DYLAN

Last night was helluva exhausting. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. To be honest, I was expecting this day to come but I can never be prepared for this. I just have to keep going. I've been up for ten minutes now, lying down thinking about all that happened in the last few hours which is a lot. It was too much to take in all at once with Avery sharing so much about her past and breaking down in my arms, it added more to the fiasco. However, I am glad Avery shared so much with me.

I finally remove the covers off my legs and leave the bed. It's already seven-thirty, I don't have to be at work until ten. As I close the door to my bedroom, my eyes fall right across the hallway on Avery's door. Before I can stop myself, I walk across and open the door. When I peep in, there is no one in the room, not even Bear who usually comes down every morning along with Avery when she leaves for work. Sometimes she takes him with her, sometimes she leaves him with Mrs Griffin.

There's sunlight coming through the two large windows, falling on the floor. The curtains are neatly tied to both sides of the window frame. Maybe she let Bear out...and she is in the bathroom? Before I can stop myself, a picture of Avery under the shower flashes under my eyelid. Damn! I quickly push it away and try to hear if the sound of water is coming from the bathroom. No, nothing.

Figuring out that she is already downstairs, I come down. When I reach the last step, I find the glass doors towards the yard open. I look out to find Bear running around in the sun, chasing a butterfly but my dear wife isn't anywhere around. It feels odd to be married to someone I didn't actually know. And even weirder when that someone turns out to be one of the closest people to you. Sometimes I like calling her 'wifey' to piss her off but in my mind, it sounds anything but funny.

I walk into the kitchen, Mrs Griffin is as usual at the stove making pancakes. "Good Morning," I wish her and sit down on the stool at the counter.

"Morning, " she greets me with a cheeky smile. I look around, bend back, trying to look outside the kitchen for Avery. "Looking for someone?" Mrs Griffin asks, with a smirk.

"Where's Avery?" I ask, ignoring her mocking expression. Like c'mon she is my wife, get over it.

"She left for work," she singsongs.

"Already?" It's too early for her to be at work. Usually, she leaves around nine. I don't know how far the hospital is from here but by the impression I've formed of her, she is punctual.

" yeah...maybe she had to go early..." Mrs Griffin puts the coffee in front of me and frowns but doesn't say anything.

"Yeah...maybe." I shrug. I pick it up and stroll into my office. It's at one end of the living room. I don't usually work from home but whenever I do, I prefer doing it in my office. I don't like mixing my personal life with my professional life. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I get reminded of the wedding. Damnit! Did I really make a deal out of it?

Shaking off this stuff from my mind, I sit down at my computer. The desktop picture is of some foolish car, I don't even like it but it doesn't really matter. As I am about to click on the email icon, my eyes find a small file with the name wedding diaries. Out of curiosity, just, I open the folder. A bunch of pictures from our wedding day pops up. I remember receiving this file through email but I'm not sure why I kept these on my work computer.

Extremely unlike myself, I start looking at the pictures. Especially, seeing Avery in that white wedding dress, I couldn't help myself. I keep going until my eyes stop at one particular picture where I am putting the ring into Avery's finger. She is looking down at her hand in mine and my eyes are on her. I don't think I looked away from her face enough that day. Immediately, I set it as the desktop picture.

I'm still on my computer, going through the pictures when Mrs Griffin comes at the door, I look away from my screen. "Yes?"

"Someone from Avery's work came to see her. "

"She is at work, right? Why would someone come to see her at home?" I frown at the thought as Mrs Griffin gives me a one-shoulder shrug. "Hmm...okay. I'll be right there." Turning off the computer, I walk out into the living room. A tall blonde man is standing in front of one couch, with his back at me. "How can I help you?"

He spins around and stops, eyeing me from top to bottom. He doesn't take his hands out of his pocket or even bothers to shake his hands. "I'm Brad Higgins and you must be...Dylan Walker?"

"That's right I am, " I nod.

"Well, I am Avery's colleague and also a friend. She texted me saying she is sick so I came to see her." What?

"She is sick?" I frown. She isn't there in her room then did she go to visit a doctor?

"You don't even know?" He scoffs. "Heh, expected isn't it?"

"What?" This man is so confusing. What is he talking about?

"You don't know shit about her, that's expected, right?" His jaw clenches. As much as I want to beat the shit out of him for throwing that attitude, standing in my living room, I don't want to upset Avery.

"I don't know because she didn't tell me anything about it." It's hard to keep a calm voice.

"As if you would care." He rolls his eyes rudely at me.

"You can't speak so rudely to me standing in my living room!" I snap.

"I don't fucking care. I shouldn't be speaking to you in the first place."

I take in a deep breath and clench my fists, trying to control myself. "Look I don't know what problem you have with me and I don't even care but Avery isn't home. She already left for work."

"She isn't at the hospital either then where is she?"

"I don't know..." Worry starts building inside me.

"Well, you are her husband! You should!" Damn this man! What the heck is his problem?!

"I am her husband, not a stalker that I'll keep tabs on where she goes every time!"

"She is neither at home, not at work, did you even think if she might be in some problem?" Yeah, right as if you got the copyright of worrying about her.

"Then why would she say that she is sick?" Is she really sick or was this for getting away?

"I don't know. Maybe she is sick and you have no idea. "

Groaning, I take a step back, rubbing my palms against my forehead. 

"I can't reach her cell. I've tried calling her, " Brad says, calmer than before.

"Where did she go?!"

"I'm going to search for her," Brad says, spins around and strides towards the front door.

"I'll come too. Let me grab my keys." I hurry towards my garage when Brad calls.

"No need. Just get into my car. A few minutes with you won't harm."

*****

"Okay. I'll call you later, " Brad says into the phone. We've tried calling my parents, her uncle and aunt, but she is nowhere. It's been half an hour we've been driving around the city, looking for her in every restaurants and cafe.

"She isn't there is she?" I ask as he puts down the phone.

"Nope."

"Damn you, Olivia." I look out of the window. As much as I am trying not to think of bad stuff, images are just popping up in my head.

"Call her," Brad says, shoving his phone in front of me. Confused I look down to find a number saved by the name Mel.

"Who is that?" I ask.

"Our college friend. Melissa." Brad answers without taking his eyes off the road.

"Why can't you call? She is your friend too, right?"

"I can't. Just call." I frown and look back and forth between the phone and Brad, confused. Finally, deciding finding Avery is more important, I call. The phone rings twice before someone picks up.

After a long pause, a female voice comes through the phone "Hello?" Her voice is unsure and confused. Not bothering about anything else, I speak.

"Hi, it's Dylan Walker, Avery's husband." I introduce myself.

"Why are you calling me from Brad's phone? Where is Avery?"

"You don't know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...she isn't home nor at work. We've been searching for her for the last 45 minutes," I tell her.

"Oh, Lord... " She gasps. There is a long pause. No one speaks. Brad looks at the phone silently through the corner of his eye. I remain silent, not sure what to do when Melissa's anxious yet calm voice comes through the phone. "Okay, I'll check her location and let you know but if you find her before that, give me a call." Then the line goes dead.

"It won't take long," Brad informs me. There is surely something going on between these two. However, I don't care. After a while, Brad asks, "Did anything happen between you two, yesterday or sometime in the last few days?"

"Nope. Everything was fine. We were getting along really well. Then yesterday she told me a bit about...Marcu—" Before I can complete the sentence, Brad cuts me.

"What?" He hurriedly pulls the car up to the side of the road and turns his body to face me.

"What?"

"She told you about what?" His eyes are almost popping out of his sockets.

"She told me about Marcus," I answer. He stares at me astounded for quite long.

Taking in a deep breath, Brad looks away and mumbles, "I know where she is..." He immediately starts the car and his phone beeps with an incoming text. He checks the message and says, "That's Melissa. I was right, she is there."