She Could Hear Her Heart Pounding
As she stared at the photo, she wiped her tears. When she realized the head-splitting truth, her heart thundered in her ears.
In a trembling state, she threw her husband's photo at his feet, asking him what was happening. She would be left speechless by his answer.
Anniversary
Taking the photo was only meant to celebrate Sarah's 15th anniversary. She was completely devoted to Klaus Parker, her husband.
Having spent so many years together and having built a family together, immortalizing this moment through a camera felt right. The end of Sarah's marriage was a surprise to her.
Not Like Him
There was something wrong from the start, and she should have known it. Klaus was rarely a secretive person, and it was rare for him to lose his nerve.
In spite of this, he seemed to have a negative reaction to everything about the photoshoot. She thought he looked tired; he had a busy month at work, and a promotion was possible. The fact that this was something else should have been obvious to Sarah.
Their Family
They lived a happy life together. They had a beautiful house and two beautiful children. Since their wedding fifteen years ago, they had made significant progress in their careers and maintained the fire that had brought them together.
She couldn't help but think back to their first encounter as she stood before Klaus with tears streaming down her face.
Back In The Day
Her entire life lay ahead of her as a senior in high school. In her class, Klaus was the new cool kid everyone was swooning over. Once she saw him, she understood what all the fuss was about.
The tall, lean man had long, curly hair that bounced just above his shoulders. His jaw could have cut through ice, and his eyes were spellbinding. His every move spelled trouble.
All That
Even before they had exchanged their first words, she was smitten by Klaus. Whenever he entered the room, her heart would race. She didn't know why.
She would experience a dry throat and slick skin due to sweat. Her entire being hated it. However, she also felt that if she didn't talk to him, she would go insane.
Pick Me
Sarah had always been shy in school. When she really needed to talk to other students, she kept to herself. Klaus chose her out of all the students he could have sat with.
Her heart melted when she heard that he had a trail of girls pining after him. Her life with him would still end in disaster, because she had no idea what she was getting into.
Blossoming Friendship
The first thing Sarah and Klaus did was become good friends. Their friendship blossomed after a few weeks into something more.
Sarah didn't understand how well they complemented each other. Klaus was loud and outgoing, while she was shy and reserved. Despite that, she couldn't deny that there had been signs warning her not to be with him.
Rose Colored Glasses
He spoke to many girls like he did to Sarah, which was a big red flag. It was rare to witness a girl conversing with him without giggling or bursting into laughter.
Furthermore, Klaus was known to break school rules. He had skipped classes and sneaked contraband into the school. Sarah, however, had been blinded by his charm.
Not For Long
It was love at first sight for her. There was something about him that made her forget about herself. She laughed and cried and saw the world in a completely different light because of him.
He had created a bubble for her in which she lived. It was a wonderful experience for her. It wouldn't take long for everything to collapse.
It Begins
Only a few days after graduation, Sarah found out she was pregnant. She'd just turned nineteen and planned to attend law school, hoping to be a lawyer when she grew up.
But the pregnancy seemingly changed everything. In tears, she told Klaus about it, unsure of how he'd react. His answer would show her his true intentions.
A Way Forward
"Let's keep it," Klaus suggested, and Sarah laughed even though tears tinged her eyes. "I'm serious," Klaus continued. "I know it will be hard, but we got this."
He took Sarah's hand, promising to stand by her and the baby through hell and high water. She thought he was joking until he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
Marry Me
Sarah was barely 20 when it happened, but she said "Yes" regardless. She and Klaus hankered down and drew a plan for their future.
With the help of their friends, they got married and started a family, all while juggling their education and, later, their budding careers. None of it was easy, and Sarah was thankful when they came out the other end still intact. But the end was closer than she thought.
A Struggle
Sarah looked at the photo as her hands clenched into fists. She tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. How could he do this to her?
She remembered her earlier days with Klaus. Their relationship wasn't easy at first. Having a child as teenagers, they were suddenly thrown into adulthood. They had no money and struggled for years to finally get the comfortable life they had now.
A Small Wedding
Time had flown by so fast. Sarah could still feel the overwhelming butterflies that hummed in her stomach as Klaus got on his knee and asked her to marry him.
Their wedding, though small, had been breathtaking. They'd waited two years to have it, and their son had carried their rings down the altar, grinning at them as he did. They had their second child a few years later, and for a moment, life was perfect. Everything would soon take a different turn.
It’s Just A Photo
Sarah wanted something to commemorate the years she'd spent with Klaus. She wanted to celebrate what they'd built together, especially their kids, who were the center of their world.
But the moment she mentioned taking the anniversary photos, Klaus lost his mind. Sarah couldn't understand why he was so against taking the pictures. But that wasn't all.
Not In The Same Frame
His apprehensiveness made her notice something she'd seemingly ignored over the years. Sarah couldn't remember the last time she and Klaus were in the same photo.
Her Facebook and Instagram were filled with photos of him and their kids, sometimes individually or together. But there were none from recent years where she and Klaus shared the frame. This staggering realization had Sarah wondering if she was missing something.
Priorities
She decided not to dwell on the matter, opting to search for photographers in the area instead. She wanted to find someone who'd perfected the art of photography.
The process didn't take long, as there was one photographer everyone seemed to love. Sarah contacted her, trying not to fixate on why Klaus had been so against this in the first place.
Making Plans
Sarah put everything that had happened with Klaus behind her. He'd been so on edge lately, owing to a work promotion he'd been eyeing since the start of the year.
She conversed with the photographer over the phone, setting the date for the photoshoot. She even created a space above the fireplace for the new photo. If only she knew how all of this would end.
Telling Him
With the date set, Sarah informed Klaus of their upcoming appointment with the photographer. But he paled immediately, asking her why she'd booked a photoshoot when he asked her not to.
Sarah told him a photoshoot wasn't something to get upset about. She explained that she knew he had a lot on his plate. As such, she'd organized the shoot without disturbing him. But his response showed her something was afoot.
Rock, Paper, Castle
"Let's go to dinner," Klaus suggested. "We can take the kids to Mom's place and have the weekend to ourselves." He sweetened the pot when he realized Sarah wasn't biting the bullet.
"If dinner doesn't work for you, let's take a trip! I can get some time off and fly us to Eastern Europe. We can visit Dracula's Castle. I know how much you've wanted to see it in real life." His face split in a dazzling smile, and he took Sarah by her fingers. "What do you say?"
A Trip Sounds Great
"A trip, huh?" Sarah asked with a grin, rubbing her thumbs against his knuckles. Klaus had always known how to get to her. Dracula's Castle or Bran Castle in Romania had been on her bucket list for almost a decade.
But with her career and kids, she'd never had time to travel. Staring into Klaus' mesmerizing eyes, she wondered if a trip across the pond was better than a simple photograph taken at the park.
What Is He Hiding?
But Klaus' determination to bar her from the photoshoot made her want to take it even more. He'd long been against traveling the world, mentioning expenses and their need to save instead of spending.
Why was he ready to take a trip across an entire ocean today? It was becoming clear that he was hiding something. Sarah needed to get to the root of it before it was too late.
I’ll Take The Photo
"Let's just take the photo," she said while fixing Klaus' collar. She lightly licked her forefinger and rubbed a jam stain off the side of his lower lip.
"We have so much going on here that we can't be taking spontaneous vacations like this," she said. Their firstborn, Darius, was about to join college, with their youngest, Ella, starting middle school. They had too much going on.
He’s In!
Seemingly defeated, Klaus agreed to her request. But he mentioned that he couldn't take long at the shoot since he had a few work-related projects to return to.
Sarah side-eyed him when he said this, mainly because he'd just suggested they travel to Romania. How could he have handled his work projects if they were half a world away from his home office? Something was up.
Photoshoot Day
Sarah, Klaus, and their kids went to the photoshoot first thing on Sunday morning. Fall was in full bloom, with orange leaves dancing in the winds and gray clouds staining the skies.
Everything was going well until the photographer came, and Sarah, who had made the mistake of not meeting her before, had to step back.
Beauty
The photographer was raw beauty-made flesh. Even Sarah's son was enthralled by her and openly ogled her until Sarah bumped him in the shoulder.
But Klaus was quiet all through the interaction. He didn't even look the lady in the eye, which was odd because he always did that, maintaining that it intimidated people.
Her Perfect Family
The photographer had already decided on the perfect place for them to take the anniversary photos. She placed everyone in their designated spots without wasting time and prepared to snap away.
Sarah felt a sudden jolt of excitement. She looked blissfully at her family, at everything she and her loving husband had built. She was filled with so much gratitude and love, but when she looked at Klaus, she noticed something in his expression that didn't match hers.
Nervous
Instead of looking happy, he seemed oddly nervous. He was fidgeting with his hands as he prepared to step into the photo.
When Sarah asked him what was wrong, he shrugged her off and maintained that everything was fine. But after fifteen years of marriage, she could tell when something was bothering him. That's when he asked the photographer a curious question.
The Email Issue
"Could you send the photos to my work email?" Klaus asked as soon as the photo shoot was done. "She already has my personal email, honey," Sarah cut in, oblivious to what was happening right before her eyes.
But Klaus insisted that since he had a printer at work, it would be better if he got the photos first. Why was he so interested all of a sudden when he'd been against this since the beginning?