Third Person POV
Early in the morning, around 4, Sarah woke up. She looked around to figure out where she was. Upon seeing the familiar surroundings of her room she relaxed. But upon seeing Alex sleeping beside her, tears started flowing again, and her breathing increased. She couldn't bear to be near him after what she had witnessed at his office.
Feeling broken and betrayed, she couldn't stay close to him; it was shattering her heart into a million pieces with every passing second. She gently removed his hand from her waist and quickly went to the bathroom, trying to conceal her cries.
Sitting under the cold shower fully clothed for some time, crying, she stood up, thinking her tears had dried. However, when she looked in the mirror, she began crying again, realising she was still wearing a blue dress that matched the colour of his eyes-the eyes she loved the most and the eyes that had betrayed her.
Hurriedly shedding the uncomfortable dress, nearly tripping and hurting herself in the process, she wrapped a towel around herself and chose a black dress from her closet. That reflected what her life had become-Dark.
Returning to the room and seeing Alex still sleeping on the bed, memories of their shared moments flooded her mind. Feeling claustrophobic, she decided to leave the room. Hastily walking into the closet and packing a small bag with necessities and clothes, she grabbed her phone, charger, and purse.
She left the room, quickly descending the stairs in tears, calling a cab, and arriving at her parents' house by 5.45, after half an hour of waiting for the cab to arrive.
Knowing it was too early for her parents to be awake, she rang the bell. But she had nowhere else to go right now as she could not live with Alex right now. After a 10-minute wait, her mother opened the door.
"Uhh! Why are you here early in the morning?" Catherine spoke with disdain.
"Mom, Alex... he..." Tears rolling down, Sarah tried to hug her mother for comfort, but Catherine pushed her away.
"What do you want?" Catherine said nonchalantly, showing no concern for Sarah's tears.
"Mom... Alex cheated on me... I ... I can't live there... he.." Sarah tried to explain, between her sobs and heavy breaths, but Catherine interrupted.
"Why are you crying for it? It's not like he loved you anyway. It was about time he cheated on you. Have you ever looked at yourself, and how ugly and fat you've gotten in the past year? And why are you always crying? No wonder he had to find other beautiful women for his needs," Catherine said in a harsh tone.
Sarah cried even more, her breath becoming erratic. She was hurt not only by her mother's words but by the truth they held. She had just realized the reasons behind Alex's actions. She thought it was her fault for not being beautiful, not being knowledgeable about sexual acts, and always being in tears. No wonder Alex was seeking solace elsewhere, away from someone like her-someone nobody would want to be with.
"Mom,... can I-I stay here for some days?" Sarah asked between sobs.
"We didn't marry you for you to return and be a burden on us again, now did we?" Catherine said angrily.
"Mom, please, I have nowhere else..." Sarah tried to plead, but Catherine cut her off.
"Stop being a loser and go back to your in-laws. You are their responsibility now, not mine," Catherine said, closing the door on Sarah's face.
Sarah looked at the closed gates for some time and then turned to the street. She couldn't go back because she didn't want to be near Alex, believing he didn't want her. Even her own parents didn't want her.
'Nobody would ever love me. It's better if I leave,' Sarah thought to herself.
Heartbroken, Sarah started moving forward, unaware of where she was going.
***
"Who was at the gate?" Richard asked Catherine, who had just entered her room.
"No one important," Catherine replied nonchalantly, sliding into the covers.
"Catherine, people don't go ringing bells on others early in the morning. So who was it?" Richard's tone was irritated, knowing his wife's tendency to dismiss even important matters for the sake of her beauty sleep.
"Your daughter. Now, can I go back to sleep?" Catherine said irritably, placing her arm over her eyes.
Richard immediately sat up straight, pulling away the arm covering Catherine's face. "What do you mean, my daughter? Why was she here this early in the morning? And where is she now?" he asked, displaying concern.
"Nothing new. That stupid girl left her house because, apparently, her husband cheated on her, as if she didn't expect it," Catherine said, raising her hands dramatically.
"Where is she, Catherine?" Richard spoke through gritted teeth.
"Of course, I sent her back. Now, we don't want her to disturb us again, do we?" Catherine said, placing her palm on Richard's face. "Especially after how much difficulty I went through to get rid of her," she muttered under her breath, unheard by Richard, who was already rushing out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Catherine shouted after him as he entered the bathroom, picking up his clothes.
"To get my daughter back," Richard declared, stating it like an undeniable fact.
***
Alex woke feeling cold, his arm instinctively reaching out for Sarah beside him, but the bed was empty. Immediately, he opened his eyes, scanning the room for her presence.
Panic set in when he couldn't find her anywhere, not in the room, or bathroom. He rushed downstairs to see if she was in the kitchen, but she was not even there. He even checked the guest room she previously occupied thinking she might have wanted distance from him like before, but to his dismay, he couldn't find her even there.
Wondering where she could be so early in the morning as it was only 5.30, he rushed downstairs, checking other rooms and the gardens, but she was nowhere to be found. Anxious and worried about her health, Alex called Sarah multiple times, but she didn't answer.
He was worried about where she could be as she was not well and it was too early to go anywhere. In a state of distress, he called Daniel to inquire if she had sought solace with Mia, the only person she confided in.
"Hello, Dan, is Sarah with Mia?" Alex urgently asked as soon as Daniel picked up his phone.
"What?" Daniel, still half-asleep, struggled to comprehend Alex's words.
"IS. SARAH. WITH. MIA. DANIEL?" Alex shouted, emphasising each word, frustrated by Daniel's lack of attention.
Realizing the urgency, Daniel assured, "No, Mia is sleeping beside me. Why? Is she not home?"
"If she were home, why would I be calling you, you dumbass?" Alex snapped.
"What?" Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Dan, she is not here. She left me, and I can't find her, she is not even picking up her calls... Do something, Dan please do something. She should be asleep resting in bed but she is not here all because of me." Alex pleaded in between his sobs, blaming himself for Sarah's departure. He knew Sarah left because she was hurt and he was worried because he could not find her.
"I'm coming there," Daniel quickly responded, dressing and rushing to the Reynolds estate within ten minutes. which would usually take 30 minutes to drive from his house.
Entering the house, Daniel found Alex on the sofa, his hair disheveled, with his face in his hands, eyes bloodshot from crying.
"Alex!" Daniel sat beside him.
"Dan!" Alex hugged him sobbing ""Dan!" Alex hugged him, sobbing, "She left, Dan, she left me, and I don't even know where. Please, get her back, Dan. I can't live without her. If something happens to her, I would kill myself, Dan, please." Alex ranted.
Daniel felt the pain his brother was feeling but felt helpless as he had no idea what to do and where Sarah could be.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and an angry Richard stormed in, grabbing Alex by the collar and making him stand. Daniel tried to remove Richard from Alex but Richard held a strong grip and Alex was making no effort against him.
Punching Alex in the face, Richard spat angrily, "How dare you?"
"I promise I didn't. Please let me talk to her," Alex said, guilt evident, but calming on the inside believing Sarah was at her parents' house.
Then William and Elizabeth came downstairs confused as to what was going on. "What is going on here? And why are you here early in the morning Richard? What is all this Alex?" William questioned the commotion looking between them and furrowing his brows.
"Ask your fucking son why he hurt my daughter," Richard replied angrily pushing Alex away from his hold. Alex stumbled but Daniel held him and stabilised him.
"Alex, what is all this?" William demanded. Alex has his head low.
"I promise to explain everything, Dad, but not now. Mr. Thompson, please let me talk to Sarah once. Dan, you have your keys, right? Let's go," Alex pleaded to everyone.
"What do you mean, let's go? Is Sarah not here?" Richard asked, confused.
"No, she is at your house? That's why you are here, right?" Alex panicked.
"No, she came back; my stupid wife sent her back here," Richard replied angrily.
"But she didn't come back," Alex panicked even more. If Sarah wasn't at her parents', Mia's, or here, where the hell could she be?
Elizabeth came running down to calm Alex and demanded an explanation "Daniel tell me what is going on here."
"Eli, Sarah left to go to her parents but her mother sent her back and she is not here yet and.." Daniel trailed off.
"And what Daniel?" Elizabeth's voice rose.
"And she is ill, she fainted yesterday..." Daniel said not looking in her eyes and looking at ground feeling guilty.
"Why didn't anyone inform me before? And what do you mean by 'ill'?" Elizabeth shouted at Alex and Daniel. who looked at the ground filled with guilt.
Alex attempted to run out of the house, but Daniel restrained him "Where the fuck are you going now?"
"Leave me, I need to find her," Alex said struggling to set free from Daniel's hold.
"Alex we can't lose your whereabouts in search of her's. Let's think calmly where she can go okay?" Daniel tried to reason with him.
"What if she faints again or hurts herself? No Dan I can't just sit here and wait I need to find her." Alex said worried.
"Nothing will happen to her, Alex, we will find her. Sit please, let's think about finding her, calmly. You rushing out and searching around will not help, you are not even in your right state of mind." Daniel shouted at him so he would listen.
Daniel was worried because though Alex was his brother he also cared for Sarah like his younger sister. He was also angry with himself for not pressuring Alex to fire his secretary when he knew her true colours and that she would be a problem.
"If anything happens to my daughter I am going to kill you," Richard, furious, threatened Alex.
"You are no one to talk to. You gave her away for a fucking business deal and your wife sent her away when she needed her parents the most." Alex retorted.
"You are right. I made a mistake. It was the first time I made a personal bet on a risky asset like you, and I lost my everything-my daughter. I thought you would give her the care she deserves that I could not provide. But I guess I am just as bad a businessman as I am a father," Richard confessed in a low, guilty voice.
"Richard, don't blame yourself or anyone. Sarah will be fine, and we will find her," William consoled Richard.
Alex dropped to his knees, chanting repeatedly, "I am so sorry, love. Please come back. Please be fine."
****
Hope you liked the chapter.
Please do Vote, Comment and Share.