---- Chapter 26 The final nail in the coffin of Thorne Sustainable Tech was hammered in. The company was officially dissolved, leaving Michael with a mountain of personal debt. He was broke, his reputation in tatters. "I'm divorcing you, Serena," he said again, this time with more finality. "There's nothing left for you to take." She laughed, a harsh, unpleasant sound. "Oh, Michael. You really are a fool." Her true, opportunistic nature was on full display. There was no pretense of love or concern, only a cold, calculating self- interest "Fine," she said. "Give me what little cash you have left, and sign the papers. I'm tired of this pity party anyway." He did. He just wanted her gone. Then, he embarked on a desperate, almost manic search for Liv. He knew, somehow, that Elizabeth would have taken her somewhere safe, somewhere far away. He started with Elizabeth's LA mansion. Her security guards politely but firmly turned him away. He tried calling old mutual friends, but they either didn't know where Liv was or refused to tell him. He was a pariah. He even flew to New York, remembering Liv had once ---- mentioned a small apartment her family kept there. It was empty. His search was fruitless, leading only to dead ends and increasing despair. One rainy afternoon, sitting in a cheap motel room, staring at a flickering TV screen, he finally admitted defeat. Liv was gone. Truly gone. She had erased him from her life as thoroughly as if he had never existed. The devastation was absolute. He had destroyed everything. His career, his marriage, his chance at a real family. All for a sordid affair built on lies. And yet, a tiny, irrational sliver of hope still flickered within him. A hope that, someday, somehow, he might find her again. A hope that was as foolish as it was persistent.