King of My Heart

17. "And what blinded you?"

(1637 words)

"She's alive. Anastasia is alive." I spoke with desperation in my voice to Alayah, my body shaking and my voice slightly quivering. I wanted to do something. I needed to do something. Every fibre of being was consumed with adrenaline and anxiety. I knew I needed to set out immediately to look for my wife but I didn't know where to begin with. My mind had fallen numb, all ability to think and decisiveness gone.

"Sir, she was buried in front of all of us. How can she be alive?" Alayah spoke calmly, concern on her face.

I held my hand in front of her face, the hand that held Anastasia's engagement ring in it. She paused for a minute before speaking, "is that...?"

"It's her engagement ring." I confirmed, trying to calm my breathing.

"But sir, wasn't that ring on that body's finger? Remember, that's how you identified her. Maybe someone is messing with you."

"I would say you're right but there has been a stupidity on my part."

She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face. "Look at the inside of this ring. It has A.E engraved in it. I personally had that done. No one else knew and I doubt that someone would've gone to this extent to fool me and mess with me."

Her mouth gaped open. "So maybe... maybe she is..."

"Yes! She has to be alive. Alayah. She's breathing somewhere. No matter how stupid it sounds, I can feel it. She isn't gone, not yet. There's no evidence that the body we buried belonged to her. It must've been burned for a reason."

"To conceal the truth!" She exclaimed in revelation. "Sir, whoever sent you this knows where your wife is. We need to find out where this came from."

"Yes, please. Hurry. We need to find Anastasia." I spoke, my voice a mixture of desperation and sadness.

"Any clue where to begin with, sir?" Alayah questioned, with her right eyebrow slightly raised. She, too, seemed unsure of where to get started.

I took a deep breath. "Check the CCTV cameras. This envelope must've been dropped at the door or something, right?"

"Probably. I'll tell Brandon to check the cameras and I think we should also ask miss Sophia where she found it, I guess?" She suggested and I nodded my head quickly.

"Go tell Brandon. I'll ask my cousin." I spoke and immediately turned to head to her room. My feet picked up pace as I desperately walked, more like marched, to Sophia's bedroom.

There I was, out of breath, disheveled, with my heart beating rapidly, making it almost impossible to decipher anything, knocking non-stop at Sophia's door like my life depended on it.

She opened up after about a minute. "Ethan?" She asked, puzzled, looking like I had woken her up.

Anyone's sleep and rest were the least of my concerns at that moment.

"Where did you find the envelope?" I blurted without a pause.

"Uh...it was left at the doorstep," She responded after a short pause. "Is everything okay? What was inside it?"

I pressed my lips in a straight line. "What were you doing there?"

"I was expecting a friend to stop by but she said she couldn't make it. When I was going to come back in, I noticed the envelope lying by the door. It had your name on it.... What's going on though?"