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My eyes snap open.Shit.We must have slept in. Twisting my body, I slide my hand across the bed to wake Aleck, but my hand is met with cold, empty sheets. I would roll my eyes if it required less effort. Armageddon wouldn’t keep that man from his morning run. He’s too disciplined for his own good.
“What time is it?” I ask, reentering the world of the living. I fall flat to my back, stretching my legs with a yawn.
“It’s seven. Where are you?” There’s something in her tone I can’t quite place.
Seven?It’s not even late.
“I’m in my room.”Where the hell else would I be?
“Okaaay,” she drawls. “Have you spoken to Aleck?”
“He must have gone on his morning run. Sondra, it’s only seven.What’s with the twenty questions?”
“Jesus…” she hisses under her breath. “Honey, Aleck is gone. He checked out.”
I snap to a sitting position, nausea squeezing my stomach from the abrupt jolt to my senses. My eyes travel my surroundings, noticing everything that’s out of place. Rather, everything that’smissing. The suit he wore last night that he would have meticulously folded over the back of my chair isn’t there. And the shoes he would have neatly tucked under said chair aren’t there either.
No watch or cufflinks lined up perfectly on the nightstand on his side of the bed. No shower-steam billowing into the room from his morning shower or smell of toothpaste in the air from his meticulous teeth cleaning ritual.
No warmth in my bed. No noise. No movement. No Aleck.
“He’s gone?” I whisper.
“Honey, I’m going to come over…”
Throwing the blankets off my body, I stand and immediately walk to my closet where the absence of his suits kicks me in the gut, bringing bile to my throat.
Empty.
My closet, my bed, my space, myheart…
“Winter? I’m sorry, honey, I thought he would have told you or you’d be with him right now—”
“I’m not,” I say more aggressively than I had planned.
My widened eyes leave a blaze of fire as they scan the bathroom. No toothbrush, no creams, no shampoo and conditioner… Gone. I open the drawer; his comb, his razor and shaving bar, his goddamn floss… allgone.
“Winter… Honey…”
Words fail me. My mind, my heart, both focused on the complete unraveling of the realization that Aleck made promises, then left without a word. Heading out of my room, I march down the hall and push through Aleck’s door.
Empty.
The bed is still made from housekeeping making it over a week ago because Aleck pretty much moved into my room after the first night he stayed in my bed. But he still had things. Clothes in the closet, watches, laptop, manila folders and work papers, shoes, phone charger…
Gone.
The realization growing heavy at my feet snakes up my body to my throat. My ribs tighten like a vice around my heart.
“He left...” I breathe, making it real, making it reality.
A muffled static like Sondra covers the phone with her hand crackles through the receiver, drawing a wince from me.
“She doesn’t know,” Sondra whispers.
“Knowwhat?” I hiss.
“Win, Richard had an accident. He fell down the stairs at the beach house early this morning. Preston is taking an Uber to the hospital now. Aleck probably just didn’t want to wake you.”
