chapter 4

Alex 

My chest tightened with a mix of anger and disbelief As I stormed out of the house. 

I still can't believe Emily could cheat on me after everything we've been through. 

My mother has always warned me about her, telling me she's not what she portrays to be but I was blinded by the love I had for her. 

She's my first love. I mean, the first woman I ever had a crush on right from high school. 

I could remember how I was planning on confessing my love to her before my mother sent me to Canada. I searched for her when I came back to New York after six years but couldn't find her and I was so happy when I found out that she was the one who saved me from the terrible accident that almost claimed my life. 

She made me believe that she loves me, that I can trust her. 

I could still remember how I defied my mother's order and married her, thinking she genuinely loved me. 

“Ahh!!” I groaned in frustration, kicking the wheel of my car. 

The images of her with another man flashed in my head, over and over again, breaking my heart into pieces. 

My heart clenched with pain as I remembered how my staff gazed at me when the images appeared on the flat screen I was using for my presentation. 

Everyone gasped in shock as they stared at the photos of Emily with another man. It was so intimate. 

I felt like cold water was poured on me as I stood with my body trembling with shame. I don't know how such a delicate thing got into my flash drive. 

How could she do this to me? How could she betray me like that? 

I can't continue staying under the same roof with a woman who betrayed and cheated on me. 

I dialed my lawyer's number with a heavy heart. "Prepare the divorce papers," I said, my throat tightening as the words left my mouth. 

I never thought that one day I would think of getting a divorce. Asking the lawyer to prepare the divorce papers now felt wrong, but what other choice did I have?  She cheated on me! 

My mind was messed up and I needed to clear my head. A few drinks would help dull the pain, at least for now.

I drove to the bar after calling my best friend to meet me there. 

 A few minutes later, I was at a club, downing glass after glass, but the anger wouldn’t fade. Fred, my closest friend, sat next to me, watching me closely.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, man?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

I stared at my drink, swirling the amber liquid around before taking another sip. “I don’t know, Fred. I just don’t get it. I thought I knew her.” My voice cracked slightly, the weight of everything crashing down on me. 

“Did you know how I felt when I saw those photos?”

Fred shook his head, but before he could respond, we heard a soft voice, interrupting us. 

“Alex?”

I spun around and my eyes widened in shock when my gaze fell on Vanessa Hartman, my childhood friend, walking towards me with a smile on her face. 

She was as stunning as ever, her presence commanding the room. Her smile widened as she walked over and sat down next to me.

“Vanessa,” I whispered, surprised to see her. “What are you doing here?”

She smiled softly. “I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks since I got back to New York but you weren't answering my calls,” she added, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Uhm… I'm sorry, I have been busy with work.” I replied, taking a sip from my wine glass. 

Vanessa's smile faded for a moment before she regained her composure. She leaned closer, her voice soft and almost seductive. 

"You don't look good, Alex? What’s going on? Are you alright?" She asked with concern. 

I hesitated before answering, my voice heavy with pain. "I saw pictures of Emily... with another man." I clenched my jaw, feeling the anger flare up again as I said those words 

Vanessa's eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite place my hands on. She moved even closer, placing a hand on my arm, her tone gentle. 

"Alex, I’m sorry. But you need to calm down. You don’t deserve this."

Her touch made me uncomfortable, but I didn’t pull away immediately. 

"Why are you here, Vanessa?" I asked. I needed to shift the conversation away from my personal life as I regretted telling her about it.

“I came to talk about the contract with your company,” she said, her voice turning professional. “Since you haven’t been answering my calls.”

I sighed. "I'm not in the right frame of mind for business right now. Come by my office tomorrow so we can discuss it."

She nodded but gave me a lingering look before speaking. "I’ll be there, Alex. But... you know I still care about you, right?"

I stiffened, my heart heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry, Vanessa, but I love my wife. I can’t do this." I said, avoiding her gaze. 

Her eyes flashed with hurt, but she quickly masked it with a smile. “Of course. I understand.” She stood up, gracefully excusing herself.

Vanessa was my childhood friend and I know that she has feelings for me even though I felt nothing for me . 

I could remember the pain in her eyes when I told her about Emily. She cried and told me how much she loves me. When I told her that I never had feelings for her, she promised to make me fall in love with her but she traveled out of the country to pursue her modeling career when she learnt that I was engaged with Emily. I haven't heard from her ever since then until last week when her call came in. 

I rejected Vanessa's love, defied my mother's order just to be with Emily but what did I get in return? Betrayal. 

I squeezed my chest as I felt it was being pierced by a thousand pins. 

I spent the night in a hotel and the next day, I went to the office, the weight of everything pressing down on me.

 My lawyer brought the divorce papers, and as I held them in my hands, my heart sank. 

I stared at my signature at the bottom. I have signed them, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of doubt gnawing at me.

What if I am wrong? What if Emily is innocent?

I couldn’t do it. Not yet. I needed to find out the truth before I gave these papers to her.

Suddenly, the door to my office swung open, and Vanessa walked in without knocking. I quickly dropped the papers on the table and turned to face her.

“Vanessa,” I said, surprised. “You’re early.”

She smiled and hugged me. Her embrace lingered a bit too long, and when she pulled back, she tried to kiss me. I immediately stepped back, holding up my hands.

"Stop it, Vanessa,” I said firmly. “I told you. I love my wife.”

Her eyes flashed with hurt, but she quickly covered it up with a smile. 

“You still love the woman that's cheated on you? Well, I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean to… overstep.”

I heaved a heavy sigh, massaging my temple in frustration before offering her a seat. 

We were discussing the contract when my phone suddenly rang.

It was a call from one of the company’s international investors, requesting a meeting.

 I glanced at Vanessa apologetically. "I need to go. This meeting is important."

She smiled, "I understand. We can talk later."

I picked up my coat and left, leaving Vanessa behind. 

Later that evening, I returned home, feeling exhausted. 

As I stepped into the living room, I was expecting to see Emily, to welcome me with her warm smile but the house felt different. 

It was unusually quiet and it felt empty. 

At first, I didn’t think much of it. But as I walked through the rooms, I realized something was off. There was no sign of her usual scent lingering around the house. The place was... empty. Lifeless.

 “Emily?” I called out, but there was no response, making my heart race. 

I swiftly turned and went back into the living room where my mother was sitting on the couch, watching business news. 

"Mother, Have you seen Emily?" I asked, my voice laced with concern.

"I haven’t seen her since morning," my mother replied nonchalantly, not even bothering to look away from the television.

A wave of panic surged through me. I remembered Emily had called earlier in the day while I was having a meeting with Vanessa but she cut the call before I could even hear what she had to say. 

 She hadn’t called back, and now, something felt terribly wrong. I rushed into our bedroom, and a cold chill ran down my spine.

The room was practically bare. Emily's belongings were gone. 

My heart raced as I frantically looked around. My gaze fell on the bed, and my blood ran cold. There, lying neatly on the bed, were the divorce papers. And her wedding ring.

“No,” I whispered, rushing to the papers. My signature was already there, but now—Emily's signature was next to mine. She has signed them. She is gone.

But how? How did she get this?I left the papers at the office, but I didn't give them to her. How did she get hold of it? 

What is happening? What's going on? 

My heart pounded with fear and regret. 

“No, no, no,” I muttered under my breath, panic rising in his chest.

I grabbed my phone and called Fred. 

"I need you to find Emily."

"Did anything happen?" He questioned, his voice laced with concern.

"I can't explain right now but I just need you to find her for me. Shut down the airports if you have to. Don’t let her leave the city. I need to find her, Fred. I can’t lose her!" 

"Alright, I will keep you posted." 

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I groaned in frustration, punching the wall. 

Fred is a secret investigator and I trust that he would find her but I can't just sit and wait for him. I need to look for her myself. I can't bear to lose her. 

I stood up from the bed and dashed out of the house. 

Hours passed, but there was no trace of her. I went to her father's house to look for her even though I knew that she wouldn't be there and her stepmother told me that she wasn't there. 

She doesn't have any friends. Where could she be? 

I searched the whole city and airports with no signs of her. It was as if she... she had disappeared into thin air. 

I felt a deep, gnawing fear in my chest. I have made a terrible mistake. I should have listened to my heart instead of letting doubt cloud my judgment. Now, I was terrified that I had lost the one person I truly loved and the guilt consumed me whole. 

No... No, I will not give up. I will search the whole world for her if I had to and when I find her, I will never let her out of my sight.