Chapter 10

He sat on the swing, holding the position of bending over to make a call for far too long. The moment he moved, a sharp pain shot through his wrist. The hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably. Clatter. He watched helplessly as the phone slipped from his grasp and fell next to the patio lights Louise had installed. His breath hitched. Slowly, his vision blurred, and the sorrow he could no longer suppress erupted into uncontrollable sobs. Louise had truly abandoned him. She had left him and everything they once shared behind. Curtis was dazed, his mind a chaotic tangle of memories. He saw vivid flashes of them exchanging rings at their wedding, followed by the shameful moments when he lied to Louise on the phone, covering up his nights spent with Zoe Roach. One scene after another overwhelmed him, driving him to the brink of madness. But another matter, one of greater urgency, jolted Curtis away from his despair. Suddenly, he remembered something. Money. Even if Louise didn’t want to see him, even if she was hiding or traveling somewhere, she would still need money. Curtis didn’t dare think too deeply. In a panic, he picked up his phone, logged into online banking, and recklessly began transferring large sums into her account, ignoring any limits imposed by the system. Louise was never one to care much about money. He knew his actions wouldn’t win her back. But at the very least, it might make her life easier. Perhaps, he thought, if she noticed the transfers, she might remember him, even if only fleetingly. But this fantasy was quickly shattered by a phone call from the bank. “Mr. Irwin, we regret to inform you that your transfer could not be processed because the recipient’s account was officially closed two days ago. Please verify the details before attempting again.” Curtis froze. “Can you help me contact the account holder? It’s urgent.” The bank employee’s response was formal and detached. “We apologize, but that is beyond our scope of services.” Curtis knew he had no way to bypass the bank’s confidentiality policies. He lacked the means to persuade them to take such a risk on his behalf. After hanging up, defeated, he was forced to think of another solution. He recalled that Louise had once registered a social media account under the name SereneShots, where she frequently shared her photography. However, it had been a long time, and he couldn’t remember which platform she had used. Curtis wasn’t in the habit of using social media, but he opened the app store and downloaded every prominent app he could find. One by one, he searched for SereneShots. The account had long been inactive. All that remained were comments from strangers. “Does anyone know how to contact SereneShots? I’m an artist and wanted to reference her photography, but I can’t find her anywhere.” “Why was the account deleted?” “SereneShots, please come back! Your seasonal photo series was stunning. Winter’s almost here, and now you’re gone.” Frustrated, Curtis logged out. The harsh reality was undeniable: Louise hadn’t just closed her bank account—she had erased every trace of herself on social media as well. Desperate, he searched for a smaller platform with looser user policies and called their customer service. The representative’s tone was polite yet distant. “How may I assist you today?” Curtis got straight to the point. “I’m the husband of the user SereneShots. Please help me recover her account information.” The representative didn’t hesitate. “Certainly, sir. However, we will need your wife to contact us personally and provide identification.” “She’s missing,” Curtis said flatly. “Apologies, but we cannot violate user privacy. Please—” “Don’t you understand?” Curtis interrupted, his voice rising. “She’s missing! My wife is missing, and she could be in danger. If something happens to her, your platform will be held responsible! I’ll take you to court!” His tone was furious, his words a threat. The representative remained composed. “I’m sorry, sir. We cannot assist you. If you wish to obtain user information, you’ll need to file a legal request through the courts.” Their tone was courteous but left no room for negotiation. It was as if a bucket of freezing water had been poured over Curtis in the dead of winter. Swallowing his pride, he softened his approach. “Please,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’m begging you. My wife could be in serious danger. Don’t you have any compassion?” The line went silent. Moments later, Curtis’s trembling voice turned to sobs. “I can’t wait any longer. She left without saying a word. I’m terrified something has happened to her. This account is my last hope…” He was crying so hard that his words became incoherent. Perhaps moved by his persistence and the depth of his feelings, the representative relented. “Very well, sir. I’ll submit a request to my supervisor, but the outcome will depend on their decision.” Curtis thanked them profusely. After enduring an agonizing wait, he finally gained access to the hidden information within the SereneShots account.