Breaking

Chapter 3

Vivian’s POV

It had been two days since Vivian had seen or spoken to Peter or Lily. Most of her time was usually spent at work trying to distract herself from thinking about Robert or giving up on distractions and reminiscing about him.

It was strange though, she had spent a good portion of the last day thinking more about Peter than she had, maybe ever.

She wondered what he was up to during random parts of her day or thought about how safe she had felt when he hugged her after brunch.

“Why am I thinking about him like that?” She wondered aloud as she was getting ready for bed. She tried pushing Peter from her thoughts as she continued to get ready for bed.

Vivian methodically washed her face and then applied her various serums and creams. She paused for a moment to stare at her reflection.

She noticed the small lines that were beginning to form around various parts of her face. She wasn’t old by any means of the word but her life had brought with it a fair amount of stress.

Med school, residency, and a career as a general surgeon for an ER definitely brought a good amount of stress, but the last 5 months were probably the most stressed she’d ever felt.

Her life had completely changed and shifted. No one ever talks about the list of things you have to do after someone dies. The countless hours on the phone with hospitals and coroners to get a death certificate or the pressure of picking the perfect burial plot and casket.

The endless paperwork of dealing with insurances and updating everything in your life to now say “you’re a widow.” She took a deep breath and continued with her nightly routine.

Finally, Vivian slipped into a simple white tank top and black sleeping shorts and pulled her hair up into a messy bun to keep it out of her face while she slept.

She fluffed her pillows and turned down the covers and then slipped in between the sheets. She sat for a moment before lying down, “Rob?” She spoke aloud. Silence followed but she continued to speak to him. “I miss you so much.” Vivian hesitated.

Mustering up her courage she spoke to Robert about her feelings. “When Peter hugged me the other day, I felt safe for the first time since you left me.” She took a deep breath and continued. “Am I terrible for feeling that way?”

She let the silence fill the space. She didn’t expect a response but she wished to get one nonetheless. As the silence persisted, Vivian reluctantly laid down leaving her question unanswered and lingering in her mind.

As she drifted off to sleep she imagined Robert kissing her forehead and telling her that he loved her. Her mind eased more into relaxation.

She imagined strong arms holding her and she melted into them. She felt the muscled arms and knew they did not belong to Robert, but she melted even so. Her mind drifted further and further to sleep with no confirmation of who she was dreaming about.

Suddenly, Vivian jolted awake. Her heart was beating unbelievably fast as she sat up in her bed.

She paused for a moment. She could have sworn she heard something. She tried to slow her breath and listen.

Vivian heard a faint rustling coming from downstairs. Her heartbeat sped up instantly. “It’s nothing.” She whispered to herself. “Just the usual sounds a house makes.” She said trying to comfort herself.

She took a few more deep breaths and continued to listen. The noises had stopped. She breathed a little deeper to calm her nerves. Then, without warning, a loud crack erupted, clearly coming from downstairs.

Vivian instinctively knew if was the blue vase filled with daisies she had on the kitchen counter making contact with the hardwood floors.

She heard more movement coming from downstairs and with that she grabbed her phone off the bedside table and shot out of bed.

Vivian made her way as quickly as she could, without causing too much noise herself, to the bathroom that adjoined her room.

Vivian practically slammed the door as she rushed to lock it. She was terrified.

She had never felt more alone. Her mind was racing in a million thoughts all at once. She thought about how Rob would have run downstairs to confront the intruder, he was always so brave.

She thought about how he would have protected her and then she became angry. “Rob! Why aren’t you here?!” She screamed in her head. A few tears leaking from the sides of her eyes. “What am I supposed to do now?” She cried to herself.

She knew she wasn’t brave enough to leave the bathroom but she couldn’t stay in there forever either. Vivian slumped to the floor pressing her back against the tub.

She looked at her phone. It was just after 2 o’clock in the morning. She thought about who she could call. She knew she could call Lily and she would send her husband, Kevin, over in a heartbeat to check things out.

Not a bad idea except for the fact that they lived about an hour away. She couldn’t wait that long. She ran through the list of nearby friends and family who she could call all while trying to avoid the most obvious answer.

“That’s it. I’ll just have to call him!” Vivian said to herself. He really was the most logical answer. He only lived about 5 minutes away and having recently retired from being an Army Ranger wasn’t such a bad thing either in this particular situation.

Vivian tried to settle her breath as much as possible and took a deep breath. She dialed the number and waited as it rang. Click. “Hello?” A groggy, yet strong voice said from the other end of the phone. “Peter?” Vivian sobbed softly into the phone.