Chapter 3 - The Cold Morning Return
The first light of dawn filtered through the frost-dusted living room windows, casting a chilly grey light across the empty home. The Christmas tree lights still blinked rhythmically, casting red and green reflections across the hardwood floor.
At 6:15 AM, the front door unlocked with a sharp click. The husband stepped inside, stamping the snow off his boots. He took off his leather jacket, feeling an odd, suffocating stillness hanging in the air.
"Emma?" he called out softly, expecting to hear her gentle footsteps coming from the master bedroom.
There was no answer. Only the ticking clock on the mantel.
He walked into the living room, noticing the couch was completely untouched. On the side table sat a cup of cold, untouched tea. Next to the tea lay a pristine white envelope addressed to him in Emma’s neat, flowing cursive handwriting.
His heart gave a nervous flutter. He picked up the envelope, unfolding the thin sheet of paper with trembling fingers.
“I hope someday you understand why I had to leave before you could ask me to stay,” the note read. “You thought I was blind to the late-night calls, the perfume on your collars, and the excuses. I stayed because I wanted our child to have a father. But last night, when you walked out that door on Christmas Eve to go to her, I realized my baby and I deserve someone who chooses us first.”
He swallowed hard, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes scanned the bottom lines.
“Do not look for me at my apartment or my sister’s house. Everything you need to know is in the nursery.”
May you like
A wave of cold dread washed over his chest. He dropped the note onto the coffee table and sprinted down the hallway toward the nursery, pushing the door wide open.
👉 Read Part 4 to discover what secret was hidden inside the nursery frame.
