*
*
The mansion was grave silent when Sterling returned.
It wasn't the welcome Sterling had expected when he decided to return some hours earlier, he'd wanted to give Faith the surprise, and also because he fucking missed her!
He was impatient to know her response, she should have gotten enough time to think about it so it would appear as though he was pressuring her.
Sterling roamed around the large empty house wearing a deep frown.
She was nowhere to be found.
He was restless with the feeling that something wasn't right.
The air exhibited a sort of coldness that only accelerated his distress.
He decided to dial her cellphone once again, the result was the same.
Her cellphone was turned off.
Anxiety made his heart pump faster, he inhaled deeply and tried to convince himself that he was overthinking, that she was probably just gone for a stroll or something, but none of the means to divert his thought seemed to be working.
A low frustrating curse escaped his mouth as his anxiety flared.
Where the hell was she!
He returned to the master bedroom and roughly unknotted his tie and tossed aside his suit jacket, Sterling yanked open the clothing cabinet for something more comfortable but his heart froze.
He was completely rigid for at least a few seconds.
Shock and disbelief washed through him in cold waves.
Yes, all his things were there, neatly arranged as usual.
Hers were missing!
From her clothes to shoes, there was nothing to indicate that she once shared this space with him!
Alarm bells blared in his head as his sharp gaze moved around the room.
He noticed all the things he had missed earlier, the bedroom was entirely absent of her touches.
She left!
Several thoughts were surging through his mind, but he couldn't grasp a single one of them. Why would she leave all of a sudden without informing him!
A tight knot wound in his chest as he sped out of the room like a crazed man.
"Oh, sir! You are back!" The voice of his housekeeper halted Sterling's furious strides. Perhaps the woman would know something!
"I didn't think you a__"
"Where is my wife?! Where the hell did she go?!" Sterling shattered whatever the older woman was starting to say, his dark scowl was so aggressive that the housekeeper blanched for several seconds.
"She left some hours ago, she only told me that something urgent came up__"
"Why didn't you inform me about it?! You saw her leaving with things and didn't think it was important to tell me? What are you even good for!" Sterling bellowed, he was too upset to care that his housekeeper appeared on the verge of tears.
"Oh no!" She gasped!
"Did something happen to her? She told me there was no need to inform you about anything as you as busy with work! I swear if I had known I would have t__"
Sterling exhaled roughly, understanding only one thing from her statement.
Her departure had been fully intentional and she hadn't wanted him to know!
But why?
What warranted her to suddenly make the decision?
He could only think about one thing, the thought plagued his mind, there was no way she could have found out!
But if she did__
Sterling turned to Mrs. Esther once again.
"Was there something you noticed? Did she seem upset? Disturbed? Was there anything different about her?"
At this point, he was desperate, any information might be useful.
The housekeeper appeared to be thinking about it.
"Yes, since that parcel arrived yesterday morning, I noticed that she appeared stressed, and when she returned in the evening, she started to pack her things__"
"Wait, what parcel?"
*
*
Faith downed the stress reliever pills with a glass of water, a sigh escaped her mouth as she lay down on the hotel's mattress.
She needed some time alone to think about everything, or so she had tried to convince herself when she had gathered her things and left.
Deep down, she knew that she was just a coward.
She was hiding. From herself, as well as him.
She was afraid to confront him, to know why he did all those awful things. Why he had to lie so much to her and even hurt her family.
Was he a psychopath?
How little it turned out she knew about him! She thought she knew a lot! She had always been ready to fight with anybody who uttered a bad word against him.
Had he laughed at her ignorance and thought how easy it was to manipulate her!
Closing her eyes, she awaited sleep but it seemed to be a very far distance away.
She couldn't divert her mind from the fact that she was also pregnant!
It was a huge pill that she still couldn't accept just yet.
Of course, she loved children and had even thought about a family someday, but he had snatched the right to that decision from her as well!
He was a complete maniac!
Was anything ever genuine about him? Was everything good he'd done for her just an act, a plan to control every aspect of her life?
Faith closed her eyes beneath the warmth of the covers, Sterling would return tomorrow, the thought made her feel extremely anxious.
She didn't feel that things would ever be alright between them ever again.
*
*
Faith couldn't tell what woke her up, her eyes remained closed on the bed, and she could hear the sound of the rain drumming outside.
Snuggling against the bed covers, she tried to return to sleep but stiffened at a slight noise. Her heart rocketed to her throat as her eyes flew open.
The room was almost pitch black, but her eyes could make out the shape of a figure sitting on the chair opposite her.
She couldn't help it, a scream of alarm escaped her mouth as she jumped to the edge of the bed, carelessly and blindly reaching for the bedside lamp, knocking down a few things in the process.
Cold sweat was starting to form on her skin as she successfully turned on the light to see the intruder.
She couldn't have been prepared for the next shock as pairs of familiar dark gazes stared back at her.
"S_s_s___Sterling y_you__" She stammered, clutching a palm to her chest as she met his unwavering gaze.
Wasn't he supposed to be back tomorrow?
How the hell had he known where she was? Why would the hotel allow him to enter her room?
Faith could only hear the sound of her rapid heartbeat and that of the rain, he had not uttered a word but continued to stare with deep intense eyes.
The tension in the room continued to brew until it became difficult to even inhale a breath.
"Weren't you supposed to return tomorrow? W__h_how did you find me?" Faith broke the silence, her nails digging into the bedsheets.
She didn't want to believe that he had been tracking her, but how else had he found out her location?
He stood up, Faith could see his face more clearly now, his sheer size seemed to have taken up the entire space in the room.
The closer he approached, the harder her nails dug into the covers.
He stood on the very edge of the bed and she had to gaze up at him.
"I returned early to give you a surprise, but it turned out my wife had decided to run away!"
His low-spoken words sent a surge of anger knifing at her heart.
She couldn't believe he made her sound like a thief!
He was the one who hid things from her! Oh, she forgot, he probably thought she was still naive and ignorant as he wanted her to be.
Then, she allowed the words to flow from her mouth.
"I want a divorce!"
*
*