I returned from the business trip two days early, and my wife claimed she was fast-asleep in our bed as I stood in that cold, empty room.
Mark pulled into the driveway of his house in Elmwood at around two in the morning. The long business trip had taken a toll on him. His body ached from sitting in planes and rental cars for hours on end, and his mind was foggy from lack of sleep.
He hadn't informed anyone about his early return, hoping to surprise his wife, Lisa. Maybe he was trying to find a way to mend their strained marriage, or perhaps he just wanted to see if there was still a spark between them.
As he turned off the car engine, a sense of unease settled in his chest. The house was completely dark. There were no lights peeping through the windows, and Lisa's car was nowhere to be seen in the driveway.
The garage door stood ajar, like an open wound, adding to the feeling of something being amiss.
Mark sat in the driver's seat for a moment, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. He tried to rationalize the situation. Maybe she had gone to the 24-hour store to pick up some essentials or visited a sick friend.
But as he stepped out of the car, the heavy silence of the house felt like a bad omen.
He walked into the house without turning on the lights. Each step on the tile floor echoed loudly in the empty house. Every shadow seemed to mock him, as if they knew something he didn't. He took out his phone and called Lisa from the hallway.
She answered on the third ring, her voice soft and sleepy. "Hello," she mumbled. Mark asked if he'd woken her up.
"I was asleep, Mark. I was just about to fall back asleep," she said.
Mark gritted his teeth as he stood at the bedroom door. The bed was untouched. The pillows were neatly arranged, and Lisa's side of the bed was cold. It was clear that she hadn't been in the bed for a long time.
"I just wanted to hear your voice. I'll be back in a couple of days," he said, forcing a calm tone.
"Okay. I love you," Lisa replied. Mark hung up without saying it back.
He stood in the middle of the room, the phone feeling like a lead weight in his hand. It wasn't just that she was gone; it was how smoothly she'd lied. He started to think about all the little things that had been bothering him lately.
The late-night work calls, the times she'd avoid his gaze after coming home, and the sudden secretiveness around her phone.
Mark decided to check the rest of the house. He walked into the living room and noticed a keychain on the side table. It was a unique one, shaped like a silver airplane, which he'd seen on Tom, Lisa's co-worker at the advertising agency.
