FLOWERS

JACK

The first thing Jack felt as he woke was the sharp, burning pain radiating from his bruises.

He winced as he pushed himself up, running a hand over his sore jaw.

But the pain wasn’t his main concern. Vivian was.

The memory of the intruder incident from the other night flashed in his mind, and a surge of panic tightened his chest.

He threw the covers aside, ignoring the stiffness in his body, and hurried to Vivian’s room.

He knocked once, then twice. No answer. “Vivian?” he called out.

Still no response.

He opened the door and peeked inside. The bed was neatly made, her things were untouched, but she wasn’t there.

Jack felt a tight knot form in his stomach.

Where could she have gone?

He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, his fingers trembling slightly as he pressed ‘call’.

It rang. Once. Twice.

No answer.

He tried again. This time, it went straight to voicemail.

“Vivian, where are you?” he muttered to himself, running a hand through his shattered hair.

She wouldn’t ju