Chapter 2: A happy marriage?

Tanya arrived an hour later, a curvy woman in her red winter coat. Her sweet dimples suited the charm of her rosy, cold-flushed face. She had not altered much since college and still wore her black-framed glasses and tidy dark braid. Her figure had filled out more, but she could move with incredible grace and poise.

Tanya wrapped Sarah in a warm hug. “Oh, Honey,” her voice was full of concern. “What happened?”

Sarah sniffled. Her eyes were puffy from crying. “Mark is gone, Tanya. He had left no note. We were going to spend some quality time together this holiday. I don’t know why he left. We need to find him, Tanya.”

Tanya nodded. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “Okay. Let’s think this through. Have you checked on his phone yet? Emails, texts, voicemail?”

“His phone is bricked,” Sarah said, struggling to contain her sobs. “And all our photos are gone too! I’m losing my mind, Tanya!”

The two of them sat at the kitchen table. Tanya took Sarah’s phone and started scrolling through the contacts list. “We’re going to call all Mark’s friends and colleagues that we can find on this list. Maybe someone will know something about where he is. We can also ask for more leads if necessary.”

Sarah’s heart sank with every answered and unanswered call as they worked their way through the phone list. No one had heard from Mark in weeks, maybe months. Mark’s boss told them that Mark had quit work without reason a few months back.

Sarah’s mind was reeling. She couldn’t find any kind of sense. Mark had quit his job sometime after her dad got sick. She was generally not home because of her busy schedule and work-related travel. Mark was basically forced into staying home with her dad. She didn’t fault him for quitting his job, but why had he never mentioned it? What else had he had to silently endure for her? Was she so clueless that she never paid attention to anything?

Tanya held Sarah’s hand. “Calm down. We can’t jump to a conclusion just yet. We still have a lot to follow up.” She told her to search for Mark’s photograph. She instructed Sarah to flip through the wedding albums as well.

Sarah opened the wedding album. Her hands shook as she turned through the pages. She breathed a shuddering gasp. Pictures of her standing in her wedding dress caused her to smile. She could see smiling faces everywhere, but where was Mark? Where were the photos of the two of them together?

She frantically flipped through every page, but many of the slots were empty. She could see herself laughing with her dad. There were pictures of her with her bridesmaids. She was posing by herself in front of the flower-covered arch but there were no pictures of her husband. Not even a single one. Mark’s pictures were removed from the album. It was as if he had erased his own presence from their most precious moments. Like he was cropped out of her life.

A sinking feeling gripped her stomach as Sarah realized the truth. Mark had deliberately pulled himself away from their life together. She opened her phone once more and confirmed that she did not have any of his photos. Their shared computer no longer had his account, and he had even cleared his presence from her cloud storage.

It was several hours later that Tanya and Sarah sat at the kitchen table again. Sarah’s eyes were red and puffy from crying. They had attempted to contact everyone they could think of. No one had any knowledge of where Mark was or his mental state.

Tanya stroked her shoulder lightly. “I know it’s difficult, but we have to stay calm.” She chose her words carefully and spoke slowly. “You need to be realistic here, Sarah. Mark may have left by his own will. Think carefully. Was there any change in his behavior recently? Anything unusual or out of character?”

Sarah could not refute her words. She thought back several months. She did not have to think very hard. Mark had been remote in his behavior toward her. He seemed preoccupied and inattentive when he was home. He spent many nights working on something in the guest room.

“He was worried about something.” Sarah softly admitted. “I never thought it would be this serious.” New tears began to brim in her eyes. She had taken things for granted with Mark. She was so sure that he would always be there for her.

Tanya nodded understandingly. “I think that we need to start investigating this further. Maybe we’re missing something obvious.”

She heard the chime of the clock as it signed late evening. She sighed and looked at Sarah. “Listen, I don’t want to leave you alone, but I need to go now. My mom is alone, and I need to help her with her medication. I’ll be back tomorrow morning.”

Sarah nodded at her in understanding.

“I will bring coffee and a fresh mind. We’ll figure this out together, okay?” Tanya assured her.

“Thanks,” Sarah whispered. Mark was not the only one she had ignored. She hadn’t been talking to her friends, either. Tanya had shown up to help her despite them not being in touch for a long time. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Tanya held her in a close hug. Sarah felt the load removed from her shoulder for a moment.

“We’ll find him,” Tanya whispered. “I promise.”

Sarah remained there while the door shut behind Tanya. She took a deep breath and tried to get hold of herself. She had to keep her strength for Mark.

She stepped into the living room. Jinx had left a half-decorated Christmas tree there.

Mark would have completed the decorations by now. They would have enjoyed some eggnog while watching some cheesy holiday movie. It all seemed like a bittersweet dream to Sarah.

Jinx was looking inside from the window panes when he saw Tanya leave. He stepped away towards the street and called his speed dial number.

“The lady is getting suspicious, boss,” he said while keeping his voice low. “Tanya was also here. She just left.”

“Calm down, Jinx. We prepared for this,” he heard the calm response. “Did you pass on the news about Mark’s disappearance?”

“Yeah, James should know about it by tomorrow,” Jinx replied.

“Good. We just need another day. Stay close to Tanya and Sarah as they search for Mark tomorrow.”

Jinx swallowed hard. “What if they go to the police?”

“We’ve gone through this,” the voice replied. “Stick to half-truths. Don’t lie outright. You can handle it.”

“I will, boss, I promise. But Sarah ... she is not doing well.”

“Sarah is stronger than you think,” he reassured Jinx. “Just focus on your job and keep an eye on Sarah.”

“Understood, Boss. I am sure James will show up by tomorrow. He won’t miss a chance to take advantage of Sarah in her weak moment, but I will be ready.” He tried to lighten the mood.

“She can take care of herself, Jinx. You don’t need to protect her.” He thought of something before continuing. “In case he shows up, try to get some Intel from him.”

“I’m a born thief, boss. I will try my best.” He answered confidently.

The line went dead, and Jinx was left to be alone with the thoughts of his mission.

Sarah looked at their half-decorated Christmas tree in the hall. She started thinking about her happy memories with Mark. They met last year at her college friend’s wedding.

She was the bridesmaid. The joyful event made her restless. She felt out of place around the mushy couple. She had to step out to get some fresh air. Lost in her thoughts of a happy wedding, she ran into someone coming in the opposite direction. A strong arm locked around her as she stumbled. Sarah saw herself drowning in the deep blue eyes. His calm gaze pierced right through her heart.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. His voice sounded like a deep rumble to Sarah. “Are you all right?”

Sarah could only nod as she felt tongue-tied at his sight. He was handsome. Not very beautiful but rugged in a masculine way. His serene smile warmed her heart. His broad shoulders and firm grip made her pulse quicken.

“I’m Mark,” he said while holding onto her elbow. “I’m a friend of the event organizer. Just helping him out.”

“Sarah,” she belatedly said, her face heating, “Bridesmaid.”

They stood there looking at each other for a while.

Mark cleared his throat and released her arm. “Well, I should get back inside. They will send out a search party for me if I delay any longer. It was nice to meet you, Sarah.”

“You too,” she murmured.

He smiled and turned to leave. Her gaze still lingered on him. Her eyes focused on the way his suit jacket molded over his shoulders.

Sarah couldn’t stop thinking about Mark. She kept looking for every opportunity to talk to him. He was charming and funny. He had this easy laugh that made her want to join in. They talked and flirted throughout the reception. She was a goner by the end of the night.

They went on dates over the following weeks: dinner and movies, long walks in the park, or lazy Sunday mornings in bed. Mark was everything that Sarah had always wanted in a partner: kind, attentive, and always ready to spin a joke and make her laugh. She fell hard and fast for him. She had found her soulmate.