In the morning, Christopher walked with the Bark once more, back to the meadow that he learnt to admire and see from a new light. He slowly strolled, admiring the blue sky and moving clouds. Reminding himself of Emilia's words reflecting the wonder of the world.
And the world was wonderful. It was a mystery that after twenty nine years still surprised him.
After his standard breakfast of coffee, boiled egg, and buttered toast, he picked his neatly packed suitcase and briefcase and met Patrick at the bottom of the stairs of the manor.
His attention to detail once again showed itself as he noticed Patrick's newly bitten nails, an ugly habit that Patrick showed when things were particularly stressful and challenging for him.
Christopher went through everything they worked on recently, coming to a conclusion that there wasn't any change in their working patterns, hence concluding that Patrick's stress is likely to not be work related.
It was puzzling - a mystery that Christopher hoped to solve.
By 9am Christopher loaded his private jet on the small airport near London. Patrick faithfully followed him like a shadow.
Being stuck in the contained space for eleven hours leaves limited number of activities one can indulge in.
For Christopher, most of that time was occupied by the work that he duly completed on his laptop. But even the best of workaholics would struggle with eleven hours of uninterrupted work on a flight.
After a half way point across the ocean, Christopher switched his activity to reading. His choice of a book was one that he saw Emilia reading recently. Later he switched to reading Emilia's conference proceedings from weeks earlier.
Patrick sat a row away, continuously answering calls and working on his colour coded organiser.
Christopher's studious gaze landed on Patrick much more than before.
It might have been the first time in years that he truly noticed his assistant.
Something was definitely amiss but Christopher wasn't sure how to unravel the truth. Not yet.
He was slowly devising the plan as he looked back down at the book.
The next thought troubled him more. Patrick's odd behaviour around Emilia might have had a different significance. They were acquainted before but they never specified the nature of their acquaintance. Patrick was the same age as Emilia. He had that kind of nature that was considered friendly and approachable from the first glance. Christopher spotted them talking on multiple occasions, especially in the morning before he departed to work with Patrick's company. There might have been something between them that he didn't realise or notice before.
He felt a different kind of pain at the thought of Patrick and Emilia together than Emilia and Jacob Bleam.
Patrick was someone that he trusted for years. It was definitely a very different kind of betrayal.
He needed to know if Patrick and Emilia had any form of relationship and if they ever were intimate.
After arrival, Christopher didn't care much for having a rest. He didn't travel for hours to not see Emilia straight away.
It was still an early afternoon in San Francisco and the sun was pleasantly warm. The time difference meant that there were still hours of day left.
Christopher put his briefcase down in the corner of his hotel room before turning around and finding his way out.
"Where is Emilia?" He asked Patrick directly. His voice might've been a smidge sharper than normal.
"I believe that she went to the beach, sir." Patrick said honestly after he messaged Emilia, asking about her whereabouts. His voice cracked slightly, he's stress much clearer now. Christopher nodded before walking away.
Christopher's irritation grew as he approached the beach in front of the hotel. He wasn't sure whether he should confront them. But then, he had no m evidence that there was anything at all.
But did he really need the evidence if he's wife was sleeping with his assistant?
Christopher felt his heart pounding and a headache coming on. He was truly angry by the time he reached the sea. His steps gained new energy, driven by his emotion.
After a few minutes of walking he noticed a blanket and as he neared it, he noticed a few of Emilia's belongings. But Emilia wasn't in the line of sight.
"Emilia!" He exclaimed but his words barely reached a few metres, drowned by the crashing sound of the waves. "EMILIA!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
No response.
Panic washed over him and he instantly forgot about all the thoughts that clouded his mind for the past few hours.
"EMILIA!!!"
Not a glance of her. Not a sound.
His mind flooded with the worst scenarios.
No one else was at the beach. No one to tell him if they saw the woman that he was so desperately trying to hold onto but who he kept losing a grip on. A woman that unknowingly dug tightly into his heart, pulling it into the shreds.
"EMILIAAAA!!!!" Despair was written all over his face.
He took his shoes off, merely, and he ran towards the water.
There was no saving her if she was gone under the surface this long.
But it didn't matter. He needed to find her. He needed to save her.
The waves fought him, resisting his every move.
He pushed his head under water trying to spot anything out of ordinary. His shirt and trousers were soaked completely within moments. But he didn't notice.