IrisI wanted desperately to shout at his face, showing how brutal a liar he was. I had clear proof that, after he left, that’s when the camera stopped working.“But this will mean that he was behind my mom’s kidnapping!I choked on the thought as I grabbed a bottle of juice and gulped it down in one minute.This was too much for me to take in, and I know I have to be careful with how I make assumptions and if I am to provide any proof to the police.I’ll have to have enough proof to do that. And as I looked down at my note, where I had tossed it after writing,.Only for me to realize how scary the content in it was! I was getting closer to the truth, and it was scary!“It is very surprising for you to come and visit me, Iris.""He faked a smile as he sat, looked away, and focused his gaze on something, maybe in the air.I felt pain ripple through my chest, with my fist clenched tight in anger.“I’m sorry, Isak. I never want to do this! I waved my arms in the air.“What exactly, huh? H
Iris“Are you okay? He took a step toward me, and I instantly backed away until my back was pressing against the car.“Iris! He reached and touched my face softly. I felt the urge to take to my heels, but my feet seemed to be rooted at the spot.“I’m… I’m good” I stuttered as a bead of sweat slid down from my forehead.We stood outside until two policemen stopped by in front of the house.I just stopped myself from yelling, “Danger! I gripped my sweatshirt tightly and kept muttering different prayers.“Did you see anyone walk in or anything? The female policewoman asked while his colleagues went straight into the house to investigate.“No, I just drove my fiancée back only to find the door open.”I swallowed at the mention of “fiancée.” I felt a sudden tightening in my chest as tears welled up in my eyes. How could he? Does that mean...?I couldn’t answer any of the questions that jammed up in my head.“You live together? The policewoman, with her eyes still focused on her book,.I wa
Iris“I walked in to see his body still on the cold floor.” I started.I lay quietly on my bed after the interrogation with the police.The thought of it left me with a bitter taste in my guts, despite how much I fought my mind to forget.It was unfair to watch my life crumble before me. I had not believed Isak when he was telling me.I had trusted Ian more and had broken a perfect relationship.I swallowed a hard knot on my throat and just closed my eyes, wishing that everything would change the moment I reopened my eyes.But I was still faced with the truth the moment I reopened them.Isak was no more, and this was the most painful time of my life, just a few weeks after the birth of the baby. I rubbed my stomach slowly in pain and fear of what I'd face next.But then the door opened, and the last person I wanted to see was standing by the door.Are you okay? He asked as he made a step to walk towards me, but all the will to pretend in front of him was gone.“Why?! I muttered, subdu
IrisI follow the route with a trembling hand as I drive quietly.He had asked me to follow this path, but at some point all I saw were trees; the canopy provided enough hiding spots for people.I could hear my heartbeat as I drove on, and at some point, the silence was more than threatening.“Mummy will get us out of this.” I started speaking just for some sort of motivation, because I was afraid!I was trembling despite knowing that I was not alone in this; my heart beat was enough to drum me out, but I kept driving. I kept talking to my daughter.“Your dad loves you so much... Isak. He was the one that stayed, the one that looked after you, so he’s your father.The one I’ll talk to you about when you grow up. You know, baby, mummy can’t wait to see you. I can’t wait for the day when I’ll hold you in my hands.The day that I’ll get to hear you for the first time... I stopped, then took a deep breath to calm my aching heart before continuing editing.I hope this journey will come to
“You know I bloody wish I was joking." My dad said this, shaking his head and staring at me pitifully. “Why are you staring at me like that?” I frowned. “Oh, because you think I’m joking,” he said. “Heard of Isak Santos?” I frowned and stared at my dad as though he had just fallen from the skies. “Who’s Isak?” “The man you’d be getting married to,” my dad said so simply that it infuriated me the most. “For the umpteenth time, Dad, is this a joke or something?” I asked. “You know I still haven’t gotten over the disappearance of Arthur, and now you want me to get married to someone else.” “He isn’t just someone else,” he corrected. “He’s the man that would save us from the danger looming over our heads.” “I’m lost here." I shook my head in confusion. “What danger? What’s happening?” He handed me a card that looked like a wedding invitation card, and slowly, I began to incline as to what it was about. Grumpily, I collected it from him. The more I swept my eyes through the paper,
I stared at the news show on TV and listened to the reporter speak about her recent findings somewhere in Pakistan, and I couldn’t help but wallow in self-pity at how I had abandoned all my goals and dreams of acing and making it big as a journalist because of my family and this godforsaken sham of a marriage.As I continued to listen, nostalgia hit me hard, and I was plunged into deep misery as I reminisced on how much I must have lost. It had been barely two years since we got married, and it already seemed like there was some sort of invisible hand grappling at my neck and snuffing the life out of me.You know, I initially thought having separate rooms as a couple was a bad idea when we first got married. I only needed less than six months to realize that it was one of the best decisions I have been forced to make. I couldn’t imagine how I’d have protected myself from Isak whenever he got home wasted and horny, or times when he was in his right senses but wanted to flex his muscles
I punched hurriedly into my phone as the taxi driver held my gaze in the rearview mirror. After scrolling through my phone for a few seconds, I snapped my fingers and nodded.“DoubleTree by Hilton, please." I smiled at him.He nodded and sped into the street.Sighing, I leaned into my seat. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done the right thing. But if there was anything I knew, it was the fact that I had had enough of living with Isak.The more I lived with him, the more I wished for the world to end. And since the world was not ending anytime soon, it was better if I ended what was left of the sham.For a while, I worried about how disappointed my parents would be, and I feared that my father might disown me if and when he found out what his only child had done. But it was either them or me, and it was glaring who I chose.As the taxi sped on, it felt as though a large part of my worries were also speeding away (even though I knew my problems still existed).The envelope I handed
As we drove back to our base in Liverpool, I couldn’t help but notice the intermittent skipping of my heartbeats when I glanced at Ian. I knew it was unhealthy to get involved with anyone when I was still legally married to Isak, but it felt good to feel those butterflies again like I used to with Arthur. Something about Ian had me drawn to him even though I didn’t want to. He was the complete opposite of Isak—soft-spoken, kind, courteous, and younger—and it was something that I considered before getting involved with anyone. And it was the reason I had loved and enjoyed his company all through my week-long stay at the resort. I was beginning to miss him the night before since we were slated to leave the next day. My lips broke into a smile when he was there at the parking lot, ready to chauffeur me back to Liverpool, even though he looked like he could afford to fly anywhere. I had chipped it into a couple of our conversations about how much I loved road trips, and he had thought t