Chapter 2: Gone Before Sunrise
980 Words
Ava didn’t remember falling asleep. One moment she had been waiting for Ethan to return from the balcony, and the next, pale sunlight was slipping through the curtains. A small smile touched her lips as she stretched beneath the blankets. They were finally married. The thought alone was enough to fill her heart with happiness. She turned toward Ethan’s side of the bed, expecting to find him sleeping beside her.
The smile vanished instantly.
The space beside her was empty. The sheets were cold and neatly arranged, as though no one had slept there for hours. Ava sat upright and glanced around the luxurious suite. The bathroom light was off, and the door stood slightly open. A strange uneasiness crept into her chest, though she quickly pushed it aside.
“Ethan?” she called softly.
No answer came.
She climbed out of bed and walked toward the living area of the suite. The silence felt unusual. Ethan was usually the first person awake, often making coffee before she opened her eyes. Ava checked the balcony next, expecting to find him taking another business call. Instead, she found nothing except the cool morning breeze drifting in from the city below.
A nervous laugh escaped her lips.
“Don’t tell me my husband disappeared on the first morning of our marriage.”
The joke sounded hollow even to her own ears.
Returning inside, Ava noticed something strange. Ethan’s suitcase was gone. At first, she simply stared at the empty space where it had stood the night before. Then her eyes moved toward the closet. She hurried across the room and pulled the doors open.
Half of the closet was empty.
Ava’s heartbeat quickened.
“No…”
She checked the drawers next. The expensive watch he always wore was gone. The cufflinks she had given him for their wedding were gone as well. Every personal item that belonged to Ethan had disappeared. It looked less like he had stepped out for breakfast and more like he had never intended to stay.
Her hands began to tremble.
She grabbed her phone and dialed his number immediately. The call rang once before going straight to voicemail. Frowning, she ended the call and tried again. The same result greeted her. By the third attempt, her stomach had tightened into a painful knot.
“Come on, Ethan,” she whispered.
The room suddenly felt too large and far too quiet.
Determined not to panic, Ava called Mia instead. Her best friend answered on the second ring, sounding half asleep. “Please tell me this is an emergency,” Mia groaned. “Some of us danced until two in the morning.” Ava hesitated before speaking. Even saying the words aloud felt ridiculous. “I can’t find Ethan.”
The silence that followed lasted several seconds.
“What do you mean you can’t find Ethan?”
“I mean he’s gone.”
Mia was fully awake now.
“Maybe he went downstairs for coffee.”
“I thought that too.”
“Then call him.”
“I have.”
“And?”
Ava swallowed hard.
“He isn’t answering.”
Thirty minutes later, Mia arrived at the suite wearing sunglasses and yesterday’s dress. The moment she stepped inside, she knew something was wrong. Ava pointed toward the empty closet without saying a word. Mia walked over, looked inside, and slowly removed her sunglasses. The concern on her face only made Ava feel worse.
“Okay,” Mia said carefully. “This is weird.”
“Weird?” Ava stared at her. “My husband vanished after our wedding night.”
Mia opened her mouth to respond but stopped. There wasn’t a comforting explanation for what they were seeing. The evidence was right in front of them. Ethan hadn’t forgotten something. He hadn’t stepped out for breakfast. He had packed his belongings and left.
Then Mia noticed the envelope.
“What’s that?” she asked.
Ava followed her gaze.
The cream-colored envelope sat neatly on the desk near the window. It hadn’t caught her attention before. Her pulse immediately accelerated. Something about it felt deliberate. Almost final.
Slowly, she walked toward it.
Her fingers shook as she picked it up. The moment she saw Ethan’s handwriting across the front, her heart dropped. Mia moved beside her but remained silent. Neither woman spoke as Ava carefully unfolded the letter inside.
The message contained only a few lines.
Ava,
I’m sorry.
I know these words will never be enough. By the time you read this, I’ll already be gone. There are things about my life I should have told you long ago, but I convinced myself I could protect you by keeping them hidden. I was wrong.
Please don’t look for me.
Please don’t follow me.
Forget me.
— Ethan
For several seconds, Ava simply stared at the page.
The words refused to make sense.
Forget him?
After everything they had shared?
After the vows, the promises, and the future they had planned together?
A sharp pain spread through her chest as reality finally crashed into her. The letter slipped from her fingers and drifted to the floor. Tears blurred her vision, but she barely noticed them. The only thing she could hear was Ethan’s voice from the ceremony.
“I promise that I will never leave you.”
The memory felt like a knife twisting deeper.
Mia wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but Ava hardly felt it. Her gaze remained fixed on the fallen letter. Something wasn’t right. Ethan had loved her. She knew he had. No man looked at a woman the way Ethan looked at her and simply walked away without a reason.
And deep inside, beneath the heartbreak and confusion, a dangerous question began to form.
What secret was so powerful that it could destroy a marriage before it had even lasted a single day?
- Writer
