Edge Of Betrayal

Wild-Goose Chase

Theo's hands trembled as he folded his clothes and stuffed them into his suitcase. He couldn't shake the sense of unease that gnawed at him, a constant reminder of the rift between him and Ariel. It had been two agonizing days since his messages had stopped going through, two days of relentless worry and heartache.

He glanced around the hotel room, his stomach churning with anxiety. All he could think about was Ariel – where she was, how she was feeling, if she was even willing to speak to him.

Theo's mind raced back to the last time he had messaged Ariel.

~~~

His fingers tapped anxiously on his phone screen as he waited for a response that never came. He remembered the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realized that his messages weren't going through, that Ariel was no longer receiving his calls or texts.

He had tried to respect Val's advice and give Ariel space, but as the hours turned into days, his worry had only intensified. He had resorted to reaching out less, hoping that maybe giving her some breathing room would help her come to terms with what had happened. But now, with no way to even reach her, Theo felt like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff, the ground slipping away beneath his feet.

Theo's fear and desperation pushed him to start looking for Ariel again. He checked their joint bank account, hoping to find a clue as to what hotel she was in or if she had bought a flight home already. But there was nothing – just a series of mundane transactions from awhile ago.

With a sense of urgency, Theo began visiting hotels, his heart pounding with each step as he approached the front desk. He bribed the receptionists, offering them whatever he could to answer his questions, to give him even the smallest hint of where Ariel might be. But each attempt ended in frustration, as they shook their heads and turned him away with no helpful information.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of fruitless searching, Theo stumbled upon where they'd been staying.

Theo approached the receptionist with a picture of Ariel and Valentina, his heart pounding with urgency.

"Excuse me, have you seen these two women?" he asked, his voice tight with anxiety.

The receptionist hesitated, glancing nervously at the photo before shaking his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't share that information with you," he replied apologetically.

Theo's eyes flashed as he pulled out some bills from his pocket. "Maybe this will change your mind," he said, sliding the money across the counter.

The receptionist's eyes widened at the sight of the cash, and he glanced around nervously before leaning in closer. "Well, now that you mention it, I may have seen them," he admitted, his voice hushed.

A flicker of hope ignited in Theo's chest. "When? Where?" he pressed eagerly.

But the receptionist hesitated, eyeing the money greedily. "I'll need a little more incentive to jog my memory," he said, his tone sly.