King of My Heart

30. "Mr. Woods isn't here... shouldn't he be home?"

(1252 words)

I knew that Ethan had told me not to wait up for him, that he would be late. But I couldn't help the worry swirling up inside of me. My gut feeling was telling me that something was wrong, that I needed to be wherever my husband was. Eyes wide open, half of the night passed. Despite the continuous anxiety and perturbation bubbling inside me, I managed to ultimately fall asleep.

I woke up to find the bed empty. Devoid of warmth and my husband's comforting presence. I bolted up straight, running my eyes around the room, fear brimming at the pit of my stomach. Pushing the covers off of me, I got out of bed as swiftly as my baby bump could allow me. There were no traces of Ethan. It was evident that he hadn't come back.

Stay calm, Ana. He probably had to stay back at the office. He's fine. Don't worry yourself.

This wasn't the first time he hadn't been able to make it home due to a tough schedule, or some very significant business deal, but I could feel it in my heart that it wasn't the case this time around.

My hands anxiously grabbed my phone, finding Ethan's contact and pressing the call button. The ongoing ringing only added to my anxiety. Eventually, it went onto voicemail and I threw my phone onto our bed in agony.

"UGH!" I called out in frustration. Alright Ana, don't lose your calm. Maybe he's in a meeting.

Oh damn it! I know something's wrong! I can feel it.

Picking my phone back up, I dialled Alayah's number. When she didn't attend either, I just couldn't stop myself from heading to Ethan's office myself. Hurriedly putting on one of my maternity dresses, I rushed out, deciding to drive on my own. I didn't give a damn at that moment about how messy my hair looked and how I hadn't even washed my face.

I was thankful for the pretty much empty roads and minimal traffic on the way to Ethan's office that day, but still my anxiety made me feel like it was taking forever to get there.

Once I had parked my car, I rushed out of the car, one hand instinctively on my baby bump, as I walked up the front steps toward the entrance. The security guards nodded at me and said good morning. Due to my hassle, I mumbled a response and hurried inside.

"Good morning, Mrs. Ethan. How can I help you?" The receptionist walked up to me from behind her desk with a greeting smile on her face.

"Where's Ethan?" I demanded impatiently.

"Mr. Woods isn't here... shouldn't he be home?" She seemed puzzled.

"How? He said last night that he was coming here. That there were a few problems with his current project."

"Problems? As far as I know, everything's going smoothly, ma'am. Mr. Woods didn't even come here last night." She said. My heart seemed to sink, my head spinning.

Why would Ethan lie to me? What could possibly be so urgent that caused him to leave me all alone the previous night? What could be so secretive that he couldn't tell me the truth?

"I-is Zayn here yet?"

"Yes, he arrived a while ago. He's in his office." She replied. I nodded my head and brisk-walked to the elevator, pressing the button to go up. The doors opened and in I walked.

The elevator ride was painfully slow, or maybe I was just anxious again. Finally, the doors opened and I rushed out, immediately walking to Zayn's room. Knocking on the door, I tapped my foot on the ground impatiently.

"Come in!" I heard and sighed, pushing the door open.

"Ana?"

"Zayn, where's Ethan?" I got straight to the point, not bothering with greetings. His eyebrows shot up in astonishment as he rose up from his seat.

"What are you doing here? And in this condition..."

"I'm fine! Just answer my question. Where's Ethan?"

"He's working on our current project. There were some things that needed to be handled." He replied.

"Really?" My voice dripped disbelief. "There must be a particular place where he's working then? Show me. I want to see him."

"Ana, he's in a meeting with our partners. He... he had to fly to China."

"What the hell? If Ethan had to fly off somewhere, he'd tell me! You're lying!" I raised my voice.

"Ana, it was urgent. It wasn't planned. Relax please. Sit down for a bit and then I'll take you home safely."

"I know something's going on. My instincts can't be wrong."

"I understand your concern, provided all that you've had to go through, but trust me, everything is fine. You'll see Ethan soon." He said calmly, before asking me to sit down. I took a few deep breaths to calm my nerves.

Maybe he was telling the truth. I was thinking of the worst due to everything we had to witness, when in reality Ethan really had to attend business matters. Perhaps I was really over-reacting.

Somehow I could feel myself calming down. My heart beat slowed down, my hands and knees weren't shaking anymore, and my mind wasn't so hazy.

You're such a drama queen, Ana.

"Do you need me to bring you water? Or anything else?" Zayn asked.

I shook my head. "I'm sorry for bursting out like that. I got really scared. I thought something happened to him."

"It's okay. I understand. Let me take you home, okay?"

"No. I drove myself. I'll go back on my own."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea."

"I'm just pregnant, not sick. Don't worry. I'll make it home just fine." I assured him.

"Well if you insist... Call me when you reach, okay?"

"Okay, thanks." I said, slowly getting up from the chair and walking to the door. I heard his phone ring behind me.

I was out of the door and about to close it fully behind me, when I heard him say "Ethan?" and froze. My first instinct was to rush back inside and talk to Ethan, tell him to come back fast, but I was forced to eavesdrop on their conversation before I could go back inside.

"How many people?.... killed them?!" My heart stopped in my chest. Killed? Killed who? What the hell is going on? "Is it trafficking though?.... listen, I told you before, you should stay out of this. You have a wife; you're going to be a father. Let Caleb be.... I know! But damn it, you don't have to directly get involved..... well you've found evidence now, right? Get the hell out of there before they realise your real identity..... Hello? Ethan?.... Ethan, can you hear me?.... damn it!"

I had goosebumps all over. What had Ethan involved himself into? Something like trafficking again? Another thing to do with Caleb? But hadn't he been arrested? What the hell was this mess now? And how could Ethan just leave me and our baby to take care of it? I needed answers to know the whole story.

I was about to go back inside and question Zayn, but realised that he would never let me know the truth or help Ethan because I was pregnant. He wouldn't want me to be a part of anything dangerous. I had to figure it out on my own and find Ethan as soon as possible, because something inside of me told me that he needed me.