𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐮𝐬𝐭

A Fear He Never Knew

Aaron stood on the starting line, chest heaving under his jersey as sweat ran off of his chin and on to his cleats. He snapped from the center, executing a lightning fast five step drop through a row of orange cones. He dodged a padded broom stick that was being swung by one of his trainers and snapped his wrist, sending the ball flying into the air. It cut through the heat striking a moving net thirty yards downfield with a loud thud.

" Great footwork!" the trainer said, clapping his hands loudly. "Let's go again. Reset"

Aaron jogged back to the starting line. Years of repetition took over his feet, carrying him through every drill because mentally he wasn't all the way there. His mind wasn't on the playbook, it was on the cold, empty side of his bed that morning. When Kenya didn't come back home last night he'd let the anger burn a hole right through his chest. He was convinced she was out paying him back for the mistake he'd made that nearly tore their marriage down to the ground.

Swallowing the bitterness, he let the muscle memory carry him through the final hour of practice. As Aaron got ready to run the next drill, he heard the head coach blow his whistle. Aaron wiped his face with his jersey, breathing heavily. He was expecting to hear a lecture but the coach wasn't looking at him at all. He was standing on the side lines with two men, One in a dark grey suit and the other in black. Next to them were the faculty's security. The coach motioned for him to come over.

" These men would like to have a word with you" the coach said softly, a look on his face that Aaron had never seen before.

Aaron quickly jogged over, standing in front of the two expressionless men. He could already tell just by their appearance they were cops. The coach gently squeezed the top of Aaron's shoulder to show his support before walking away, giving them privacy. Aaron pulled his helmet off and his throat tightened.

" Mr. Wright I'm detective Vance and this is my partner detective Miller." The tall one said as they flashed their badges. "We need you to come with us. It's regarding your wife."

Aaron's defense mechanisms immediately flaring up. " My wife?" He repeated " Why? What's going on?" He asked. The detective's voice was dead calm, cutting through the quiet stadium ambient noise like a blade.

" I'm sorry to have to tell you this but your wife was found deceased this morning. We are investigating her death as a homicide"

Aaron's voice dropped.

" No, No, she... she was out with... She didn't come back home last night.. but she was " He could even bring himself to say it out loud In front of them. His eyes glossed over as tears blinded him. He couldn't move, he couldn't blink. He was stuck, frozen in place as shock took over his entire body.

"We're so sorry for your loss. Is there a family member or a close friend that we can call to be here with you?"

Aaron looked up at them confusedly. The helmet slipped from his fingers, thudding hard against the grass. The realization hit him hard, knocking the wind straight out of his lungs. All he could think about was Kenya leaving to go see Donnie the night she didn't come back home. Could she have been the other woman they had in custody? All night he had sat in bed harboring venom and spite, spending hours demonizing her to justify his own guilt. It never dawned on him that she may have been in danger.

" Mr. Wright, we want you to know that we're treating this as an active investigation. We already have a team of detectives back at the precinct speaking with a person of interest who was seen with your wife the night she was found." One of them said, only then did Aaron seem to snap out of his thoughts.

"A person of interest? Who the fuck is it?" He seethed

" We're not authorized to give that type of information right now due to this being an active investigation. Rest assured, my team is handling them at the station as we speak. We're moving very quickly on this. First we need to officially confirm her identity for the legal record. This is an active investigation. We cannot use her personal effects alone. Can you come with us to the medical examiners office right now to make a formal identification?"

Aaron had never feared a single thing in his life. But standing over the love of his life's cold, lifeless body scared the absolute shit out of him. He didn't know what to expect and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see her like that. He wanted to remember her for the beautiful woman she was but instead of turning down the request he decided to go.

The ride to the morgue was a blur. Aaron sat in the back seat of the detective's car, wearing team sweats that he'd shoved over his practice uniform and a hoodie. He didn't have time to change at the stadium so his clothes were damp with his own sweat. He started down at his hands, the same hands that threw fifty yard passes on game days, now trembling so hard he had to lace them together just to keep them still. When they finally arrived at their destination, the tall steel doors slammed shut. It was loud and sounded similar to the sound of jail cell doors that he'd heard on television thousands of times. It smelled of wet cement and bleach. As they approached the door, Aaron's heart started pounding against his chest.

" Take your time, Mr. Wright," Detective Miller said, holding the door open for him. Aaron walked like he was under water. Every step towards the viewing room felt weighted, like he was walking through wet cement. A stainless steel table sat in the center of the room, covered with a thick white sheet. The coroner was a white quiet woman with tired eyes. She was standing near the head of the table.

" Are you ready?" She asked softly

Aaron couldn't speak. He just gave a single nod. His jaws were clenched so tight he felt his gums throbbing. She pulled the edge of the sheet down just past her shoulders. Aaron felt all the breath in his chest leave his lungs. It was Kenya. Her smooth, rich brown skin was pale. Her lips, a shade he'd never seen on her before. Her long dark hair was spread out against the metal table like a halo above her head. Around her neck faint discoloration betrayed the violence of her final moments.

There was a small bruise near her temple but otherwise she looked like she was just sleeping. like, she was waiting for him to pull her close and hold her. A strangled sound tore out of Aaron's chest as he let out a raw, guttural sob that he couldn't hold back. It was like he could physically feel his heart being ripped from his body. He lunged forward, grabbing the cold metal edge of the table to keep his legs from collapsing.

" Kenya! I'm so sorry, baby" He choked out, tears instantly blinging his vision.

His hand trembled as he reached out, touching her cold cheek gently as he sobbed from the pits of his soul. The weight of every harsh thought he held the night before smashed down on him like a ton of bricks. While he was home, feeling bitter, thinking that she was out giving away what belonged to him she was in the driver's seat of her car. Cold. Silenced. Gone. They had wasted their last months together, sleeping in separate rooms, living in a silent house, free from any conversation unless it was coming from their children. That shit was tiring him up inside.

" Mr. Wright" The Detective's voice said, drawing him back to the freezing reality of the room. Aaron slowly lifted his head, wiping the tears from his face with the back of his sleeve. His eyes shifted from agonizing grief to something dark and hollow.

"Sorry to interrupt. I know this is brutal. You're a busy man and your PR team must be blowing up your phone right now but the first hours of a homicide investigation are critical.We need to get a full timeline of your wife's last twenty-four. Are you comfortable with riding down to the station and giving a statement?" Detective Miller asked. Aaron wiped his hands over his face again, his pulse hammering.

" Yeah, whatever you need." He said, forcing his voice into a steady register before looking at them. "Just... find out who did this," He growled.

" We will," Miller said, assuring him.