Viktor barely closed his eyes in sleep that night.
He kept tossing in bed restlessly. He laid rigid in a way it felt I was lying next to a stranger.
I was tempted to reach out, to place my hand on his chest, to hold him but his silence had already communicated something and I listened. Viktor didn't want any of those so I curled into myself, wondering what his thoughts would be about solving this situation at hand ..
It only got worse as days went by. Every morning, Viktor would make sure he left the house before I could wake. He'd return at night when he's sure I'm asleep, or pretended to. More like he had started to avoid me due to all that was happening..
One evening, I decided to wait up and maybe have a word but immediately Viktor came back and found me awake, he walked past me without acknowledging my greetings or presence and headed straight to his study. He shut the door behind him.
Just like that, the mansion that once provided warmth and laughter suddenly felt like a frozen cage.
I'd wander the silent halls when he leaves with the echoes of my footsteps as my only company. Meals started testing differently. Every hour I spent with unanswered questions in my head felt heavier than the previous.
One morning I couldn't keep it in again so I caught him by the foyer as he was hurrying out with his briefcase in hand.
"Viktor," I called out. He was startled.
"You think shutting me out is the best approach? I'm supposed to be by your side, we should put our heads together figuring this out..."
He cut off abruptly with a rising temper.
"What good do you think your head is in an issue as serious as this?" He barked with fury in his eyes.
"I'm at the verge of losing everything I've put into that firm and all you do is sit here acting like a lovesick puppy!"
Every other word I intended died in my throat. The contempt in his voice was sickening. His tone was hurting. I just stood there, rooted, staring blankly at him.
I saw regret in his eyes, but it vanished almost as fast as it came then he stormed our slamming the door.
My chest heaved as I watched him fade. Tears poured slowly down my cheeks. I wept until my throat burnt. Thoughts of calling Naomi swept through my mind but I brush it away continually. Naomi would do nothing other than gloating, feeling off my misery to satisfaction.
As days went by, Viktor stayed away longer and longer. Sometimes he would stay overnight.
He was barely home and when he did, he was almost like a ghost.
I longed for him in ways I hated. I foolishly whispered prayers that he'd take back his words of contempt but he didn't. It was almost like he totally erased that morning from history.
One night, out of restlessness and lack of sleep, my worries got the better of me. The entire mansion was dead still except for the ticking sound of the grandfather clock in the hall.
I wandered into Viktor's study.
My hands were trembling as I turned the door knob. Somehow I was expecting the door to be locked, but it wasn't so I slipped inside.
I was hoping to get a catch-up of Viktor's recents since the study was his current safe space.
The study carried his faint cologne. Papers scattered across the desk. Files were stacked in uneven piles. I found notes scribbled in Viktor's harsh handwriting. I smiled for a second.
But I pushed on, searching for what I didn't know. My fingers brushed over spines of books, files and loose documents. At first it was just a jobless act. Nothing stood out. Then my eyes fell on something. A thick report lying half-buried under a ledger. I hesitated first before sliding it free.
My breath hitched at first when I read the title stamped at the top:
'INVESTIGATION REPORT- INTERNAL FRAUD '
My pulse rose. I slowly began to turn the pages. I struggled to read with understanding. I read through names and figures, unraveling the story and then my eyes caught a shocker.
I saw my own name staring right back at me.
My fingers shrivelled. My spine shook in horror. My name was clearly written among the suspects.
I staggered back. The room felt like it was in a spin.
Scream threatened to escape my throat but I couldn't find the strength to let it out.
In that moment, a dangerous realization set in, the fraud that's keeping Viktor's firm at a cliff has my name on it.