The plane landed. Luther’s excitement grew with every passing moment on the way to the restaurant.
But as he stood at the entrance, fear suddenly gripped him.
It had been three months.
Surely, she must have seen his apologies and promises by now. Surely, her anger had subsided, at least little.
This was the first real lead he had–photos and an exact location, not just rumors and speculation.
She must have forgiven him. That was why she was giving him this chance. It had to be.
They had loved each other for so many years. She had always been soft–hearted; she wouldn’t truly leave him.
Luther couldn’t bear to dwell on Callista’s earlier decisiveness. Instead, he repeated these reassurances to himself over and over.
Clutching a box of honey garlic prawns he had carefully carried across cities, he walked into the restaurant and showed the photo to the owner.
Callista had eaten lunch using a meal voucher from a nearby guest house. Luther bought the voucher from the owner and rushed to the guest house.
The guest house was quaint, with a charming local vibe. Handmade bead curtains hung at the entrance, and the afternoon sunlight filtered through them, casting soft, romantic patterns on the ground.
Only then did Luther remember something Callista had told him before they married: she had always dreamed of traveling and exploring different places.
He had promised her back then that once they were married, they would spend weekends and holidays traveling together.
But he had never fulfilled that promise–not even once.
It’s okay, he told himself. He’d simply spend the rest of his life making it up to her.
Luther stepped inside, then turned around again to visit the flower shop across the street. He carefully selected a bouquet of purple roses.
There was so much he wanted to tell her. One of the most important things was that he would never again forget her favorite color.
Once upstairs, he retrieved the honey garlic prawns he had been holding. The door to the room was ajar, and he couldn’t wait any longer.
“Honey, I brought your favorite honey garlic prawns. They re cold now because of the long journey, but when we get back, I’ll take you to eat them fresh. How does that sound?”
