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gravitational pull from the house yanking me closer and closer.  I had to think about what day it was before I could remember how long I’d been gone.
    Nine days.
    Nine long, lonely, stressful days.
    I called Liv’s cell.  It rang before voicemail picked up.  It wasn’t unusual for her not to answer, not in her line of work so I thought nothing of it.  I was hoping she’d be home, but after getting her voicemail three times since I landed an hour ago, I figured she got called into work.
    May the loneliness continue.  At least for now.
    A soft rain pattered the windshield as I pulled into the drive.  All the lights were off.  Yep, she’s at work.  The garage door slid open effortlessly and I pulled the Mercedes inside.  I was surprised to see Liv’s matching Benz sitting in the neighboring stall.
    I was trying to think of a reason for her to still be home, but not answering her phone.  Maybe she’s sick, which would suck because that’d mean I wouldn’t be getting any ass tonight.  Maybe she went out with Erin and forgot her phone at home, which wouldn’t be so bad because she’d come home a little tipsy and may want to welcome me home.  Maybe it’s on silent and she just doesn’t hear it ringing.
    After getting my bags out of the trunk, I tapped the garage door button and headed inside.  We’ve lived here for almost five years now.  I didn’t need the light on to know my way around.  I moved through the kitchen and into the living room, setting my bags on the chair before moving up the stairs.  My dress shoes slapped against each stair and each slap echoed through the whole house.
    “Liv?” I whispered as I cracked the bedroom door open.  I didn’t want to turn on the light if she really was asleep.  I tried to fix my eyes, hoping to make out a figure under the covers in the darkness.  I had confidence in my aging eyes.  I flicked on the light to find the bed empty.  I frowned, still wondering where my wife had run off to.  I sat down on the bed and stripped my aching feet of their stiff purgatories, letting my shoes drop to the floor with a thud.
    Peeling back my jacket, I noticed our wedding picture was missing from the wall, which I thought was odd.  I stood up and headed for the bathroom for a piss when I was distracted by the lack of distraction.  The vanity was completely cleared off.  There wasn’t a tube of mascara or a bottle of lotion.  There wasn’t any foundation or eye shadow or hair spray.  There was nothing.
    “What the hell?” I said out loud, opening up the cupboard and still finding nothing.  I popped open Liv’s jewelry box and it looked like everything was still there.  I walked into the closet.  Again, everything looked to be in place.
    That’s when I noticed another picture was missing.  One from our honeymoon in Italy.  Popping back into our bedroom, I found more nails in the wall that no longer had pictures hanging from them.  The frames from the side tables were gone.  The statuette of an art deco angel I got Liv on her birthday was gone.  The photo albums from the bureau were gone, also.
    “What the fuck is going on?” I grumbled.  I swept out of the room and headed for the spare room.  I nearly ripped the closet door off the hinges before discovering the suitcases were gone.  Taking a deep breath, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Liv’s phone again.
    After only two rings in my ear, I could hear a ringing in the kitchen.  Her phone was here.  I ran downstairs and found her phone on the kitchen counter, right next to her car keys and her credit cards.  Okay, she left.  Why the hell would she leave?  Did someone die?  No, she would have told me.  She would’ve called. 
    My heart stopped beating for a moment.  No, she couldn’t have…
    It’s not possible.
    How could she have?
    I ran back up the stairs, this time heading for my office.  I went to unlock the safe, but realized it was already open, hanging ajar as if