IT HAD been a month since the accident had happened, and yet they still couldn’t find Ethan.Michelle took every chance she had and searched for her husband. Her father had always accompanied her whenever she went to the village near the sea where the plane crashed. They had asked numerous people whether they had seen her husband by showing them his picture, but to no avail.That was her daily routine for the past three weeks. She would wake up early in the morning and do everything she could to search for her husband, yet every time they would go home, she’d feel devastated knowing that there wasn’t any progress at all.Even the search team found it hard to search for Ethan’s body.It actually became her biggest hope...If there was no body that could be found, it was possible that he was still out there, alive and probably recovering somewhere else. She thought she just needed to double time and find him sooner.Michelle didn’t want to give up. She didn’t want to think that Ethan wo
AS SOON as they went home, Michelle rushed upstairs and vomited in the bathroom.Her tummy didn’t feel well after having a fight with her dad on the way home. She could feel the dizziness in her head. After sitting next to the toilet for a couple of minutes, Michelle gathered her strength, forcing her feet to stand up and wash her face in the lavatory.She looked at her reflection in the mirror. All she saw was the face of a woman who had obviously turned into a mess. The dark circles under her eyes were a constant reminder that she hadn’t been able to sleep well after the accident. Her hair was a mess, like it hadn’t been touched by a comb in so long. Her lips, which used to be scarlet, turned pale and chopped. She was aware she had lost weight too.But the worst thing ever... she almost felt like she was losing herself every day that passed that she couldn’t find Ethan.She shut her eyes. Tears started to fall down her cheeks. Michelle wasn’t that numb to ignore the searing pain ins
AFTER two weeks…"Mrs. Steinfield, can we get your statement regarding the painful death of your husband?" one of the reporters asked her as she exited the familiar company building.Michelle had to come to a company meeting to hear the plans of the board and the temporary CEO. They wanted to make sure that the business was still operating as expected, as the market value had been bearish since the disappearance of Ethan Steinfield.She didn’t answer any of the questions coming from the reporters who were chasing her and wanted to hear a word from her. No words could explain how she felt about her situation. All she knew was that it was damn painful, unbearable and was like a living nightmare for her.Michelle bumped and swerved through the crowd of reporters. Flashes of cameras and microphones pointed at her were blocking her way until a pair of arms held her shoulders and swiftly guided her all the way to her car.The next thing she knew was that she was already sitting in the passe
DESPITE the anxiety coursing through her, Michelle ran inside the hospital, worried that something bad had happened to Marsha.She quickly went to the information desk and asked for her daughter’s room number, and then entered an elevator afterward. Jacob was there beside her, trying to calm her down. But she couldn’t. Michelle felt so scared at that moment.Before she went into the company that morning, Marsha already had a mild fever. Her little girl’s temperature went back to normal before she left the house, and hearing the news from her father over the phone freaked her out.She should’ve stayed at home. Marsha needed her the most and yet she left her to sit in the conference room hearing the absurd comments and plans of the board members of the company. She should’ve stayed with her little girl and been a responsible mother.She was all to blame.When they entered Marsha’s room, Michelle burst into tears, seeing her daughter sleeping on the hospital bed. There were machines on b
MARSHA squealed on the bed as Jacob tickled her tummy as they played.Michelle was fixing her daughter’s things while sitting on the couch. Her gaze followed the laughter coming from the hospital bed, and a smile of relief escaped her lips as she saw that her daughter was getting better.They had been in the hospital for two days. Marsha underwent observation from her doctors and today they were only waiting for her nurse before they went home.For the past two days, Jacob stayed with them and had been a great help. Michelle was pregnant and still having anxiety attacks, so there were times she was having trouble moving around inside the hospital. During those times, Jacob became her support and made her feel that she wasn’t alone in her battle.She couldn’t thank him enough for his kindness. Marsha regained so much energy because Jacob was there to brighten her little girl’s mood. She didn’t even ask for her father anymore. Michelle wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not."Great
"HI," Michelle greeted the camera recording her video.She licked her lower lip, unable to say a word afterwards as she was having second thoughts about that thing she once thought she had to do.It had been two months since Ethan went missing. While all the people around them accepted that he might have been dead in the depths of the sea, Michelle remained hopeful that one day he’d come back and their family would be complete again.She was sitting on the floor next to their bed, facing the camera. Earlier that morning, she stumbled into Marsha’s baby things when she cleaned the room. She saw those videotapes she recorded before when she was pregnant with her firstborn, in hopes that one day Ethan would watch them to make him happy.Her second pregnancy was crucial. The baby in her womb was sensitive compared to how Marsha grew inside of her. Michelle religiously followed the instructions of her OB-gene as she didn’t want her baby to face another problem. Even if it meant doing it al
“YOU should have fun, Mich.”Those were Megan’s last words that lingered in her head after their phone call that morning. Her best friend checked up on her and wanted to know how she was, especially since she was going through a sensitive pregnancy journey.Michelle didn’t know how the hell she’d have fun in the four corners of her bedroom. In fact, she wasn’t sure if she could still be happy at that point in her life.She was barely alive, barely breathing, yet she was trying to live for her children because she had made a promise to Ethan. Regardless of what her emotions were, Marsha and the second baby were her top priority.Fun. Michelle looked for a fun thing to do while Marsha was playing with her grandfather.Michelle sighed heavily. Her feet guided her to the garden. The beautiful flowers in the little garden next to their house had bloomed over the past painful weeks. While the rest of her world had crumpled after the disappearance, this part of their home remained colorful.
“DO you want some music?”Michelle was gazing out the car window. Her arms were both resting on the window frame. She could see the sunset on the side of the road as she peered through the window.She was just in awe of its beauty. She began to feel more at ease, and a small smile appeared on her face. Every part of her body seemed to experience magic at that precise moment.She nodded her head in response to Jacob’s question. The man then turned on the radio and left her to her own thoughts as he focused on the road.The romantic music began to play. She listened to it and made the most of the moment because she knew that as soon as she entered her bedroom, the anxious sensation of being by herself would return.“Do you feel better?” She heard Jacob muttering under his breath.She turned to him and gave him another nod. “I feel better that we bought so many stocks of food. My cravings are getting out of hand.”Jacob chuckled a bit. “Pregnancy cravings seem appealing.”“Or you can say