The Denial of Hearts (COMPLETED) [wattys 2018]

9

Mason wasn't too happy with himself. He was feeling even more lonely now then he did before running into an ex, Samantha.

Even though he had plenty of privacy at his work place, it was a first for him to take someone there.

But after seeing Sarina in his office, waiting for him, he felt a low blow had hit him.

After Sarina left, he told Samantha to go. It was as he walked back to his desk he saw the bag on his desk.

Curious, Mason looked inside. Sarina had brought lunch and had taken it to him. That made Mason feel worse.

After a hard mental debate, he had decided to head home, and rang Phil.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Phil, have you arrived home yet?"

"I've been home for a while."

Mason frowned. "How?"

"Mrs Hunter had me drop her off at your office and told me she would get a ride home with you."

"So she isn't home?" Mason seethed through his teeth.

"No sir? Is she not with you?"

"She was then left a little while ago."

"Do you want me to go find her?"

"No. I will." Mason hung up the phone. This was a big city, if Sarina wasn't at home, where could she be?

Mason decided to check the book stores around him, but after driving around for an hour, he had no luck.

He was half way home when he pulled the car over. He had lost his wife. He knew she didn't get out as much in her father's care and could possibly be lost. Mason had tried to call her multiple times but there was never an answer. He never got around to syncing the GPS in her phone, but he never thought he would have to.

He screwed up. Just last night and this morning he was thinking to himself about Sarina. He actually liked looking after her. Making her go shopping for herself, making sure she ate and he enjoyed how she felt in his arms.

He enjoyed last night with her and constantly tried to keep her smiling. He liked the feel of Sarina against him and he was quite proud of himself every time he introduced her. He thought he would be ashamed, but that didn't occur to him the minute he saw her in that red dress.

He thought of even trying to make the marriage work. It's not like they had an out. Why be stuck together and be bitter and unhappy? Even if they decide to just be friends and nothing more.

Mason rubbed his face and sat back in the chair before pushing at the steering wheel. Pulling back in to traffic, he drove home, hoping that Sarina had returned home. But he found no luck.

After telling Phil to go for a drive to look for her, he told May to ring her every ten minutes.

What if she was lost in the city? What if someone mugged her? Or worse. Mason's blood went cold. Oh God!

Mason rung the police, but there was nothing they could do. She had only been missing for not even two hours and it made Mason feel helpless.

This was the second time in a week he had been caught by his wife with someone. It made him feel so worthless. Not that he was caught but because even after a self discussion with himself, he had lost control with someone else.

By hour four of Sarina missing, Mason was feeling it. He had locked himself in his study and had rung anyone that could help.

One colleague referred him to a hacker and after a quick conversation with her, she was no help. Sarina had turned her phone off and the hacker couldn't get through until the phone was back on.

At hour six, Mason was driving around, frantically, trying to find her. He had officially made a report to the police but nothing was processed yet.

They had suggested that she would have gone back to her father's place but Mason knew she wouldn't. Even if it was the last place on Earth, he knew she wouldn't go there.

Pulling back in at home, Mason checked his house again, going from room to room. He walked into Sarina's room, half expecting her to be sitting in the sofa with a book, but it was empty. She wasn't in the house still.

Feeling defeated, Mason walked back downstairs to try the hacker again. Then he heard the front door. Quickly turning, all hopes it was Sarina, he halted at the door.

There she stood in the dim light of what was left of daylight. She barely flickered her eyes to Mason as she kept walking.

"Oh thank goodness! Where have you been? I've got the whole staff looking for you! I filed a missing person's report!"

Mason followed Sarina as she ignored him. "Sarina! Answer me!" Mason's pleas sounded desperate. But Sarina walked straight to her room and shut the door as Mason heard it click locked.

"Sarina! Open the door!" Mason banged with one hand and pulled his phone out with the other one. "Yeah. She's back." Was all he said before hanging up.

"Sarina?" Mason called into the dark room as he placed his head on the door.

He stood there waiting for what felt like eternity. She wasn't going to open the door.

Sarina locked the door and didn't look back. She went straight for a shower and blocked out Mason banging on the door.

He was still doing it when she got out and well into the night, but as the hours passed, the banging downgraded to knocking then to tapping.

"Sarina. Open the door."

She blinked at the door but turned away. Oh how wrong that palm reader was. Sarina sat on the sofa and stared out the window.

"Sarina. You know I can unlock the door from this side? But I won't. I will wait till you open it."

She felt the single tear run down her cheek as Sarina wiped it away. How could she think he was a decent person? He had no compassion, no decency, no respect. He had only planned on humiliating me, Sarina thought to herself.

She had only returned home because she had no where else to go. The hours passed by as Sarina's eyes slowly shut.

Mason had woken in the early hours of the morning, a slight cramp in his neck. Mason had fallen asleep leaning on Sarina's door. He had the urge to open it and just check on her, but he decided against it. He had crushed all trust he might have built with Sarina.

Lifting himself off the floor and a backward glance, Mason went to his bed. He collapsed and instantly went back to a restless sleep.

Sarina woke with a gasp as her hand flew to her chest. Taking shallow breathes, Sarina checked her surroundings. She was still on the sofa.

Looking at her bedroom door, Sarina was glad to hear the tapping had gone as she picked up a blanket off her bed and covered herself as she went back to the sofa.

Sarina's window looked over the front off the house as Sarina looked at the trees in the front yard.

She was in prison. She had a life sentence. This was her life now. Sitting here, staring out the window. Sarina had lost all interest in everything she had. And that was her reading.

Mason woke quite late that morning and rushed to Sarina's door. It was still locked.

"Sarina, please open the door."

Still radio silence.

🔴
What do we think of Sarina's silence?

Mason screwed up.... Again

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