grandmother. All of it.”

2/3

<Chapter 15-Haunted

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify