She Was Gone
Ross was devastated. It was hard for him to comprehend how things had gotten so bad. He remembered seeing his wife just a week ago, but now she was gone.
In the back of his mind, he could still see her sweet face, all dressed up in makeup for the party they attended. However, he had lost her in the crowd. There would be no forgetting that mistake.
In The Blink Of An Eye
No matter what the cost, Ross had to find Diane. One blink, and she was alone. She was everything to him. Those were not the plans for that night.
He couldn't spot her in the crowd because it was too dense. His only feeling was regret now. He should have been a bit more careful. He couldn't sit around and do nothing. He had to do something.
Doing Everything He Could
As the ragged husband searched for his wife, he became increasingly desperate. A fresh set of eyes couldn't hurt, even though the police had tried their best. As he sat in his office, he wondered what might have happened. In his search for answers, the man would soon go mad.
In his desperate search for Diane, he would follow any lead that would lead him to her. But a deeper dive down the rabbit hole made it harder to escape.
Hopeless
After his wife disappeared, the husband began asking around in the neighborhood. She must have been seen by someone, he was sure. Having asked most of his neighbors, he concluded that it was hopeless.
After he had been asking about his wife for some time, a stranger approached him and said, "I saw your wife that night." He could not believe it. Could he really have information on his wife?
An Address
A stranger told Ross that he had seen his wife in the same Halloween costume entering a house that fateful night. As soon as he gave Ross the address of the house, Ross nearly collapsed.
There was something eerily familiar about the address. The reason was that it was just two numbers down from his. It turned out to be his neighbor next door. Was there a problem?
Going Alone
His blood began to boil. With every fibre of his being, he wanted to be less than kind to his neighbor. Is the lead even any good? His wife may not have worn the same outfit, but it could have been someone else.
He had no choice but to confront the neighbor and see what happened. However, he made the mistake of going alone.
Going Over
According to Ross, he reported what he heard to the police. They did not seem interested in following up on a clue with little validity. Ross decided to go alone at that point. If the police weren't trailing him, he'd go alone.
After knocking on his neighbor's door, he waited a moment for him to answer. When he saw Ross, he seemed nervous. There was still a long way to go. From deeper inside, he heard a thud.
Perfect Life
The life of Ross Hamilton seemed perfect to him. It was a blessing that he had a loving wife and a modest suburban house. He got used to the white picket fence life, but it wouldn't last forever.
In college, he met his future wife, Diane, and the two hit it off right away. Even though he was introverted, her personality complimented him perfectly, and she always dragged him out to parties.
The Wrong Crowd
According to Ross, his wife was the perfect woman. It was always a pleasure to be in her life. It was impossible for her to feel left out at any party and she was the life of every party. The attention didn't bother Ross. When she said yes to his proposal, he knew he had gotten the best deal.
He didn't realize she would attract the wrong crowd. Soon enough, she would be in a bad situation.
October
Ross was on autopilot as October approached. He worked every day and went home afterward. In addition to working from home, Diane planned other things as well.
Ross noticed something one day when he got home from work. The study floor was covered with paper and other materials. The situation was well known to him.
Getting Ready
Ross found Diane in the kitchen. There was more stuff cluttering the table. He smiled at her as he watched her work on her hobby. She hadn't noticed him yet.
He crept up behind her and said, "Watcha doing?" Diane jumped back into his arms. The two were just as in love as they had been years ago. Diane was about to tell him the reasoning behind her project.
Her favorite Holiday
Ross knew very well that Diane's favorite holiday was Halloween. She loved finding any excuse to dress up, and Halloween meant that she could wear nearly anything she liked.
He suspected that's what was going on. Even though he didn't really like parties and dressing up that much, it meant a lot to Diane, so he always supported her.
Her Project
"I'm making us the perfect outfits for Hallowee," she said with a broad grin. Ross smiled back. But then he realized they hadn't even spoken about what they were going to do for the holiday.
"Where are we going?" He asked. Diane looked back at him and said, "Oh, I don't actually know yet, but we're definitely going to dress up wherever we end up going."
Finding A Party
A few more days passed, and Ross didn't pay much attention to what his wife was making. He kept up with his work and was too tired afterward to show much initiative. But work was exactly where he saw an opportunity.
He was at the office when he saw an interesting poster in the break room. There was going to be a Halloween party for the locals in the neighborhood.
Familiar Faces
Ross knew that he would see a lot of familiar faces since his work was part of the neighborhood where he lived. He'd see a lot of colleagues as well as neighbors. He wondered what Diane would think.
When he got home, he showed her a copy of the flyer. Diane was ecstatic. She didn't mind where they went as long as she was with her husband and dressed up.
Preparations
It was settled. They were going to go to the neighborhood party. But the couple had a lot of preparations. They first RSVP'd, but Diane would have to get their costumes ready.
The two didn't have much time until the day would arrive when they would have to don their outfits and head out into the night. But for now, they had to get everything ready.
The Day Approached
Ross kept up his work and pitched in by bringing home supplies whenever he could. He would stop at a local supplies shop and get what his wife needed. But he wasn't ready for the outfits she was making.
The day finally approached, and the two were ready to head out to the party. But first, they needed to change into what Diane had made.
The Costumes
For the first time, Ross saw the outfit that his wife had spent several weeks working on. It was a beautiful homemade dress. Her Cinderella cosplay looked wonderful. And as for Ross, she had made him her Prince Charming.
He was astounded at how the two of them looked. Even if he didn't like drawing attention to himself, he knew that his wife would be very happy. But he had no idea that tragedy was coming.
A Party Like No Other
The two went to the Halloween party at 6 P.M. It was packed full of recognizable faces, but also a lot that they didn't recognize. Either way, it looked like a good time, and soon the two got lost in their respective worlds.
While Ross kept close to people he knew, Diane disappeared into the throng of people. She loved socializing. But that was a grave mistake.
Vanished
Ross couldn't find Diane; it was beginning to grow late, and he wanted to go home, but she was nowhere to be found. He grew worried, and when all the other guests had left, he still couldn’t see her.
He ran out of the building, maybe she was waiting for him outside? He needed to find her before anything bad happened.
Calling The Police
Ross looked around the area, crying out her name, but she was nowhere to be found. He finally had to make the call. He dialed 911 and waited for the police to arrive. They took his statement and said they'd do what they could.
But Ross knew that they wouldn't be able to do much. He'd have to find her on his own. But as days passed, he started losing hope.
No Matter The Cost
Ross knew that he needed to find Diane no matter the cost. She was his everything, and in the blink of an eye, he was suddenly alone. That night wasn't supposed to end that way.
The crowd was far too dense for him to spot her. Now, all he had felt was regret. If only he'd been a bit more careful. But he didn't want to sit around doing nothing. He had to act.
Driven Mad
The ragged husband began his search for his wife. The police had already tried their best, but a fresh set of eyes could never hurt. He sat in his office thinking about what could have happened. Soon, the husband would be driven mad in the search for answers.
He was desperate to find any lead that could help him find Diane. But the deeper he went down the rabbit hole, the harder it was to get out.
Asking Around
The husband decided to ask around the neighborhood about his wife's disappearance. He was sure that at least someone had seen her. After asking most of his neighbors, it seemed hopeless.
But then, when he least expected it, a stranger approached him and said, "I heard you've been asking about your wife. I saw her that night." He couldn't believe it. Did this man really have information on his wife?
Seen Someone Similar
The stranger told Ross that he had seen a woman in the same Halloween costume as his wife heading into a house that fateful night. But when he finally gave him the address of the house, Ross nearly collapsed.
The address was eerily familiar. It was because it was only two numbers down from his. Then he realized it was his neighbor next door. What was going on?
Blood Boiling
Ross felt his blood boil. Every fibre of his being wanted to do less than kind things to his neighbor. But was the lead even any good? It could have been someone wearing the same outfit, but not necessarily his wife.
There was only one thing to do: he had to confront the neighbor and see what would happen. But he made the mistake of going alone.
Knocking On His Door
Ross told the police about what he had heard. They seemed disinterested in following up on a clue that had little validity. That's when Ross decided to go alone. He had told the cops to trail him, but if they weren't, then he would.
He knocked on his neighbor's door and waited a moment for him to answer it. He seemed nervous when he saw that it was Ross. But things were far from over. That's when he heard a thud from deeper inside the home.
Pushing Passed Him
Ross pushed past the neighbor and raced to the door underneath the stairs. The thud was from there. The neighbor tried stopping him but knew it was futile. Ross was about to uncover his secret.
He opened the door to the basement and saw something that made his stomach flip. Diane's outfit was there.
Explaining
The neighbor had a lot of explaining to do. Ross was considering resorting to physical violence, but he started talking immediately. "Wait, I can explain everything."
Ross couldn't believe what he said. The truth was that Diane ended up going home with the neighbor, just as the stranger described, but it wasn't without her consent. It was a heated affair.
Run Away
After Diane had made the mistake, she couldn't face her husband anymore. She decided to run away to her mother's house. That's at least what the neighbor had told Ross.
The police followed up the lead, and it turned out to be the truth. Ross was heartbroken, but he would get over it. He'd move on with his life and keep a positive outlook.