The steady tap of rain against the kitchen window brought a strange sense of calm to the house. It was cozy inside, warm, and welcoming. Zarina stood at the stove, stirring a pot of beef stew, the savory aroma curling around her like a blanket. It was the kind of evening she loved: dark outside, the world quiet, and the soft hum of her kitchen the only sound. Erikur would be home soon. She'd just set the table and finish the garlic bread she knew he loved. She smiled as she pulled the bread from the oven, the golden crust perfect, just the way he liked it.
It was 6:45 PM. He had called her earlier, letting her know he was on his way back from his business trip. The hours felt like minutes when he was away, and now, she couldn't wait to see him again. He would be tired, sure, but he'd always make time for her. He always did.
Just as she was about to plate the bread, the phone rang. Zarina wiped her hands on a towel, expecting it to be Erikur, calling to say he was almost home. But when she answered, the voice on the other end wasn't his.
"Is this Mrs. Zarina Carter?" The voice was firm but calm, the undertone of urgency unmistakable.
"Yes, this is she," Zarina replied, her brow furrowing slightly. She felt her pulse quicken, an unsettling feeling creeping over her.
"This is Officer Williams with the Greenwood Police Department. I'm afraid I have some difficult news. Your husband, Erikur Carter, was involved in a car accident this evening. I'm sorry to inform you that he didn't survive."
The world around her stopped. The phone slipped from her hand, crashing to the floor. The sound of the clatter seemed to echo in her ears as she staggered backward. Her vision blurred, and the floor seemed to tilt beneath her. She reached out, clutching the edge of the counter to steady herself, but her legs wouldn't hold. She collapsed onto the cold tiles, tears already streaming down her face.
"No," she whispered, her voice barely a breath. "That's not possible. He... he's on his way home. There's a mistake. There has to be."
"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Carter," Officer Williams said, his tone softening. "I know this is overwhelming. Is there someone you can call? A friend, a family member?"
The phone was still on the floor, the voice from the other end now just a distant hum in her mind. Zarina couldn't focus. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart. The house felt too small, too suffocating. The stew on the stove, forgotten, simmered in the background a cruel reminder of the life that had been torn apart in an instant.
"Erikur..." she choked, unable to speak beyond the name, her body trembling uncontrollably. She felt as though the weight of the world was pressing down on her chest, and she couldn't breathe. The warmth of the kitchen, once so comforting, now felt like a prison.
The rain continued to beat against the window, its rhythm matching the chaos inside her. Every memory of him flashed before her eyes his smile, the way he held her, the way he always knew just what to say. But it was all gone now. The love, the laughter, the plans were all snatched away.
She curled up on the floor, her sobs echoing through the empty house. Everything was empty. Everything but the pain.
Laura found Zarina the next morning, sitting motionless on the couch. Her eyes were swollen from crying, her hair tangled and unkempt. The emptiness in the house matched the hollowness in her heart. Laura stepped in quietly, her gaze softening when she saw her friend. She set down the grocery bags she had brought and walked over.
"Zarina..." Laura's voice was gentle, like a hand reaching out through the darkness. "You can't do this to yourself. You need to eat, to rest."
"I can't," Zarina whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don't want to. I don't want to do anything."
"I'm not going anywhere," Laura said firmly. "We'll get through this. You're not alone."
For the first time in days, Zarina allowed herself to lean into her friend, to let the small comfort of her presence seep into the cracks of her grief. Laura stayed with her, cooking meals that Zarina couldn't bring herself to touch, cleaning up the clutter that had piled up as the days blurred together. She didn't push, didn't force anything. She simply stayed, a quiet support that Zarina desperately needed.
A week later, Mark arrived. His energy filled the room, a stark contrast to the stillness that had settled over the house. His hug was tight, his voice breaking as he said, "I miss him too, Em."
Zarina didn't have the strength to smile, but she was grateful for his presence. Mark dove into practical tasks, taking charge in the way only he could. "I've been looking into Erikur's digital accounts," he said one evening. "He left a lot behind bank accounts, online businesses, even crypto wallets. It's a mess, but we'll figure it out."
Zarina felt a strange mix of relief and anxiety. "I don't even know where to start with all that," she admitted.
"There's something else," Mark continued, his tone shifting. "I noticed activity on one of his accounts after... after he died." He hesitated. "I don't understand it."
Zarina's pulse quickened. "What do you mean, activity? How could that be?"
"I don't know yet," Mark said, his brow furrowing. "But I'll find out."
As the days passed, Zarina found herself drawn into the tangled web of Erikur's life. His business dealings were more extensive than she had ever imagined. She began to sort through his emails and messages, trying to piece together the life he had kept hidden from her. Some of it made sense business ventures, partnerships but there was something off. A nagging feeling that wouldn't go away.
One evening, she opened a particularly strange message. It was from someone named "Kellan," someone she had never heard of. The email subject read: "Urgent: Need access to cloud folder ASAP. This deal could set us up for life." The message itself was cryptic, but it suggested there was more going on than she had ever known.
Zarina clicked through a link in the email and found herself staring at a digital dashboard she hadn't seen before. Orders, customer inquiries, and a revenue total that made her head spin. Erikur had been running an online business.
Her heart raced as she navigated through more emails and found a thread from just days before Erikur's death.
Collaborator: "We need access to the cloud folder ASAP. This deal could set us up for life."
Erikur: "I'll sort it out. Let's meet next week to finalize."
A cold shiver ran down Zarina's spine. Erikur had been planning something. Something big.
Had he been keeping secrets from her? Had he been planning a future she knew nothing about?
She couldn't stop the questions from flooding her mind. Was Erikur's death really an accident? Or had something more sinister been at play?
And then, as if to answer her unspoken question, Zarina stumbled across something else, an account, one that hadn't been mentioned in any of the messages. A large, unexplained transfer of funds that seemed out of place. It was then that she realized: this wasn't just about Erikur's business.