Just as Jared’s day was ending, he stumbled upon a shocking rumor about his wife, Amanda, and his boss. Confrontation turns to panic when he rushes home to find Amanda gone and their safe emptied. With the clock ticking and no sign of her, Jared’s world spirals into chaos.
Jared was wrapping up his day at work, his mind already drifting to dinner at home with Amanda, his wife.
He was walking past the office cafeteria when he heard some whispers.
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Usually, Jared wouldn’t pay attention to office gossip, but this time he heard Amanda’s name.
“Are you serious? Mr. Craft said that?” one man said.
“Yep! ‘I spent the night with her!’ That’s what he was boasting about. Poor Jared. Does he even know his wife is cheating on him with the boss?” another laughed.
Jared felt a chill run down his spine, and the stack of papers he was holding slipped from his grasp. He couldn’t believe his ears.
Just then, his colleagues noticed him standing there, frozen.
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“J—J—Jared! We were just—” one of them stammered, but Jared didn’t wait to hear the rest.
Fuming, Jared stormed down the hall and burst into Mr. Craft’s office without knocking.
“What the hell are you going and telling others about my wife?” Jared shouted, his fists clenched tightly. “That you’re sleeping with her?”
Mr. Craft, who was on a call, ended it abruptly and leaned back in his chair, looking unbothered.
“Jared, I’m sorry you found out like this, but you might want to watch your tone,” he said calmly.
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“Really? That’s all you have to say?” Jared screamed. “Stop spreading rumors about my wife, Mr. Craft! You’re my boss, and I don’t want you to go around cooking stories about my personal life.”
Mr. Craft sighed, “I can’t make you believe in something you don’t want to, Jared. Yes, your wife did tell me she doesn’t love you and all of that. She said your marriage is crumbling. She’s tired of living with a poor man like you.”
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“She even asked me to promote you,” he continued. “Said she wanted to help you because she felt bad about cheating on you. Aren’t you guys saving up for that big house?”
Jared’s knees buckled. Amanda had told Mr. Craft about their plans for a new house? He couldn’t believe it.
“I still don’t believe what you said,” Jared managed to say.
“Not until Amanda tells me what’s going on!”
Jared stormed out of his boss’s office, grabbed his things, and drove home. On his way home, he kept thinking about what Mr. Craft had said.
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Amanda had always been the best thing in his life. They met at a bar in California a year ago, and it was love at first sight. She moved to Florida to be with him, leaving behind her tragic past.
Amanda never spoke much about her past, having lost her parents young and grown up in the foster system.
Did you really cheat on me? Jared thought as he pulled into their driveway.
He took a moment to compose himself before heading inside, unaware of the shocking sight waiting for him inside.
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An unsettling chill hung in the air as he pushed open the front door. The house, usually bathed in the warm glow of Amanda’s cooking, was shrouded in an inky darkness.
“Amanda?” Jared called out, climbing the stairs to their bedroom. She wasn’t there. His heart raced as he checked the bathroom, the backyard, and the living room. Nothing.
He called her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Jared’s panic grew. Amanda always left him a note if she was going out, but there was nothing.
Jared called her friends and their neighbors, but nobody had seen her. Desperate, he rushed back upstairs and checked their bedroom for any clues.
As he looked around, his gaze landed on the slightly ajar closet door. Jared’s heart sank when he saw their mini-safe was open and empty.
The money and gold they had saved were gone.
“N-N-No… No way. This can’t be real” Jared muttered, reaching for his phone to dial 911.
After informing the dispatcher about the robbery, Jared paced the living room, waiting for the cops to arrive. Every tick of the clock echoed a question mark in his mind.
Where was Amanda? He wondered. Did someone break in and kidnap her? Did they also take all of our savings?
Soon, the cops arrived and began their investigation.
“Look, Mr. Sutton. We can’t file a missing person report because it hasn’t been 48 hours since your wife’s disappearance,” an officer told him after inspecting the house.
“But can’t you see there’s stuff missing? What if she was kidnapped, and the kidnappers took the gold and money? She hasn’t left me a note, and she never forgets to leave a note!” Jared pleaded.
“I understand, Mr. Sutton, but we’ll have to wait,” the officer replied sympathetically. “You said you last saw her in the morning. To us, it looks like she planned this. If it were a kidnapping, the perpetrators would contact you. For now, we wait.”
As the police left, Jared sank onto the couch, unable to process what was happening. He thought about calling Mr. Craft but hesitated. What if Amanda was with him?
“No, I need to ask him,” Jared decided. “I need to find Amanda.”
He called Mr. Craft and explained everything.
“She’s missing?” Mr. Craft gasped. “And the money is gone?”
He sounded genuinely surprised.
“Yes, someone took the money from our safe. The lock was broken. It couldn’t be her; she knew the password,” Jared said, his voice trembling.
“Jared, you know I have nothing to do with this, right? This is madness. I hope you find her soon,” Mr. Craft replied.
“Yes, just… if she comes to you, let me know,” Jared said.
“Absolutely, Jared. Please take care,” Mr. Craft assured him.
Jared ended the call and sighed deeply. Amanda’s things, including her passport, were still at home. He had no choice but to wait.
A week later, Jared returned to work, feeling the weight of his colleagues’ stares.
He knew they suspected him of being involved in Amanda’s disappearance.
“An angry, poor husband must’ve killed his wife after learning about her infidelity,” he overheard one colleague say.
“Are we not working today?” Mr. Craft’s voice suddenly boomed. As a result, the employees hurried to their desks.
Then, Mr. Craft approached Jared, who was furiously typing on his computer.
“Has there been any progress, Jared?” he asked sympathetically.
“Not yet,” Jared replied coldly.
“Don’t lose hope,” Mr. Craft said, patting his back before walking away.
Months passed with no sign of Amanda. Jared became a recluse, leaving the house only for work. He had plastered the city with missing person flyers but had received no leads.
A year went by, and Amanda was still missing. The media had moved on, and Jared was left with nothing but his fading hope.
One morning, Mr. Craft called an emergency meeting.
“I have something significant to announce,” he began, looking directly at Jared.
“I am stepping down, and my partner, Andy, will be your new boss.”
A murmur ran through the room. Mr. Craft continued, “I’ve decided to expand our offices and will be relocating. You are the best team, and I hope you do amazing things under Andy’s guidance.”
That evening, Mr. Craft invited everyone to a farewell dinner. However, at the dinner, Jared sensed something was off. Mr. Craft seemed to avoid eye contact with him. It seemed like something was not right.
He left the dinner early and waited in his car, watching Mr. Craft. When Mr. Craft finally left the restaurant, Jared followed him to the airport.
Jared kept his distance, watching as Mr. Craft unloaded his luggage and checked his watch repeatedly. Then, Jared’s heart stopped. He saw something that turned his world upside down.
A woman emerged from behind Mr. Craft’s car and hugged him. It was the woman Jared had been looking for. It was his wife, Amanda.
Jared quickly slid his phone out of his pocket and called the detective handling Amanda’s case.
“Detective, I… I found her. She’s with my boss at the airport,” Jared said. “I’ll quickly send you a photo of them.”
Once the detective saw Amanda’s photo, he asked Jared to stay there. He told him he would soon arrive there with his team.
Jared followed them into the airport. When the detectives arrived, Jared pointed out Amanda and Mr. Craft.
“How does it feel leaving me for my boss, Amanda?” Jared asked. Upon seeing him with police officers, Amanda and Mr. Craft turned pale.
“Jared?” Amanda cried. “What…what are you—” She was cut off as two officers cuffed her and Mr. Craft.
“Why did you both do it?” Jared shouted.
“Jared, I initially didn’t know she had planned her disappearance,” Mr. Craft stammered. “Then she contacted me and—”
“Mr. Sutton, relax,” the detective interrupted. “And you, Mr. Craft, should thank Mr. Sutton. This woman isn’t who she claims to be. She’s an Italian fugitive who has been evading the police for years. She trapped you both in her plan.”
Jared stood in shock as the officers led Amanda and Mr. Craft away. His heart was heavy, but he finally had the answers he needed.
He watched as Amanda, the woman he thought he knew, disappeared into the crowd, handcuffed and defeated.
As the realization set in, Jared felt a strange mix of sorrow and relief. He had lost Amanda, but he had also found the truth.
Now, he could begin to heal and move forward with his life. Moving on was not that easy, but Jared was determined to start a new life, free from lies and deception.