---- Chapter 16 My father smiled with relief and said that now that I was here, he could finally retire in peace and live the leisurely fishing life he had always dreamed of. Time flew by, and two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. While I was busy handling various work tasks, I suddenly received a new email in my inbox, sent by Carl, Mike's assistant. I paused for a moment, feeling a bit puzzled, and opened the email. The beginning read, "Madam, I don't know if you'll be able to see this email. Over the past days, I've tried every possible way to contact you, but all my efforts have been in vain. I was thinking, since you've canceled your identity, you must no longer be in the country." As I continued reading, my heart skipped a beat. "You don't know, but Mr. Ashton has been nearly driven mad these days." I read through the email carefully as Carl detailed ---- everything that had been happening back in the country. It turned out that after Mike accompanied Oliver to complete her discharge procedures, he couldn't wait to return home, full of anticipation to see me and Melanie. But what greeted him was complete silence. The moment he opened the door, he was completely stunned. The once warm and cozy home had now become so clean and tidy that it almost felt empty. Our belongings were all packed away, not a single item left behind, as if we had never lived there. At first, Mike held on to a sliver of hope, guessing that I might have taken Melanie on a short trip, and that we would be back in a few days. So, he waited expectantly, day after day, but still didn't see any sign of us. Mike had always been composed and reserved, speaking little. But after waiting for a week, he couldn't help but grow anxious. ---- He took the initiative to message me, with a simple sentence. "Shannon, where have you and Melanie gone?" However, as soon as the message was sent, a glaring red exclamation mark popped up on his phone screen, indicating that the message had failed to send. It was then that he realized I had blocked him. Not willing to give up, Mike hurriedly went to Melanie's nursery, his expression frantic as he said to the teacher, "I've come to pick up Melanie after school." The nursery teacher looked at him, puzzled, then politely but distantly asked, ''Mr. Ashton, are you sure you've got the right person? Aren't you Oliver's father?" At those words, Mike froze on the spot, slowly realizing how serious the situation was. As he recalled past visits, he realized that every time he came to the nursery, it was either to pick up Oliver or attend a parents' evening for Oliver. He had never