Chapter 9 I'm Tobias Wilton

"I'm Tobias Wilton," said the voice on the phone.

Alicia's hand trembled as she lifted the phone to her ear. Was this a dream, or some kind of fraud? "I'm sorry, who did you say you are?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"It's Tobias, your husband. Ellis gave me your number," the voice replied calmly.

Alicia's heart skipped a beat. Her husband? Could this really be him? "Are you... are you really him?" she stammered.

"I understand your suspicion, Alicia. We've never met before, and it makes sense that you would suspect me of being a fake or a fraud. [COUGHING]" Tobias replied, his voice tinged with a cough. "I just heard Ellis mention you, so [COUGHING] I suddenly wanted to talk to you and wonder about you."

Alicia couldn't believe it. Her husband was calling her out of the blue. "Are you okay? Are you sick?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice as she heard Tobias coughing.

"I'm fine, don't worry. It's an old problem," Tobias replied. "So, how are things with you? How's life in