He was gone for days. She had enough. She rummaged through his drawers, hoping to find a clue that would lead her to his whereabouts.
Her heart pounded as she read the address written in his late wife’s handwriting. She grabbed her keys and began a journey that would lead her to the unimaginable reason he refused to take his wedding ring off.
It was supposed to be like any other day when Joanne Williams woke from her night of slumber. The sun shone brightly outside, propped high within the deep blue sky. Its rays pierced through her bedroom window and lit up her floorboards like dance floor strobe lights.
But there would be no dancing in her house today. In fact, there hadn’t been for months.
Joanne’s son, Mark was her pride and joy. He was the only child she had with her beloved husband Mark and was the center of their universe.
When he got married, it was the happiest day of the family’s life. But tragedy was soon to follow. Her new daughter-in-law, Bethany, sadly passed away only a few months after their wedding. It was a shock to the entire family. One that no one saw coming.
Needless to say, it was a bigger shock to her son, Mark. He was devastated. All Joanne could do was watch as her son took a downward spiral.
As the months passed, Joanne began to realize that Mark was in denial about his loss. He refused to take his wedding ring off. He didn’t want to move on and it worried Joanne greatly. But she had no idea what he was hiding.
Since his late wife passed, Mark lived at home. Before, he was living in an apartment with Bethany, saving for a house. They had just saved enough and picked out a house before she passed. It’s what made the blow that much more devastating.
Mark was always a driven and ambitious young man, but now, Joanne hardly recognized the man who stood before her.
Mark began leaving the house late at night. Sometimes, he would be gone for days. But this was the longest time he had been gone. Joanne hadn’t seen him in more than a week.
She had no idea where he was and began to worry that he had lost his job. Joanne tried to call him but her calls went to voicemail. Now, she had enough. It was time to investigate.
She called his office and asked his colleagues if he had been to work. Confused, they told her that they hadn’t seen him for weeks. Joanne’s face went pale.
Her mind raced with worst-case scenarios. She ran to his room and rummaged through his things. She didn’t know what she was looking for but she needed a clue – something that would tell her what he might be thinking. Suddenly, she froze.
Her hands were elbow-deep in his drawers. She felt the smooth, soft surface of an envelope and pulled it out. His name was written on the front, accompanied by a little love heart. It was Bethany’s handwriting.
She steadied her breath as she opened it. A picture of his late wife standing in front of a small house lay inside. On the back of the photo, was an address. Joanne’s heart pounded.
Without thinking, she hopped into her car and popped the address into her GPS. It was a 40-minute drive away. She didn’t understand what any of this meant but something told her to check it out.
The envelope was hidden on purpose, and it was from his dead wife. Her stomach dropped as a chill ran up her spine. Something felt very off about this.
Joane needed to find her son. He wasn’t in a good place and she worried about him being on his own. But now she couldn’t help but wonder about something else – was she still alive? Was she hiding in this house? Is that why Mark won’t take off his wedding ring? Is that why he keeps disappearing?
She followed her GPS, desperately hoping that there was an innocent explanation for all of this.
Joanne had arrived. The address led her to a remote house nestled in a wooded landscape, surrounded by trees and water. It was the house in the photo. Under normal circumstances, the house would have been quaint and beautiful but now, it felt creepy.
Joanne spotted Mark’s car. He was here. She grabbed her phone and forced her feet to move forward. But what she’d find would leave her shell shocked.
At the sound of her engine pulling up the driveway, Mark exited the front door. He was stunned to see his mom walk up to him. At the sight of her, his shoulders slumped. “What are you doing here?”, Joanne cried. “I’ve been looking for you for days. I was so worried about you.”
What Mark said next left Joanne gasping for air.
Since Mark and his late wife had just reached their savings goal and decided on a house before she passed away. Mark was stunned with an incredible surprise after his wife’s passing.
It was just coming up on Valentine’s day and Bethany decided to surprise Mark with a gift he’d never forget. She had made the downpayment on their dream house in secret. And left a letter under his pillow.
After she passed, Mark cleaned out their apartment and stumbled across her valentines gift. However, he was unsure of whether to keep it or not and so he didn’t tell anyone.
He loved the house but it upset him even more. Everything was a painful reminder of her passing. So, he decided to make a kind of shrine instead. Joanne’s lips trembled as she listened.
He came out to the house every other day, sometimes days on end to do it up like how she would have wanted it. His plan was to make all the improvements in her memory and then decide whether or not he’d want to keep it.
What an incredible story of love and loyalty. Would you decide to keep it if you were Mark?