I’d gotten up, booked a ticket, hired a rescue
team and headed to the mountains.
For two and a half weeks I didn’t sleep or eat.
I hadn’t noticed then, how there wasn’t any
panic in any of his so–called friend’s eyes. Just
amusement.
Jamie’s jaw dropped, and then I heard a crash
from inside her apartment.
She glared at me and warned, “Don’t pull
anything stupid. When Mark gets back you’ll be
11:21
I ignored her, like I had the night before, and
walked away.
- 3.
884
The argument from behind her door was loud.
Now that he heard that I declared him officially
deceased, Mark was starting to lose his mind.
But I wasn’t going to let him find me.
If he could disappear for three months, I could
certainly be gone for a few days.
I grabbed a packed bag and asked Sarah to
book a hotel room for me using her name and
- ID.
I’ve been hiding out at the hotel for the past
few days, buying funeral supplies and that’s it.
Sarah showed up looking smug.
- ))
884
<
11:22
“I hear some dude is tearing up the city looking
for you. Dude’s flipped out. They’re all over the
news.”
I watched the news, seeing a missing person poster with Mark’s face and smiled. “He can look all he wants. I won’t let him find me. When he said he wanted to make me sweat and then come back, why is he sweating now?”
“He deserves it, the jerk. Why does the world have such awful men in it?”
She was getting worked up, and I had to cut her
off, “Hey, it’s my husband’s funeral today, I’m supposed to be sad, remember?”
I got out my makeup bag, and turned myself
into a hollow, sad, wreck.
Once Sarah was certain I looked miserable
enough, we left for the funeral.
<
11:22
882
On the way, I gave her a USB drive with all the
videos of Mark and Jamie, and told her to play it when I gave the signal.
Only then did I send out the funeral address.
First to arrive was Ben. He stepped out of his
black car and took a white flower from me, pinning it to his lapel. “My condolences.”
Next came the clueless relatives.
Their grief was genuine, and it made my heart
ache.
Mark, you fake your own death, and you hurt
the people who actually care about you.
Today, you’ll pay for it.
Finally, his “bros” arrived.
They all looked pale and sick, and their hands.
trembled when they took their flowers
<
11:22
884
One of them dragged me to the side.
“Hey, honey, you need to stop this! Mark is not
dead! He’s going insane looking for you! Have
you seen the missing person posters?”
I blinked, and let out two tears.
“Don’t try to cheer me up, those missing
posters were Jamie’s idea.”
“A dead man cannot return to life. I’ve given up
hope that he will.”
He tried to say something but I nodded to
Sarah, who grabbed his arm and sat him down.
Once everyone had arrived, I got up on stage,
and adjusted the mic.
“Thank you all for coming to the memorial
service for my late husband…”
<
11:22
A scream cut me off.
“Chloe! What the hell are you doing? I said Mark isn’t dead!”
884
Jamie was standing at the entrance, glaring at
- me.
“Are you even his wife? How can you have a funeral when he’s been missing for three months? I won’t let you!”
I looked behind her. Mark wasn’t there.
