Before Christmas, my husband, Tom, announced he had to go on a business trip.
His face seemed a bit strained as he told me his boss needed him to handle an emergency client situation in Boston.
I was crestfallen. It was going to be our first Christmas apart since we tied the knot, and the thought of spending the festive season alone was disheartening.
That evening, as I helped him pack, a flood of memories washed over me.
Our wedding day, when he looked at me with so much love in his eyes, and those wonderful weekend getaways we took, exploring new places together. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing as I watched him prepare to leave.
On Christmas Eve, I was alone in our cozy home, trying to keep myself occupied. I was baking cookies, the sweet smell filling the house, and watching old Christmas movies. But the festive atmosphere only made me more acutely aware of Tom’s absence.
Then, my phone rang. It was Tom. His voice was odd, rushed, and he said he couldn’t talk much because he had an emergency meeting.
But as I listened, I heard some strange noises in the background. It didn’t sound like the hustle – and – bustle of a business meeting in a big city hotel.
There were faint echoes, and a familiar – yet – unidentifiable sound that made my heart race.
Suddenly, I remembered my fitness tracker.
We had synced our devices, and I could see the location of his car. My hands trembled as I opened the app. To my utter shock, his car was shown to be in our city, not in Boston as he had claimed.
What was going on? Was he in some kind of trouble? Or was there something more sinister afoot?
