The Countess's Body Has Disappeared - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 33
The female audience members gasped in unison, hands flying to their mouths. Davion covered his mouth too—though for an entirely different reason.
‘Surely… Cecilia hasn’t been telling people about us?’
Unexpectedly, Liam was watching the play with considerable interest, wielding that sharp focus he was known for. The moment Davion realized this, he found himself unable to enjoy anything, and the situation became all the more unbearable.
‘I can’t watch this.’
If he stayed seated much longer, he’d lose his mind.
He needed to think of some excuse to give Esmeralda when she discovered the empty seat in a few minutes. Davion hunched forward and rose from his chair, prompting Liam to lift his head in response.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. You can stay and watch till the end.”
“Alone?”
“Who else is here?”
The nearby audience members cast fearsome glares at the two men whispering during the climactic scene.
“I’ll come with you.”
Liam stood, bobbing his head apologetically as he followed Davion. A grown man sitting alone among the women to watch a romance play would certainly look peculiar.
The moment they stepped outside the Grand Theater, Davion loosened his necktie and drew in a deep breath of fresh air. The throbbing in his temples that had been worsening from the overpowering perfume of the women finally began to ease.
“Here, take this.”
He fished the car key from his pocket and tossed it to Liam, who caught it uncertainly and spoke in a doubtful tone.
“Are you having me drive again?”
“I have a headache.”
It seemed another woman’s scream was echoing from somewhere in the distance.
As they passed through the lobby, bathed in the light of chandeliers, Davion pressed his hot forehead with his palm.
“I keep hearing strange sounds, and if I drive like this, I’m afraid I’ll cause an accident.”
* * *
Something hot trickled slowly down her forehead.
Cecilia was crouched in the corner of a dusty landing, clutching her abdomen and gasping for breath. The surgical scar that had been cut open just months ago to remove her stillborn child throbbed as if stabbed by a knife.
Through her wavering vision, she saw a black silhouette descending the stairs.
A faint laugh followed. As Cecilia forced her heavy body upright, blood pooled in her mouth dripped to the floor, leaving dark stains. The pocket knife that had slipped from her grasp when she hit the wall was spinning like a top within reach of her outstretched hand. But before she could grab it again, it was kicked away by a shoe and sent flying.
“Where do you think you’re going, hmm? Stay here with me…….”
The steep stairs behind the old woman and her towering heels pierced Cecilia’s mind simultaneously. She wiped away the blood that stung her eyes, then forced her trembling legs to support her weight as she rose unsteadily to her feet.
There was only one chance.
Cecilia took a breath and lunged forward, slamming hard into the old woman. The woman lost her balance, stumbled, and fell backward onto the edge of a step.
“Ah!”
Crash. The sound of a bottle shattering into hundreds of pieces echoed through the stairwell.
Cecilia shoved the old woman’s shoulder away, pushed herself upright, and bolted down the stairs without a backward glance. From beyond her rapidly spinning consciousness, an agonized shriek tore through her ears.
“You see this! Young people these days have no manners whatsoever!”
A closed door finally appeared at the lower landing. Praying it wouldn’t be locked, Cecilia grasped the cold handle and pulled it open toward her.
The door swung open smoothly.
As light flooded across her face, hot tears welled up suddenly behind her eyelids.
Ah—there was a performance at the Grand Theater tonight. She’d completely forgotten the rule that the emergency exit door is left open on days when major performances are held.
Cecilia descended toward the theater entrance, supporting her aching body against the railing as a wave of overwhelming relief washed over her. That wooden staircase she’d been curious about on her first day here, when she’d come looking for work, was actually connected to an emergency exit.
She needed fresh air. Or rather, she needed a helping hand……
Cecilia staggered out of the entrance onto the bustling sidewalk full of pedestrians. The moment she heard a woman’s shocked scream, her strength gave way entirely and she collapsed helplessly onto the pavement.
Everything spun. The world, tilted at an odd angle, wavered like heat shimmer.
She coughed, and dark blood gushed from her mouth. Through the ringing in her ears, angry car horns blared loudly all around her.
‘My sweet little ones, Ruby…….’
Cecilia closed her eyes, breathing shallow breaths.
Kids, Mom just wants to… sleep a little longer.
* * *
Liam pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped his forehead. And the steering wheel, damp with sweat from his hands.
He could feel Davion’s sharp gaze from the passenger seat as the man studied his profile. He didn’t need to look to know what expression was on his face.
“Back up more. Why are you being so timid?”
Davion’s patience, twisted in his seat to watch behind them, was steadily wearing thin. But Liam was at the end of his rope as well, and his voice rose in frustration.
“That’s exactly what I’ve been telling you! I really don’t have any confidence with parallel parking!”
“This isn’t even parking, it’s reversing! Do you realize we’ve been in the same spot for ten minutes?”
“Reversing is just as hard! And yes, it’s possible!”
“How the hell did you even get your driver’s license with skills like that?”
“Since when is a driver’s license based on skill?! All you need is money and time to get one!”
“Oh really? And how can you say something like that so confidently?”
“Would you prefer I told you in secret?!”

Ha—ridiculous. Davion straightened in his seat, pressing his fingers to his forehead.
“If I’d known it would come to this, I should’ve just driven myself.”
Liam, shifting gears and drawing a deep breath, pretended not to hear the muttered complaint.
After fifteen minutes of struggle, the car finally lurched from the shoulder onto the proper roadway. Davion thought it odd that traffic was heavier than usual, given the performance wasn’t over yet. He propped his elbow against the window frame, cradling his head with listless indifference.
“Get ready to change lanes soon.”
“I understand that much without instruction…….”
Is that so? Davion glanced at the side mirror and let out a hollow laugh.
But then he caught sight of something impossibly small, reflected in the glass—a speck of something—and his brow furrowed.
“Wait.”
Moments later, as recognition dawned, Davion’s eyes widened in shock.
“Stop the car.”
He murmured the words almost under his breath. But Liam, unable to hear over the engine noise, called back, “Pardon?”
Davion’s voice erupted as though he were spitting blood.
“I said stop the car!”
Startled, Liam slammed on the brakes just as the car behind them blared its horn. Davion wrenched the door open and hurled himself across the roadway, breaking into a sprint toward the opposite sidewalk.
“You maniac! Don’t you see cars driving here?!”
In an instant, the street filled with the blare of horns. Some drivers rolled down their windows, shouting and gesturing.
But the world around Davion had already ceased to exist—neither heard nor seen. There, in the distance, lay the wife he had searched for so desperately, crumpled on the ground.
“Cecilia! Cecilia!”
Her white hair scattered wildly through the dust and grime of the road.
My Cecilia…… had she always been this small? For reasons he couldn’t name, heat surged behind Davion’s eyes, and his vision blurred.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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