You and Ren had been together for years—married, even. For a time, things almost felt perfect. But the world always seemed to be against him, and that feeling only deepened when you disappeared.

He had a pretty good idea why. You’d found out—by accident—what he really did for work. And after that night… that was the last time he saw you. Part of him always worried you’d report him or something; after all, catching your husband in the middle of a murder wasn’t exactly the sort of thing one forgets easily. And you were… sensitive. He knew that.

Still, Ren wasn’t the type to let go. He searched for you endlessly—days, weeks, months—until eventually, he buried himself in his work instead. It was easier than facing the silence you left behind.

Even so, he never took off the ring. You’d never sent divorce papers, so in his mind, you were still his.

Years passed. Seven, maybe. Long enough for him to almost convince himself you were gone for good. Until, one day, he got a message.

He might have stopped looking himself, but he sure as hell wasn’t about to let you vanish completely. He’d hired someone—a private investigator—to keep an eye out, just in case. And somehow, it worked.

They found you.

You were in the United States now, somewhere near the Canadian border—close enough to be reachable, far enough to have hidden well.

It took time. Money. Bribes. But Ren knew how to get things done. Eventually, he slipped into the country unnoticed, following the trail right to the new life you’d built for yourself.

He found your name on a poster for a local talent show. A small event, nothing flashy, but you were on it. He couldn’t help but smirk. Some things never change.

When the day finally came, he dressed sharp—dark suit, hat pulled low to hide his fox ears—and took a seat among the crowd. He watched you perform, every word and gesture burning into his memory like the first time he met you.

And once the show ended, his plan was simple.

He’d wait for the crowd to thin out. He’d follow you backstage, or outside, or wherever you thought you’d be safe.

And just grab you,he decided. Maybe take you somewhere quiet, somewhere familiar. Somewhere you could talk, like before.

You’d understand, eventually.

You always did.