[BL] Dear Hushand, I want divorce-Chapter 91: Find him

Third pov :

THREE YEARS LATER

Three years had passed, and Elijah was no longer the man he once was. The warmth that occasionally flickered in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced by a cold gaze that made everyone around him uneasy.

Elijah woke up every morning at five-thirty sharp. He no longer lingered in bed or allowed himself the luxury of savouring the quiet moments before starting his day. Now, he was all business, as if sleep was merely an interruption in his pursuit of control. By six, he was in his gym, pushing himself to the limits, lifting heavier weights, running longer distances.

The physical pain was a welcome distraction from the emotional storm he refused to acknowledge.

In the office, his transformation was evident to everyone. He moved through the halls like a storm making the employees get aside in fright.

His once approachable demeanour was gone, he was all sharp edges now, quick to lash out at any sign of incompetence. His employees feared him, and with good reason. Elijah had become ruthless, a man who would tolerate no mistakes.

"Is this what you call a report?" His voice sliced through the silence of the boardroom. The junior executive who had handed him the file shrank under the dread of his gaze. "This is sloppy work. Do you think I have time to clean up after your incompetence?"

The executive stammered, trying to find words to defend himself, but Elijah wasn’t interested in hearing excuses. He tossed the report back across the table, his expression dark. "Fix it. And don’t come back until it’s perfect."

The man nodded frantically and hurried out, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to escape. Other managers pitied him but they were scared themselves because it’s their turn next.

Elijah watched him go, his jaw clenched tightly. There was no room for error in his world anymore. Perfection was not just expected—it was demanded.

Meetings that once took hours were now cut down to minutes. Elijah didn’t waste time with pleasantries or small talk. He cut straight to the point, and if anyone couldn’t keep up, they were quickly dismissed. The fear in the office was at high, and the employees spoke in hushed tones, careful not to draw attention to themselves.

Even Daniel, his long-time secretary, noticed the shift. He had always known Elijah to be intense, but this was different. The man he now worked for was almost unrecognisable.

"Mr. Stone," Daniel ventured cautiously after a particularly brutal meeting. "You’ve been pushing yourself pretty hard. Maybe you should take a break, just for a day."

Elijah turned to him, his eyes hard and strict. "There’s no time for breaks, Daniel. We’re behind schedule, and I won’t tolerate any more delays."

Daniel sighed, knowing better than to argue. "Understood. I’ll make sure everything is on track."

Elijah’s lips twitched into a cold smile. "Good. And make sure the team knows that any further delays will have consequences."

He was a man on a mission, driven by an anger that simmered just below the surface. Everything in his life had become about control, about proving that he could hold everything together, even when his world was falling apart. He was ruthless now because he had to be. There was no room for weakness.

The days blend into each other, and Elijah found himself working late into the night, the office his only refuge from the emptiness that awaited him at home. He couldn’t afford to let his mind wander, to think about what he had lost, or what he had driven away. So he buried himself in work, in anger, in the relentless pursuit of perfection.

But no matter how hard he worked, how ruthlessly he drove himself and others, there was no escaping the emptiness inside him. And that, more than anything, was what fueled his transformation into the man he had become. A man who could no longer afford to feel.

One afternoon, Ryder, who had always been able to lighten the mood with his easy going nature, approached Elijah in his office.

"Elijah," Ryder began, trying to keep his tone light. "You’ve been working yourself to the bone. I get that things are tough, but if you keep going like this, you’re going to make yourself sick."

Elijah didn’t look up from his work, his fingers tapping out a rapid rhythm on his keyboard. "I’m fine."

Ryder’s usual smile faltered at the icy tone in Elijah’s voice. "No, you’re not, man. You’re pushing everyone too hard, including yourself."

Elijah’s eyes finally lifted from his screen, locking onto Ryder with a gaze so cold it made him shiver. "You don’t know what I am, Ryder. So, don’t be ridiculous."

Ryder took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady. "I know you’re in pain. I know you’ve been through hell after losing A–" Elijah’s glare stopped him. "After losing that person. But this...this isn’t the way to handle it. You’re not just hurting yourself—you’re scaring everyone around you."

A sharp silence filled the room as Elijah’s eyes narrowed. "Let them be scared," he replied with a ruthless edge. "I don’t care. Fear keeps people in line, keeps them from making mistakes. And I won’t tolerate mistakes. Not now, not ever."

Ryder sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "You can’t keep shutting everyone out, Elijah. It’s not just about work. You need to deal with whatever’s going on inside you."

Elijah’s expression hardened even further. "What I need is to make sure this company runs perfectly. If you can’t help with that, then stay out of my way."

Ryder felt a pang of sympathy, mixed with frustration. "Elijah, I understand what you’re going through. But this path you’re on... it’s going to destroy you."

Elijah’s jaw clenched, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You don’t understand anything, Ryder. Not a damn thing. And if you value your position as my friend than this conversation is over."

Ryder hesitated, seeing the unspoken anguish in Elijah’s eyes, but knowing there was nothing more he could say to break through the wall his friend had built around himself. He slowly nodded, backing towards the door.

"Just...take care of yourself, alright?" Ryder said softly before leaving the office.

As the door closed behind him, Elijah let out a slow breath, his hands gripping the edges of his desk until his knuckles turned white. He wouldn’t allow himself to think of the person who had caused this change. He refused to let those thoughts in, to let that pain resurface.

Instead, he forced his focus back to the documents in front of him, pushing down the emotions that threatened to break through. He couldn’t afford to feel anything.

When Thomas knocked and entered the office, Elijah didn’t even glance up.

"Elijah," Thomas started, trying to keep his guilty voice slow. "I have an update on the search."

Elijah looked up sharply, his eyes burning with a cold fury. "And?"

Thomas hesitated for a moment, then plunged ahead. "We’ve exhausted every lead, spoken to everyone who might know something, but...there’s still no sign of...him. It’s like he’s disappeared."

Elijah’s expression darkened in dread. "You’re telling me you’ve found nothing? That all this time, with everything at your disposal, you’ve come back empty-handed?"

Thomas shifted uncomfortably, the intensity of Elijah’s gaze unsettling. "We’re doing everything we can, Elijah. But Ash...he’s vanished without a trace. No transactions, no sightings."

Elijah stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. The rage that had been simmering beneath the surface exploded. "That’s unacceptable, Thomas! I don’t want excuses—I want results! You can’t seriously expect me to believe that with all the resources we have, you still can’t find him?"

Thomas took a step back, the fury radiating from Elijah making him tense. "We’re pushing as hard as we can. But it’s clear that—"

Thomas took a step back, the fury radiating from Elijah making him tense. "We’re pushing as hard as we can. But it’s clear that—"

Elijah cut him off, slamming his fist down on the desk. "I don’t care what’s clear! Find him, Thomas! I don’t care what it takes, what you have to do—just find him!"

Thomas flinched at the outburst, quickly nodding. "Of course, Elijah. We won’t stop until we have him."

Elijah’s eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and desperation. "You better not. Because if you can’t do your job, I’ll find someone who can. Ash didn’t just leave, and I refuse to believe he would disappear without a reason. So find him, or don’t bother coming back."

Thomas swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Elijah’s words. "Understood. We’ll keep searching."

Elijah didn’t respond, turning his back on Thomas as he stared out the window, his thoughts a storm of fury and disbelief. How could Ash leave him? How could he vanish like this, without a trace? The idea that Ash was somewhere out there, alone, possibly scared, only fueled Elijah’s determination. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

He wouldn’t let Ash slip away.