As Maurice moved forward hoping and praying that it was not Madeline's body, A voice announced in the background;
"We have identified the body with the help of the student card found in the woods. The body belongs to the deceased Anna josh. "
The news devastated them. If Anna was dead, where was Madeline? When Maurice heard this news he couldn't move his feet anymore and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Officer, my daughter Madeline Becker was with Anna. They both were coming to Callas. Do you have any report about Madeline as she's missing?"
"Mr Becker, we only found this body in the woods. According to the report, Anna was brutally murdered by a flock of wolves. Nothing else has been found yet except for her remains"
"She would be alive I'm sure, please ask your teams to search in the woods I am certain Madeline would be hiding somewhere, she's afraid of the dark but she's very smart and she knows how to camp"
"Good point Maurice. I second with him, officer"
"Hmm, I will ask the teams to begin the search mission"
2 days passed; Maurice didn't sleep at all. He was up all night praying for Madeline's safety.
The next day Officer Mike called Mr Becker updating him about the recent progress in the search mission.
"We have found a jeep along with some bags at one of the river Ayame's tributary. Please reach the site asap"
"This...is..her...bag, I gifted it to her. this stuff belongs to my fiance Madeline. But where is she?",
"Mr Maurice, we are trying our best to find Madeline's body-
Before Officer Mike could complete his sentence, Maurice interrupted
"Stop right there. She's not dead. why would u find her body? I told you she needs help she's hiding somewhere please keep searching"
Officer nodded.
Maurice took Madeline's bags to his place.
He unzipped one of them and took out the music box he gifted Madeline at her departure. He remembered his words
"And when you turn the handle you will feel my presence"
He was flooded with flashbacks. He then noticed a rectangular box wrapped in a glittery sheet.
The gift card on its surface stated;
For the love of my life
.
.
.
from yours only
Maddy xx
Maurice broke into tears. He unwrapped the box-like thing. It was a diary. A handwritten diary. Remember when Madeline kept those handwritten notes? yes, She compiled them in form of a diary on her way.
The diary began from the day Madeline departed for Windsor till the day she was finally coming to meet Maurice.
It was an epitome of pure love and feelings.
Madeline had written about how she felt about Maurice and how much she missed him every day. The opening of the diary
had Maurice's initials written along with their hypothetically adorable meanings.
Tears fell on the first page while Maurice read the adorable message. He didn't have the guts to turn the page. little did he know the diary would soon become a part of him and a reason for his living.
A month passed. There was no sign of Madeline. Her family and friends had considered her dead. Everyone mourned except Maurice. He was still in denial. He didn't accept that Madeline was dead. He kept on persuading everyone that shes missing, not dead but no one heard him out.
Madeline's mother Andreline who was not able to bear the loss of her only child became mentally ill. She waited for her daughter to come back home every day.
Madeline's body was never found. Some people said it would've sunk into the river bed while some told about the hungry piranhas living in the river that might have fed on her corpse. Maurice rejected their thoughts and lived with the hope that his love will come back someday.
A few days later, Mr Becker called Madeline's friends and family members for a congregational prayer for Madeline and Anna's departed souls.
Zetsy brought a bouquet of tulips and collapsed while saying
"My bestie loved tulips...
.
Maddy wherever you are know that I will never have a friend like you again. Always shine bright"
"I'm sorry for not showing up at the carnival, I know you are still mad at me I wish I could see you one last time" Kate whispered.
Just like that, all her friends showed up and prayed for her. It was a gloomy day.
Maurice who was still in denial came at the end of the prayers and unlike everyone who prayed for the departed soul, Maurice prayed for Madeline's safety and that she finds her way back home soon.
As everyone left, Zetsy walked towards the main gate and heard someone sobbing intensely.
YOU ARE READING
Even If It Takes Forever
RomancePROLOGUE. It ended, it really did as death cannot be averted. Everything has an end, be it love or life and it was the end to it or at least that's what Maurice thought. But what he saw on the 9th of May really give him chills. "Was it really her...
