He Ran From Me as I Ran Out of Time

Caleb clenched his hand under the table into a fist.

"That still isn't a reason for Cecile to bully Gina. If she apologizes to Gina, we'll hold the wedding again."

Maybe he felt guilty because he actually brought up marrying me on his own.

He added, "This time, we'll complete the wedding ceremony. Nothing will go wrong again."

But only I knew that was impossible. Even if we tried a hundred more times, the wedding would still be canceled for no reason like before.

Just then, Caleb got a call from the housekeeper.

"What did Cecile say? Is she willing to apologize now?" he asked.

The housekeeper on the other end of the line stammered and said the lock to the cellar couldn't be opened.

Caleb's heart skipped a beat. "How's that possible? I was just trying to teach her a lesson. The lock was rusty, so it should have been easy to kick open."

The housekeeper replied, "Maybe you should come back and check. We really can't open the cellar door's lock."

Caleb felt a chill run down his spine, and his hands trembled.

He called me over and over. Yet, no matter how many times he dialed or texted, no one answered.

Of course, that was the case. How could a dead person answer the phone?

When I had been struggling desperately in that pitch-black cellar, I had wished so badly that he would appear before my eyes and get me out of there.

But even as I breathed my last, he still never came.

He might have used that rusty lock on purpose, thinking I could break out using my own strength.

However, if he had just checked on me once, he would have seen that Gina had replaced the lock. That had killed any chances I had of escaping.

"Cecile isn't answering my calls," he mumbled.

Panic clawed at him as he grabbed his coat and rushed out the door. Behind him, Gina hurried after him, afraid the truth would come out.

She claimed she was just going to help him look for me.

Before the car even came to a full stop, Caleb frantically rushed back into the house.

It was empty, and not a single person was in sight.

"Cecile, I know you're out. Stop playing disappearing games with me. If you apologize to Gina now, I'll forgive you and marry you," Caleb shouted.

But no matter how loudly he called, he received no answer.

"Cecile, where are you? Come out!" he yelled.

After shouting several times and receiving no response, he rushed to the cellar.

But when he saw that a brand-new lock had been fastened to the cellar door and that the air vents had been sealed tight, a chill ran through him.

Caleb's heart jolted. With a loud clatter, his phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.