The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 11

"Mr. Bennett, there's still no news about Mrs. Bennett."

The assistant's voice trembled slightly. It had been a full month—no trace of her, alive or dead.

Ryan Bennett looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

"Then keep looking! Why are you standing here?"

The assistant quickly nodded and left.

Ryan collapsed onto the floor, consumed by helplessness. The mere thought that his wife might be dead made it hard to breathe.

No. It couldn't be. They hadn't found a body. All he could think about was whether Joanna was cold, hungry, or suffering at someone's hands.

Nearly two months had passed, and still nothing.

Every possible place Joanna could have gone had been searched. Every friend who might know her whereabouts had been questioned. Yet, there was no lead.

Ryan was breaking. Each disappointment pushed him closer to despair.

He abandoned his business, drowned himself in alcohol, and spent hours staring blankly at family portraits in the villa.

His lips moved in a whisper, "Where are you? You can't be gone… You can't be..."

A single tear slid down his cheek.

"Joanna… Did you really leave me?"

The shareholders grew restless. Word reached his retired father, who rushed back from Switzerland with Ryan's mother.

The moment they stepped inside, his father struck him hard across the face.

"Pathetic! Look at yourself!"

"You're a disgrace to the Bennett name."

Ryan's expression stiffened, but inside, he felt nothing but ice. His father had always demanded perfection, never offering warmth. Since childhood, he'd been a puppet—forced to study, to mold himself into the perfect heir.

And now, he'd lost the only person who ever truly loved him.

His mother's tears fell as she pleaded softly, "Ryan, Joanna is gone. Will you let this destroy you?"

"You still have responsibilities. Besides, Crystal is carrying your child. Isn't that enough?"

"You grew up together. She even saved your life once."

She had never approved of Joanna—a woman of humble origins who bore only a "useless" daughter. In her eyes, Crystal, raised under her watch, was the perfect match. If not for Joanna "scheming" her way in, destiny would have united them.

Ryan lifted his head, his gaze hollow.

"Joanna isn't dead. I refuse to believe it."

"As for Crystal, she's just a sister to me. I won't marry her. I don't love her."

"She hurt Joanna. She killed Lily. The only reason I haven't retaliated is out of gratitude for what she once did for me."

His mother frowned in disbelief. "What kind of spell did that woman cast on you?"

Ryan laughed bitterly.

Once, he had known true love—a happy family, a devoted wife, a precious daughter.

The warmth the Bennett family never gave him, Joanna had provided. And he had destroyed it all with his own hands.

He lowered his head, hiding the regret and despair in his eyes.

His father's fury boiled over. "Fine. Then step down as CEO. Rot away for all I care."

His mother tugged lightly at his father's sleeve, murmuring, "He's just lost right now. The company's profits have tripled under him these past few years..."

Her voice faded, but Ryan let out a hollow laugh.

Even his own parents saw him as nothing more than a tool.

After they left, Ryan remained motionless, lost in alcohol and memories. His body weakened. His mind grew hazy.

In the darkness, he wiped away a tear.

Joanna… You're out there waiting for me, aren't you?