Chapter 46

Riley sat in the car, her body trembling as the weight of Sienna's message crashed down on her like a wave. Her breaths came in ragged gasps, and her hands shook uncontrollably as she clutched her phone. The small engagement ring box lay open beside her, a symbol of everything she had hoped for, now seemingly out of reach.

"No... no, this can't be happening," she whispered, her voice breaking. She wiped her tear-streaked face with the back of her hand, but the tears kept coming. Every word of the message echoed painfully in her mind, burning into her heart.

"I'm tired of our relationship... Let's break up... Leave me alone and never bother me again."

Riley tried to steady herself, inhaling deeply as she attempted to call Sienna again, praying for any sign that this was some cruel joke, or maybe just a misunderstanding. But every attempt went unanswered. The calls went straight to voicemail.

"Come on, Sienna. Answer me... please..." Riley whispered, her voice breaking as she spoke into the quiet of the empty venue. The silence only deepened her sense of isolation.

Her hands balled into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought the rising panic. She had spent the last month counting down the days until this moment—their reunion, their anniversary, her proposal. She had dreamed of how Sienna would smile, how her eyes would light up when Riley finally asked her to spend forever together. But now, all of that was crumbling around her, and she didn't know why.

With a shaky hand, she reached for the engagement ring, gripping it tightly as if holding onto the last bit of hope she had left. "Why... Why is this happening?" she choked out, her voice thick with emotion. "Sienna, please... please don't do this to us... to me..."

Her sobs filled the empty space as she cried, her heart breaking with every passing second. She couldn't understand what had changed, what had driven Sienna to end their relationship like this—so suddenly, so coldly. The pain was unbearable, a deep, gnawing ache that consumed her completely.

In her desperation, Riley couldn't help but hold onto the small glimmer of hope that Sienna might change her mind, that maybe, just maybe, this wasn't the end. But as the minutes ticked by and no new messages came, her hope began to wane, leaving her alone with nothing but the echo of her heartache.

For the first time in a long while, Riley felt truly lost.

Three months had passed—still no word, no updates. It was as if Riley had simply vanished without a trace. Sienna had searched everywhere, asked everyone they both knew, but no one had any idea where Riley had gone.

Swiping her RFID card, Sienna opened the door to the apartment, hoping—just hoping—that maybe this time, she wouldn't come home to an empty space. But as she stepped inside, silence greeted her. The apartment was unchanged, a painful reminder of Riley's absence, and her heart ached with the weight of it.

"Where did I go wrong?" Sienna whispered, pulling out her phone and dialing Riley's number for what felt like the hundredth time. It was still unreachable, just like every other attempt. The sense of loss hit her all over again. It was as though Riley had been erased from her life without a trace.

"Why did you leave me?" she murmured to herself, sinking to the floor and hugging her knees. Tears threatened to spill over as she sat there, feeling the crushing emptiness around her.

Sienna had searched every corner of the internet, desperately looking for Riley. She scoured every social media platform, hoping to find some new account or sign of life. But it was as if Riley had only been a dream—a fleeting part of her past, now unreachable.

The door chimed, and her heart skipped a beat. For a second, she hoped it might be Riley. "Ril—" She stopped short. "Nyx? Harriet?"

Panting from their hurried pace, Nyx and Harriet entered, pulling Sienna into a tight embrace. Confusion washed over her as she tried to make sense of their sudden visit.

"We've decided to cancel the search for Riley," Harriet said, exhaling deeply.

"What?" Sienna's voice trembled. "W-why?" A flicker of hope ignited within her—maybe, just maybe, they'd found Riley. Perhaps she was safe somewhere, waiting to come home.

Nyx and Harriet exchanged uneasy glances. Nyx cleared her throat, retrieving her phone from her pocket. "I managed to connect with her," she said slowly. "We still don't know where she is, but... she asked us not to look for her. She doesn't want to talk about it."

Sienna took a step back, the ground beneath her seeming to give way. "Wait—what?"

"I don't know what's going on either," Nyx replied, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "But I think you should see the video call we had. Something's... off. There's some kind of misunderstanding or, I don't know."

Sienna's hands shook as she took the phone. She braced herself and pressed play. The image of Riley flickered onto the screen, her face distant and tired—so different from the vibrant woman Sienna had last seen. Three long months had passed, and yet, it looked like Riley had been through an eternity of pain.

"Hi, Nyx," Riley's voice was barely a whisper. Her smile was faint, weighed down by an obvious sadness. Dark circles under her eyes, the puffiness from endless tears—it was all too clear she was suffering.

Riley sniffed, her voice cracking as she tried to hold herself together. "Sorry... I didn't tell you sooner. I know you must've been worried."

Sienna watched, her heart breaking as Riley rubbed the back of her neck nervously. She seemed haunted, as if something heavy rested on her shoulders.

"No, no, I'm okay," Riley continued, forcing a tight smile. "I just wanted to let you know I'm fine... so you don't have to worry."

Then, as if hearing Sienna's name was too much to bear, Riley's expression changed. "S-Sienna?" She gulped, lowering her gaze. "I don't know, Nyx. It's just... it hurts too much. I can't talk about it right now. I'm sorry." And just like that, the video cut off.

Sienna let out a bitter laugh, trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. "At least she's safe, right? T-that's what matters," she said, her voice breaking. But the weight of it all became too much. Her resolve crumbled, and she collapsed onto the floor, hugging her knees as sobs wracked her body. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't know... If I had known this would happen because of that job, I wouldn't have taken it. I didn't know why she had to leave me..."

Nyx knelt beside her, pulling her into a comforting hug. "Don't blame yourself, Sienna. I'm sure Riley has her reasons. And when she's ready, she'll explain everything. I'm so sorry you're going through this because of her."

"I miss her," Sienna sobbed, her voice breaking as she gasped for air. "I miss her so much... It feels like hell without her."

Nyx rubbed her back gently, trying to soothe her pain. But the emptiness lingered in Sienna's chest—a hollow ache that wouldn't go away. Living without Riley felt like living without a part of her soul.