Blaze,
The coldness of the soda ran down my throat like frostbite as I leaned against the wall before drinking it. The first soft drink outside the water I had been carrying around— had finally reached my stomach like a stone.
John, my coworker who had been working with me for four years, patted my shoulder before grabbing a soda from the vending machine.
"Long day?" he asked, sitting on the bench.
"Sort of." I stared at the grey sky, ready to pour anytime. But the smell of sweat, cement, and dust felt like a forever companion.
"How is your wife doing? I heard you have been skipping lunch to save money!" he asked while kicking a piece of brick.
"I need to save money before the baby comes." I chugged down the rest of the soda and sat on the bench. Two more months and I would be able to meet my child.
"Childcare is really expensive. During my first child, my wife needed to get a C-section because of some complications. Still, we have been dealing with this. The hospital bills are yet to be paid. Life is hard for us, the blue-collar workers."
I nodded quietly, knowing that no matter how much we work hard, we end up having nothing to fulfill our dreams. Now saving money as much as possible so that I could give my family a proper time when the baby comes along was my only target.
As we both stayed there for another ten minutes before the break time ended, the silence was interrupted by the buzzing sound of my phone. I felt a wave of panic rushing through my body. Each time I got a phone call, my blood ran cold with fear. My wife's pregnancy was full of complications and I couldn't afford to face another one.
I hurriedly grabbed my phone from my pocket, hoping to get a call from my wife. But my eyes narrowed when I noticed the caller ID. "The Landlord."
I paused for a second. I had just paid the rent last week. So why did she suddenly call me?
"Yes, Mrs. Brookes!" I answered anyway.
But the next moment, my heart sank when she sounded drained and panicked.
"Mr. Blaze. You should come home as soon as possible. It's urgent."
"What do you mean by that? What happened?" I stood up, my mind racing. Did something happen to my wife?
John stood as well, his eyes filled with concern.
"I can't tell you everything like this. You need to come to your house right now!"
My blood ran cold and before I knew it, I turned to John who realized that something wasn't right.
"I will cover for you! Go!"
I couldn't thank him. My legs moved on their own. And before I realized, I was in my truck and pressed the gas.
The landlord hung up before I could ask another question. My body felt cold, my heart was pounding, and my mind was spiraling.
"Please be safe. Please! Please Lord. Keep her safe!"
I drove like a madman, my attention was all on the road but my mind was in my apartment. By the time I arrived at home downtown, Mrs. Brookes was standing there with cops on my porch.
"Mrs. Brookes! What happened?" I rushed toward them. But before I could process, the scene before me turned me cold.
The entire house was in chaos, the front door destroyed. The couch in the living room that we bought last year was upside down.
My head slowly turned toward the cops. But they didn't look bothered. One of the officers walked toward me and showed his ID before saying, "We will investigate what happened. Please file a report."
"Where is my wife?" The first thing that came out of my mouth. I couldn't understand. No, I failed to understand what was happening.
"Your wife?" They shared glances at each other but then looked at me like I was some crazy man. "There was no one inside. Are you sure you live with someone?"
"What? What are you saying? Where is my wife?" I snarled, trying to enter the house but one of the officers blocked my way.
"Mr. Blaze! Calm down. There is no one else. Even your landlord said you stay alone. I can understand that you are under pressure but we will find out about the intruder and—"
"What are you trying to say?" My body shook. "I live alone? I live with my wife, Sarah Blaze. She is pregnant with my child, just two weeks away from labor. Mrs. Brookes, why did you lie?"
"I don't understand what you are talking about! There is no—no one is living with you."
I stared at them like they were joking, like it was a prank. Maybe Sarah was doing it. I tried to laugh it off but the entire situation didn't feel like one.
"I can show you proof. We have cameras and—" I ran inside, my heart pounding against my ribs.
She wasn't there. Nothing was there. The rocking chair on the porch, the small notes on the refrigerator, and the most important thing, our wedding photos.
All gone.
"What's happening!?" My heart sank. "Sarah!" I ran inside our bedroom. The bedsheets were the same as I left this morning. But the snack bucket I put on the nightstand for her weird cravings at midnight was gone.
I ran inside the bathroom and everything was gone. The skincare products she regularly used, the huge moisturizer she got on sale—everything just disappeared.
I looked at the CCTV camera in the corner of our kitchen. But it wasn't there. The tiny bunny keychain was gone. Like they never existed. It felt too real. What's happening? Just three hours ago, everything was there. How did it happen?
"Mr. Blaze! Do you want us to take you to a doctor? I think you are not—"
"Do you think I am crazy?" I turned toward the officer who looked defeated.
"No! But I think you are under stress. Anyway, please call 911 if you feel unwell. Now, we will take our leave."
"But my wife—?"
They didn't say anything this time. Just left. I watched Mrs. Brookes running away from my property like she was being chased by a demon.
Something wasn't right. Nothing.
I sat on the edge of my bed, glancing around. Even the closets were empty. There was no nursery for the baby. As if it didn't exist.
As I felt like my world was shattered into pieces, my eyes widened when I realized that I had my phone with me and I had even talked to Sarah two hours ago. She told me to bring some grapes as she was craving something sour and sweet.
So I hurriedly grabbed my phone and started scrolling. And there it was. The messages that had been exchanged for years. A living piece of evidence.
I wasn't crazy. My Sarah was real.
I didn't know what had gotten into me. But I started taking screenshots randomly. As if I needed to make myself believe that I wasn't lying in multiple ways.
However, almost halfway through, suddenly everything vanished from my chat list. There was no name under Sarah Blaze.
I stared at my phone as everything was wiped out—everything related to her.
Even my gallery. The screenshots I was taking, everything was gone.
The phone slipped through my hand, my eyes widening. What's happening? There was no way—
I froze when I looked up at the corner of the ceiling. My eyes widened when I spotted something.
I hurriedly got on the bed and walked toward the wooden ceiling.
The day we moved in, we both decided to hide one of our wishes for our firstborn. So that when we had our first baby, we would read it aloud.
I removed the cupboard from its place. The moment I moved it, the small old paper covered with spiderwebs dropped on the floor.
I stared at it. My body gave in. I wasn't lying. Sarah, my wife, had always been with me. I opened the paper and stared at Sarah's handwriting.
I wasn't crazy. My wife was here and she existed.
"I need to call the cops. I need to find out why they lie!" I grabbed my phone to call. But the sudden sound of the door slamming froze me.
I looked up, finding two men walking in, their faces grim and cold.
"Don't make another mistake by calling the cops, Blaze Walford." One of them snatched the phone away from me and threw it against the wall, "If you don't want to get your wife killed!"