ALWAYS AND FOREVER

Cross Pov

I got home a little later than I expected, already anticipating growling for not keeping to my promise of coming home early, I tried to call Kathy though, but she didn’t take her calls, it was nothing new as I was used to her not taking her calls, I went straight to our room ready to see her pout and frame anger, I opened the door but she wasn’t in our room.

“Baby?”

I called going over to the restroom, she wasn’t there either, the toon looked just like it did when we left this morning, I know because I was the last person to leave the room, I went downstairs to the kitchen thinking she might be there with Nora but no one was in the kitchen, I went to the garden where she usually goes to cool off, but again she wasn’t there.

“Where is she?”

I asked myself walking to the staff quarters, the possibility of her being there was low but since I couldn’t find her anywhere in the house I had to check, I met Kris and Betty there.

“Betty, have you seen my wife?”

“No, sir, she hasn’t come back home,”

She informed. that couldn’t be possible because when I spoke to her last she was in a cab coming home.

“Are you sure Betty, maybe she came in when you weren’t around,”

I asked dialing her number again, she still wasn’t picking up.

“I am sure sir, she hasn’t returned since you guys left, maybe she went to see a friend,”

She suggested. I should have thought of that but Kathy always tells me when she is going to visit her friend, she didn’t tell me this time, maybe it escaped her mind, I thought dialing the number of the only friend I know she had Marilyn, she picked up on the second ring.

“Marilyn good evening,”

I greeted politely, Marilyn has been a good friend to my wife and she gave her a lot of advice concerning her pregnancy, she was like a mother figure just like Nora was.

“Hello, Cross, how are you, my dear,”

“I am fine, I was wondering if my wife is at your place, she is not taking her calls,*

“Oh, no, I am not even in town,”

“Is that so? Okay, thanks, maybe she went to get something, she isn’t home,”

“Probably, just wait for her and extend my greetings,”

“I will, thanks,”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I said and ended the call, I was already getting worried, where would she have gone to that she wasn’t back yet, going by what Betty said she never came home, I decided to not panic and wait for her to show up, I went back to our room, took a shower and tried to at least eat, but I gave up after eating only a little, I decided I would eat when she comes back, I went back to the living room expecting her to show up any moment.

After waiting till six pm still, no trace of her I got worried for real, if only she was taking her calls I won’t have been this worried but she wasn’t picking up her calls and it was past six pm, I had already spoken to all my staffs and all of them had the same thing to say, even the security man at the gate said the same thing, she never got home, so far all I know is that she told me she was in a cab going home and she never got home, it was getting late, and she still wasn’t here, I called her line again for what would be the hundred and something time but still no response, I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t report her as a missing person because it was too early for that and the police might not take it seriously, I dialed Dean’s number after pacing up and down with nothing coming in, I needed help or I was going to go mad.

“Hey man what’s up?”

He asked.

“Dean, I can’t find my wife,”

“What? What do you mean you can’t find her?”

“I don’t know man, she went to the hospital and I was supposed to go pick her up but she called me that she was done early and can get home herself, as at when we spoke she was in a cab, I told her I will come home on time but I couldn’t leave work until four and when I got home she was nowhere, I have tried calling her over a hundred times and she is not taking her calls, I have a bad feeling about this and I am about to lose my mind,”

I said pacing up and down.

“Hey, calm down, have you tried calling her friends? Maybe she went to see them,”

“She only has one friend in New York that she visits and Marilyn is not in town,”

“Oh, God, I am on my way, have you called the police?”

“Not yet,”

“Please do, I will be there in fifteen minutes,”

He said. I heard him talking to someone in the background before I ended the call, I dialed the estate security first, I didn’t want to involve the police yet, I tried calling her again, this time her phone wasn’t reachable, this increased my panic mode, what if something has happened to her? Dean got here exactly Fifteen minutes later t as he had promised, he came with Grace, I just greeted and ignored her, I wasn’t in my right mind, I ran everything I knew over to him, he said it will be best if we talk to the police do we called them and they said they were on their way too.

“Sir, the estate security chief is here,”

Kris said, I quickly got up and went out to meet him, we exchanged greetings shortly and he followed me back inside, he was just about to start questioning me when the police arrived, I just used the opportunity and told them at once.