Scarlett isn't sure her life could fall any further apart. On the morning her husband, Captain James Tamworth admits to cheating on her, she's diagnosed with cancer.
In the midst of caring for their two small children, battling through her health t...
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There's very little things more calming than a good cup of tea. Things are tense following the past few hours, so there's no way I'm getting any more sleep and a caffeine hit is necessary.
"What did Max say when you called him?" Dad asks, buttering some toast for us.
I swallow my big gulp of tea. "He's going to the house now to check on James. I would imagine he'll stay there to keep him company."
He puts a slice of bread that's dripping in butter in front of me. "Did you text James too? I'm worrying about him in that house on his own."
I nod. "Yeah, I messaged him as soon as we got here and he sent one back to say he was going to try get some rest. I feel better knowing Max will be there with him."
Being so vulnerable, it's hard to imagine what's swirling around in his brain right now and if it might tip him over the edge.
Dad hums. "Me too. I'll go check on him before work too."
"Yeah, thanks dad. I have a doctors appointment at two, so I'll have to nip home and speak to him at some point," I say, not wanting to leave it too long without speaking to him.
We sit in comfortable silence, eating our toast as we internalise our worry. It's probably more me to be fair because he's at least trying to make conversation while my shock eats away at me.
I can't seem to get the images of him with the knife out of my head. Or the way he said my name once he slipped back into reality. The confused fright will be everlasting.
My phone starts jiggling around on the table, Max's name flashing back at me. I'm picking it up and answering right away. "Hey, Max, everything okay?"
He makes a strange noise. "Look, I don't want you to worry, but I can't find him."
My chair scrapes across the floor when I stand up. "What do you mean you can't find him? Are you in the house?"
"Yes, I used my spare key because he wasn't answering the door. The house is empty," he says.
I stumble to the hallway to grab my shoes. "Did you check in our bedroom?"
"I checked everywhere, Scarlett. I'm going to hop in my car and drive around town to see if I can spot him," he says, and I tell him I'm going to do the same before he puts the phone down.
Dad is waiting for me to come off the phone. "What's happening?"
"James isn't at the house," I say, feeling incredibly unsettled. "I'm going to look for him. Oh, dad, I knew I shouldn't of left him."
"It's okay." Dad grabs my elbows. "Let me go get dressed and I'll come with you. He can't be far."
I nod, trying to find James on my call list. It rings once, then goes straight to voicemail. "James, where are you? I thought you were trying to get some rest? I'm worrying. If you get this message, please call me right back."
