Chapter 11
Samuel rarely tumbled himself like this, but he had no choice but to do it if he wanted to find Emily. Thankfully, once the company confirmed that Emily was indeed missing, they agreed to his request
He got what he wanted–Emily’s social media account. She’d drawn her profile picture herself. Paired with her username, it gave a sense of pleasarit simplicity and serenity.
Emily wasn’t a chatterbox in real life, but surprisingly, she kept a lengthy record of her life throughout the years. She was one of the earliest people to use this social media platform, and she made her first post when they had initially started dating,
“We started dating!”
She’d included a smiling emoticon that was all the rage back then. It looked rather outdated now, but Samuel smiled at the sight of it anyway. Although this had been posted many years ago, he could still sense just how happy she was over the fact that they were dating
Emily seemed to enjoy sharing pieces of her life on this account. She posted the sketches she made while practicing her art, the gifts he gave her when they were dating, her wedding bouquet, and even the flowerbeds she lovingly tended to after they got married.
As Samuel went through the posts, his heart melted into a puddle. Alas, while he was eagerly reminiscing about the past, her posts came to an abrupt stop. There were no more pictures or snippets from her life. The last post was a picture she took of the night sky while sitting on the rooftop swing, and that was half a year ago.
Did something happen then?
Samuel tried his best to recall that period of time. He came to an abrupt realization. That was soon after his affair with Jessica began.
He thought he’d done an excellent job keeping it under wraps. Who would’ve thought that Emily unearthed his betrayal after all?
A newfound level of regret surged within Samuel. He mustered up the courage to look at the last post Emily had made. It was uploaded last night, and all it said was, “It ends here.”
She didn’t leave any other clues or hints behind, but Samuel knew those words were directed at him. The period at the end not only signified the end of her sentence but their relationship as well.
Samuel spent the day in a daze. At night, the once cozy home felt like an icy dungeon. He lay alone in bed, feeling a great sense of hollowness. It was an unbearable feeling.
His phone lit up many times from messages Jessica sent to invite him out, but he didn’t bother reading any of them.
Though he lay still till late at night, he still couldn’t fall asleep. In the end, he gave up and turned the bedside lamp on. Then, he eased himself over to Emily’s side of the bed in an attempt to feel the warmth she might have left behind.
At the very least, she had to have slept here last night, right?
Samuel continued indulging in his thoughts. He tried to recall the last time they shared a bed together, but his heart remained chilled, even colder than his body. Although silk sheets were soft and smooth to the touch, they took more time to heat up than linen sheets did.
Many years ago, when he and Emily had just graduated, they didn’t have the money to indulge in such luxury. Every night, they would hold each other close to stay warm.
All of a sudden, Samuel missed her dearly. His heart clenched in pain as if someone had squeezed it tightly.
It was the sound of the alarm at midnight that snapped him out of his thoughts, and he couldn’t lie still any longer. He’d suddenly remembered that Emily had left him something–that exquisite–looking jewelry box.
He hurried over to the dressing table and picked it up. It was the size of his palm. However, when he opened it up, he didn’t find a piece of jewelry or accessory inside. Instead, it was an oddly shaped piece of silver.
At first, he didn’t quite get it. Why did Emily give this to him?
Out of habit, he began rubbing his wedding ring, the one he’d made by himself. Then, as if struck by lightning, it hit him. The piece of silver was Emily’s wedding ring! She’d melted it down!
There was no greater sorrow than a numbed heart. At last, Samuel accepted reality. Emily hadn’t left on a whim. She wasn’t just throwing a tantrum. She was never coming back.
Samuel was in no mood to do anything else. He drove straight to the police station and rushed in. In between gasps, he exclaimed, “I–I want to file a missing person report. My wife is missing, and she might take her own life!”
As an adult, Emily had complete freedom of movement. If he wanted the police to help him find her, he needed a plausible reason. Otherwise, they might refuse to lend a hand.
Thus, the police took Samuel’s case. They stayed up all night trying to help him locate Emily, to no avail.
Kate Clark, a female police officer, asked Samuel, “Did you and your wife get into a fight recently?”
“No. Our relationship has been fine all along,” Samuel said evasively.
Alas, Kate was an experienced officer. She instantly sensed that he was hiding something, so she reminded him, “If you truly want to locate your wife, you’ll need to tell us the truth. If not, we won’t be able to help you.”
