Crestfallen [COMPLETED]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ - 38

Alex

Where are you, Joanna?

Dark thoughts swirl in my mind, along with a whirlwind of fear raging inside.
Where could my wife have gone? Is she safe?

The questions echo relentlessly, each one hammering my heart.

I can't shake off the uncertainty gnawing at me relentlessly.
She's away from my sight. And it's scaring me.

She doesn't have any close relatives around, or anywhere.

I fumble with my phone, fingers shaking, hoping that somehow, her location would miraculously pop up on the screen through the tracking app. But her phone is off.

I stare at the blank device as if it holds the key to my sanity.

Desperation drives me to my car.

Maybe she's checked into one of the hotels we've stayed at before.

It's a feeble attempt, but it's all I have. The engine roars to life as I start the car, anxiety battling within me.

Hours slip away as I visit each hotel, my heart sinking with every futile search.

Joanna is nowhere to be found, and the uncertainty presses heavily on me.

My body aches from crushing exhaustion, my head throbbing from the emotional turmoil.

Doubt clouds my mind, weakening my resolve. I am losing the courage to hope.

No. I won't be defeated. I won't let the woman I love. Get away like this.
I strengthen my resolve I can't let go, not now, not when she's out there, lost to me.

I suck in a breath, running my head for ideas, clues, places Joanna can be.

And then it hits me like a lightning bolt – her workplace. The law firm.

No matter how dire the circumstances, she never misses a day at work deliberately.

Yes.She could be there.

I pull up outside her law firm, the weight of the moment heavy on my shoulders.

Should I barge in and ask around?

Or just walk over to her cabin? hoping to confront?

Time stretches, and I find myself paralyzed by the uncertainty.

Hours seem to pass in mere seconds as I wait, my gaze locked on the entrance of the building, searching for a sign of her.

And then, like a beacon in the night, she's there. Joanna. My heart leaps and my breath catches in my throat.

Finally, I've found her. I watch, my gaze unwavering, as she stands on the sidewalk.

This sight of her so close yet so far  stirs something uncomfortable
inside me. My wife.

She's wearing a gray tunic blouse and black prim skirt. She looks sleek, her movements self assured.

looking  strong, even in the midst of chaos.

No matter how much havoc there is in her life, she never lets anything else gets affected. She had cared for me too.
In my darkest days, not letting her fears, her own pain get to me.

My love.  Jo.

My heart swells with longing for her.

She walks to her car, getting inside.

I follow her car cautiously, my own vehicle a discreet shadow in the night. The minutes stretch into half an hour as she drives, the road unwinding before her.

My grip on the steering wheel tightens, my anticipation growing with each passing moment. I need to know where she's going.

Finally, her car comes to a halt in front of a prominent hotel. I watch, my heartbeat echoing in my ears, as she enters the building. My mind races, she's found a place to stay.

I pull up nearby, my heart pounding. I should go to her, confront her, ask her to come back.

A mocking voice, pierces my thoughts just then ,

"You don't deserve her."

I freeze, halfway out of my car, my hand on the door handle. The weight of those words presses down on me like a boulder.

I sit back, closing the car door, defeated. Maybe he's right. Maybe I don't deserve her. I've caused her pain, lost control, hurt her in unimaginable ways. I've traumatized her in a way I can never undo.

As the elevator doors close, taking her away from me once again.

I'm left alone. Maybe I shouldn't disrupt her peace. Maybe she needs time, space, away from me.

With a heavy heart, I return to my car and drive back home. The home that's.
Lonely and stripped bare of happiness.