Roman and Julienne's heart desire

Chapter 212: The bridge collapse finally took away the right person.

Back at the Thompson mansion, the atmosphere inside the living room remained painfully heavy.

The large chandelier above cast a soft golden light across the room, yet the warmth from it could not ease the suffocating silence hanging in the air.

Lisa sat beside Denovan on the long couch, her fingers tightly clasped together on her lap while worry clouded her beautiful face.

Even the maids moving quietly around the mansion seemed afraid to make noise.

"I hope we find him soon, dear," Lisa said softly, her voice carrying exhaustion and fear.

Denovan frowned deeply, his sharp eyes fixed ahead.

"If Roman was abducted the way we thought..." he began slowly before releasing a deep breath through his nose, "then with the amount of men searching, investigating, and tracking right now, we should have already found his location."

Lisa immediately turned toward him, her brows drawing together.

"What do you mean, love?" she asked quietly.

Denovan finally looked at her.

"Baby..." he said, his voice lower now, "I’m afraid Roman may not have been abducted."

The words landed heavily between them.

Lisa’s face contracted instantly with worry.

"Then what could have happened to him?" she asked, inching closer to him unconsciously.

Denovan rubbed slowly at his forehead before leaning back against the couch.

"That’s what we have to find out."

Lisa shook her head weakly, her eyes already turning glossy.

"Oh God..." she whispered painfully. "What happened to you, my baby?"

Denovan immediately reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Don’t worry, dear. We will find him."

"I know we will," Lisa replied quickly, though her voice trembled faintly. "But the problem is... we don’t even know where to begin anymore. The tracker in his phone already stopped working."

The room fell silent again.

Only the ticking sound of the wall clock could be heard.

Then suddenly—

Ding.

Ding.

The notification sound from Denovan’s phone echoed through the quiet living room.

Denovan frowned slightly before reaching for the phone beside him.

"It’s a notification," he muttered.

Unlocking the phone, his brows furrowed deeper.

"Hm... it’s a video."

Lisa leaned closer immediately.

"You are seriously trying to watch random videos at a time like th—wait..."

Her words cut off instantly.

Her eyes widened as Denovan tapped the screen.

The video began playing.

Immediately both their expressions changed.

The bridge.

The traffic.

The moving cars.

And then—

Roman’s car.

Lisa’s fingers instantly tightened around Denovan’s arm.

The footage continued shaking slightly as vehicles moved across the massive bridge under the dark night sky.

Then suddenly—

A loud crack echoed from the phone speaker.

The bridge split violently.

Concrete shattered apart.

Cars lost control.

Lisa gasped sharply, one hand flying to her mouth.

"Oh God..."

The video continued mercilessly.

Roman’s car dropped along with the collapsing bridge while water below swallowed everything into darkness.

Denovan’s grip around the phone tightened so hard the veins beneath his hand became visible.

Neither of them spoke.

Even after the video ended—

The two remained frozen.

Completely still.

The silence afterward felt unbearable.

Several moments passed before Denovan’s phone suddenly began ringing loudly.

His eyes lowered toward the caller ID.

Azazel.

Denovan answered immediately and raised the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Azazel."

"Grandpa..."

Azazel’s voice came low and strained from the other side, carrying an unusual heaviness that instantly darkened Denovan’s expression further.

"Grandpa... Ro-Ro..."

Azazel stammered, struggling to form the words properly as if his throat had tightened painfully.

But before he could continue, Denovan closed his eyes briefly and cut him off quietly.

"I’ve seen it."

A shaky breath escaped Azazel from the other side of the line.

"I’ll be on my way back now," he finally said.

"Alright."

Then Azazel spoke again quickly.

"Please... don’t let Julie hear about this yet."

Denovan’s eyes briefly moved toward the staircase leading upstairs.

"Don’t worry," he answered calmly. "She’s sleeping."

"That’s good," Azazel murmured softly before asking, "Where’s Lisa?"

"She’s beside me."

A brief silence followed.

"That means she already saw the video too," Azazel said quietly.

"Yes."

Another silence stretched between them.

Then Denovan finally spoke, his voice deep and controlled despite the storm hidden beneath it.

"Come back first," he said slowly. "Then we’ll know where to start from."

On the other side of the call, Azazel nodded even though Denovan could not see him.

"Okay."

---

"What makes you so happy, Father?"

The young woman tilted her head slightly as she walked into the luxurious sitting room, her curious eyes landing on Damiano.

Damiano sat comfortably on the dark leather couch with one leg crossed over the other, a glass of expensive wine resting lazily between his fingers.

The dim golden light above reflected softly against the deep red liquid as he swirled it slowly inside the gl

"There is nothing much, my dear," Damiano replied calmly before taking a slow sip from the wine. "Just consider that your father has won a very important lottery for this family."

The young woman immediately raised a brow.

"Well, that sounds good," she said with a small smile. "Then all the best for the upcoming jobs you will do."

Damiano chuckled softly, clearly pleased.

"Call your mother for me," he said while lightly rotating the glass again.

"Sure."

The girl nodded before turning around and walking toward the grand staircase.

Her footsteps echoed lightly through the massive mansion.

The entire place breathed wealth and power.

Crystal chandeliers hung beautifully above polished marble floors while expensive paintings decorated the walls. The faint scent of expensive perfume and wine lingered softly in the air.

Reaching upstairs, the young woman pushed open one of the bedroom doors gently.

"Mom?"

Inside the room, a woman sat elegantly in front of a large mirror framed in gold.

One leg crossed over the other.

Her fingers held a dark red lipstick carefully as she applied it slowly across her lips from left to right, deepening the rich color against her pale skin.

Without turning around, she spoke calmly.

"Dear, didn’t you ask your father directly?"

"I did," the girl replied while walking further inside the room. "But he only said he won some huge lottery for the family."

The woman smiled faintly at her reflection before pressing her lips together lightly.

"Then why are you asking me if he already answered you?"

The young woman frowned slightly.

"Because I’ve seen Father win many things before," she muttered. "But he has never looked this happy."

The woman’s lips curved upward slightly.

Amused.

"Enough curiosity," she said smoothly while placing the lipstick down on the vanity table. "Go and continue your university research."

The girl pouted immediately.

"Mom..."

"Don’t argue with me."

This time the woman turned around fully, one elegant brow lifting slightly.

"Go ahead."

The young woman sighed dramatically before stomping her foot lightly against the floor.

"Fine."

Then suddenly she paused near the door.

"Oh right," she added. "Father asked me to call you downstairs."

"I’ll come shortly."

The girl finally walked out reluctantly, closing the door behind her.

Silence settled inside the room once more.

The woman remained seated quietly for several seconds, staring at herself through the mirror.

Then slowly-

A deeper smile appeared on her lips.

"He truly knows how to fool people," she murmured softly to herself.

Her fingers brushed lightly against the necklace around her neck.

"It seems..." she continued quietly, "the bridge collapse finally took away the right person."

Slowly, she rose from the chair.

The soft sound of her heels echoed across the luxurious room.

Author’s Note,🔥

Sometimes life changes in a single moment.

One phone call.

One unanswered message.

One delay.

One road taken at the wrong time.

And suddenly, everything people thought was stable begins to shake.

This Chapter is not only about fear or disappearance. It is also about the silent emotions people carry when they love someone deeply.

When a person becomes important to your life, their absence alone can make an entire world feel heavy.

Julie tried to stay strong, but even strength has moments where it trembles quietly.

I think many people can relate to that feeling. Sometimes we smile, sit with others, even try to continue normal activities, yet inside our hearts there is fear we cannot explain.

The human heart often senses things before the mind fully understands them.

Denovan and Lisa also showed another important thing in this Chapter: real family is not only about blood. It is about standing together when life suddenly becomes difficult.

A strong family is not the one that laughs together only during peaceful days, but the one that remains beside each other during uncertainty.

Another thing I want readers to notice is how dangerous hatred and revenge can become. Some people celebrate too early when they think someone has fallen.

They believe power, money, or victory will protect them forever. But life has a strange way of turning situations around unexpectedly.

A person may think they buried another, not knowing fate already prepared a different ending.

And for those reading this, never underestimate the value of people around you.

Sometimes we become too busy, too proud, too distracted, and we forget to appreciate those who truly care for us until fear of losing them appears.

Life is unpredictable. Love people properly while you still have the chance.

At the same time, this Chapter also carries a quiet lesson about endurance. Even when everything seems dark, the story is not over yet.

A bridge may collapse, a person may disappear, hope may weaken... but that does not always mean the end has arrived.

Some battles happen in silence.

Some survivals happen far away from the people praying for us.

And sometimes, the people we think are broken are still fighting with their last strength somewhere unknown.

So no matter what happens in your own life, do not give up too quickly. Storms are frightening when you are inside them, but storms also pass.

And lastly... trust your instincts carefully.

Because sometimes the quietest moments hide the biggest truths. 🤍