Maximus is in the clouds...
MaximusYesterday, we didn't go out the whole day. Sarina preferred to stay in our hotel room and take advantage of the time. "I just want us to have sex here. Didn't you say you want lots of kids?" I remembered her saying. "What did you feed me? Or maybe you infected me with your pervertedness, and that's why I've become like this."I shook my head as I sat in the airport lounge, watching my wife scroll through her phone, and recalled that conversation from yesterday. She now comfortably uttered the vulgar words she once hesitated to say in front of me. I want to do things with her, dirty things. I can already imagine coming home from work and making love to her for a job well done at home."My husband, do you think my parents will like our gifts?" she asked, making me chuckle."Why do you need to ask that? And shouldn't you know better since you know them more than I do?" I asked, my fingers played with the tip of her hair."That's true," she replied. "They're simple people. They'd a
Maximus"Find her!" I shouted at the airport security after realizing my wife was missing. I was restless, not knowing what to do. I had been waiting for four hours for any news about Sarina, and yet there was still nothing. I had never felt this scared in my life, and I never wanted to feel this way again.I paced back and forth inside the security control room. At the same time, they continued to sweep all possible exits that anyone might have used to take her. "Hey, man!" Andrei said, entering with Allan right behind him. "What happened?" I had called him because I knew he had connections at the airport and with the authorities here in Las Vegas."I don't know. She just went to the restroom, and I was outside waiting for her, but she never came out," I said, my words tumbling out in a rush."Okay, breathe, man, breathe," Andrei said, patting my back. How could I do that when Sarina was the only reason I could breathe? Fuck! Just when everything was okay between us. This happened whe
The entire airport security team continued the search for Sarina. Mariano's men were also quietly investigating, and a week had already passed—a week of not knowing what had happened to my wife. But I refused to lose hope; I wanted to see her again and feel her love. But what could I do? Everything felt lifeless without her."Maximus! Get yourself ready! Is that the face you will show your wife when we find her?" Mariano asked angrily. I was in one of his mansion's rooms because he wanted me to stay with him while I was still in Las Vegas, looking for Sarina."I am always ready, Mar…" I responded listlessly as I sat on the bed."Get up and let's go.""Where?" I asked."You'll know when we get there." I didn't ask further because, in the past few days, we always ended up at the police station. I got up as he wanted, then went to the bathroom and showered.It was quick because I disliked my usual routine. I followed Mariano downstairs, and he stood up from the couch when he saw me and st
MaximusIt's all pointless! All our efforts have been in vain because we haven't found Sarina. I have no idea where she is or who took her. The man whose fingerprint was found on the bottle of sleeping pills that Mariano's group retrieved knew nothing. But one thing is certain, it was used on my wife.I nearly beat the man to death when I found out why Mariano had taken him. I might have done it if it weren't for my brother and his two men holding me back. I felt like a candle burning out when they finally restrained me until I fell to my knees and let my tears flow down my cheeks. I didn't care about the looks they gave me or what they might think of me. All I could think about was where Sarina was and if she was okay. I couldn't bear the thought that someone was hurting her or that she was suffering from pain or anything that may cause her pain.Weeks passed, and I still hadn't returned to the Philippines. I didn't want my wife to suddenly appear, only to find me gone. I wanted to be
"Are you throwing me out of your house?" I asked, causing his brows to furrow."You know that's not what I mean," he quickly replied."If not, then let me stay here," I replied shamelessly."You have business to attend to, Max. People rely on you and your company. You can't just abandon them," he said."I have no obligation to them, but I have a lot with my wife.""I'm not telling you to stop the search. You can do so without compromising the company your parents worked hard for," he said, not taking his eyes off me. I knew he felt sorry for me but didn't want to show it."I'm already doing it, Mariano. You don't need to worry about that." I knew how hard my parents worked for our company, so I let Aries take care of everything while I was away. I am not some irresponsible person who was selfish enough not to know the gravity of my actions, even though I miss my wife so much and feel like dying slowly."It's different when you're there. I promise not to stop searching for Sarina unless
Maximus"What kind of work is this?" I asked harshly before throwing out the architecture team's recommended designs. They all looked terrified before they had their heads down, unable to look me in my eyes. I don't care about their feelings and couldn't stop myself from getting angry either."Sir, they've been working nonstop for two weeks on those designs," Aries interjected, drawing my ire. Of my employees, he was the only one who was strong enough to say something or to talk back to me."And what are you implying? That it's my fault their designs are useless?" I snapped at him, and he quickly shook his head."Why don't we stop first and take a break?" he suggested, making me look at him, trying to understand what he wanted to accomplish by saying that. I took a deep breath and nodded before he turned to the architecture team. He was the only one I couldn't scold too harshly, but sometimes I couldn't help myself. Thankfully, he always understood. "You go ahead and take a break." The
MaximusMariano just looked at me and didn't answer. Even the police officer said nothing and just handed over an envelope. What's inside? Why is my brother being so secretive now? Was I thinking right? Does it have to do with my wife?"That's a copy of all the results," said the police officer."Can you continue your investigation until you find out what happened?" Mariano insisted."Can you answer me? Who is she? Who is the woman you're talking about?" My anxiety turned into fear and worry. What if they are really talking about Sarina? It just dawned on me that Mariano wouldn't need me here if this were related to his group's transaction. It's clear this involves me, so I can't help but be annoyed at him for staying silent."Shut up, Maximus. I am trying to negotiate here," my brother replied before turning back to the police officer, whose face was full of confusion. Maybe he was wondering why I was acting like this. "Please, officer. Don't stop the investigation unless you find the
MaximusThree months after reading those files, I returned to the Philippines, and the police investigation still hasn't yielded any results, even after a year and a half. I should have lost all my hopes, but the loneliness made me not to. I didn't want to feel empty forever, and I thought that would always be how I felt if I didn't hold on to the hope that my wife would return.It's been two years since I last saw my wife, and the pain is still fresh. My older brother and friends call me frequently, probably to cheer me up, but it doesn't help. Six months ago, Mariano visited me, and we spent an entire day together. He talked to me seriously and said it was unlikely that Sarina would be found. I was furious because I knew he had a point.Then, the hope I had been holding onto to stay strong had completely vanished. My brother stayed with me, and I saw the worry on my grandmother's face. I even saw her cry out of fear for my condition because I had attempted to take my own life. I coul