He Canceled My Ticket for Her Again, So I Bought My Way Home Chapter 05

He Canceled My Ticket for Her Again, So I Bought My Way Home Chapter 05

Julian stared at the string of unanswered messages on his phone.

A strange sense of unease settled in his chest.

He glanced over at Serena, whose head was wrapped in layers of white bandages, then finally

slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Pulling up a chair beside her hospital bed, he asked quietly, “How are you feeling?”

Before Serena could answer, her parents jumped in.

“Julian, thank goodness you got her here in time.”

“We can’t thank you enough.”

Then, almost immediately, their gratitude turned into complaints.

“That Clara is unbelievable.”

“Who would’ve thought she’d be so vicious?”

“Poor Serena ended up in the hospital because of her.”

The nonstop chatter grated on Julian’s nerves.

For some reason, every word irritated him.

Had they always been this loud?

Serena seemed to notice his growing impatience.

She tugged gently on her mother’s sleeve.

“Mom, Dad… Clara didn’t do it on purpose.”

Her parents looked ready to argue, but one warning glance from Serena silenced them.

At that moment, a nurse nearby stumbled and nearly fell.

Julian’s heart lurched.

Without warning, Clara’s collapse replayed in his mind.

The way her face had turned ghostly white.

The way she’d curled up on the floor in pain.

The memory stabbed straight through his chest.

“I should go check on Clara,” he said abruptly, rising frorn his seat.

Before he could take a step, Serena grabbed the edge of his shirt.

Her eyes instantly reddened.

“Julian…”

Her voice trembled.

“I’m scared.”

“I’m still hurting.”

“As for Clara…” She hesitated before continuing softly. “That man was with her, wasn’t he? I’m

sure she’s fine.”

The mention of him made Julian freeze.

The man standing beside Clara.

The man she had smiled at so brightly.

The image flashed through his mind.

His feet stopped moving.

A second later, he sat back down.

“Serena,” he said quietly, “I’ll stay with you.”

Hours passed.

Night deepened.

Still, there was no word from Clara.

Julian checked his phone again and again.

Nothing.

No calls.

No texts.

No updates.

His anxiety grew with every passing minute.

This wasn’t normal.

No matter how upset Clara got, she had never gone this long without contacting him.

Finally, he dialed her number.

The call rang once.

Then abruptly disconnected.

A cold automated voice immediately followed.

[Your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system…]

Julian frowned.

No way.

He called again.

The exact same thing happened.

One ring.

Then voicemail.

A chill spread through him.

Quickly exiting the call screen, he opened iMessage and typed a message.

He hit send.

The familiar blue bubble appeared instantly.

But this time, something was missing.

Julian stared at the screen.

Normally, the word [Delivered] would appear beneath the message within seconds.

Now there was nothing.

Just empty space.

His stomach dropped.

She had blocked him.

“Julian?”

Serena’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

She looked at him with carefully measured concern.

“Is Clara still upset?”

Then she sighed.

“You know how she is.”

“When she gets emotional, she always does this.”

“Give her a couple days and she’ll calm down.”

“She likes making you worry.”

Julian rubbed his temples.

The frustration remained, but Serena’s words eased some of his panic.

She was right.

Wasn’t this what Clara always did?

She’d give him the cold shoulder.

Disappear for a while.

Then leave enough clues for him to find her and bring her home.

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.

Gradually, the tension between his brows eased.

By the time he finally left the hospital, dawn was breaking.

Exhausted, he drove home.

The moment he opened the front door, something felt wrong.

The house was silent.

Too silent.

Clara’s slippers were gone.

Her purse was gone.

Her coats were gone.

Every trace of her had vanished.

It was as if she had never lived there at all.

A wave of panic crashed over him.

His hands started shaking.

“Clara?”

He rushed through every room.

Nothing.

No sign of her.

Then he noticed several documents sitting neatly on the living room table.

His heart pounded.

He practically ran toward them.

The moment he saw the title, all the strength drained from his body.

[DIVORCE AGREEMENT]

Julian collapsed onto the floor.

His lips trembled.

“No…”

“That’s impossible…”

“No…”