The day bled into night.
Zoe got a taxi home and lay awake in bed, her eyes streaming with tears.
She looked to the empty side of her bed, her head in agony after crying so much.
That's when the doorbell rang.
All she could feel was hope.
She climbed out of bed, wiping the tears from her cheeks before she stopped still in the hallway, seeing the flashing blue lights of police cars.
"Fuck..." she breathed, slowly edging towards the door and opening it.
"Miss Zoë Flynn." Greeted a large English man, "I'm here to arrest Mr Martin Mc-"
"He's not here." She replied, her eyes wide and bulging, she could sense that they thought she was lying.
"Mind if I come in?" He asked, "I'm Detective Inspector Gordon."
"I'm Zoë McCafferson.. I'm his wife." She introduced, unblinking, stepping inside and etching towards the kitchen, not letting him out of her sight.
"Sorry if we woke you." Apologised Gordon.
"You didn't." She uttered, looking up at the time, it was a quarter to four in the morning.
They both sat down on the sofa, Zoe felt far too overwhelmed to speak to him. The large police officer was sitting in Martin's place, all she wanted to do was be with her husband.
"Your husband has committed a serious crime, we need any information you can give us regarding the incident." Ordered Gordon, and Zoe knew better than to lie anymore.
"I can tell you that Martin loved Ollie like a son, and that this couldn't have been on purpose." She said, swallowing a knot in her throat.
"Okay, Zoe, I'm going to need evidence for t-"
Zoe pointed at the piece of paper folded up on the coffee table,
"Ollie wrote this on Saturday morning early."
"Mind if I take this?" Asked Gordon.
"Go ahead." She uttered, looking down, exhausted.
"Look, I know this is really hard for you, but have you got any idea where Martin might be right now?" Asked the officer after Zoë have told him everything.
She shook her head, "I've been trying to call him all day and night but he hasn't picked up."
"Okay.."
Zoe broke into tears, standing up, "sorry can I just have a minute." She gasped, and without waiting for a reply, walked over to her bedroom and into the ensuite, gazing at her exhausted reflection in the mirror. She splashed her red eyes with cold water before looking to the razor blade by the sink that still had a few small hairs from Martin's face. Was that the last piece of him she'd ever see? What if he was missing? What if he was never found?

Martin continued driving through the night and into the morning, he'd been driving for about fifteen hours in total, and had made it to his destination.
He was completely drunk with fatigue, his eyes were blurring and his car was about to run out of petrol for the fifth time this journey.

He was in Florence.

Martin found a parking space by the side of the road and parallel parked right beside a row of shops.
There was a homeless man sitting with a paper cup full of pennies ironically outside the Gucci store.
Martin looked around before taking out the keys to his BMW.
"It's yours." He said, placing the keys into the paper cup and pointing at his car. The man's face lit up, he began to shake Martin's had quite vigorously, chanting repetitively "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Take care.." laughed Martin, patting the man's back as he charged towards quite a sad looking 17 year old car. But to him, it was his future. To Martin, it was his past.

Martin walked along the cobbled footpath, chuckling as his own car passed by him and beeped the horn.
The thing he hated about Florence the most was it's poverty, but, since Martin had little to savour, he went to the nearest cash machine and took out €800 and handing out €50 to every beggar he saw, just wanting to make someone else's day a bit brighter, if his own couldn't be happy.

He took a glance at the shop where he had bought the engagement ring for Zoë and sighed, remembering how much he wanted her then, and how much he wanted her now. That was just over a week ago, but it felt like a lifetime.
Martin felt the ground beneath him shift as he was brought to the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. This is where he and Zoe were reunited with a kiss after what felt like years but was only a day.
Martin felt a jab of pain in his abdomen and noticed that he was bleeding quite badly beneath his shirt. The stitches must have come loose.. already he was beginning to feel light headed. Death was becoming closer and closer, and he was becoming desperate to see Zoë.
So, with all the reluctance in the world, he called her.
"H-hello? M-Martin?" Answered Zoe in a shocked croaky voice, he could tell she hadn't slept and that she'd been crying a lot.
"Happy Anniversary, one week today.." He soothed, climbing up onto the wall of the bridge and letting his legs dangle down.
"O-oh my god Martin! Y-you're alive.. I thought I'd lost you." She exclaimed with a shaky voice, "you're never gonna lose me, Zoe." He promised, pushing his fist to his lips as his eyes tensed, he treasured her voice.
"W-where are you? When are you coming home?" She croaked, her hands clutching her phone.
"I- I can't tell you that." He replied, his eyes breaking with tears as he looked down at the river below him.
"Marty..." She sniffed, "I- I don't know what to say..."
"Just listen... are- are the police at the house?" He asked her, savouring each breath he heard of hers -the gentle imitation of her heartbeat.
"Y-Yeah... I think they can hear you." She told him, looking to the officer who stood beside her.
"You think?" He questioned,
"Yes.. yes they can hear you- and they want to speak to you." She Replied,
"Zoe.. I just want to speak t-to you... fuck..." he looked down at the blood which drenched his shirt, he felt so dizzy. The world felt like it was shifting.
"Martin what's wrong- j-just stay with me." Begged Zoe, feeling so helpless.
"Zoe, I adore you." Breathed Martin, covering his mouth and feeling tears pour down his face. He scrunched his lips together and felt his eyes burn.
Zoe's eyes were crimson red and glistened with endless tears,
"I don't wanna lose you." She gasped, stepping away from the police and looking out at the rainy view of the morning sea, wondering where he was.
Martin was gazing down at the river, knowing that this water was the same water that stretched outside his and Zoe's house, everything was connected.
"Martin.. where are you?" She whispered, placing a hand against the cool glass,
"On our honeymoon." He replied.
Zoe shook her head,
"it's only a honeymoon if I'm there too." She cried, leaning her head against the window, closing her tearful puffy eyes.
"It's okay." He breathed, feeling a different presence within him, "I'm with Martha."
Zoe became silent, taking deep breaths, "n-no.."
"I'll tell Ollie and Ryan that you say hi."
"Martin stop! Don't you dare! Don't you dare leave me!" She screamed,
"It's okay... it's okay.. I could never leave you. You're my whole world, Zoe Flynn. I love you."

...

Two days later Martin's body was found in the Arno River in Florence, the photo of Martha held tightly in his hand.
Jemma moved to Manchester and became a doctor, she got married twice and divorced twice and at the age of thirty-five had a little boy called Ollie.
Cloda moved back to Dublin and got married at the age of 25 to Charlie, however she was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after and died along with her unborn child two years later.
Lucy travelled around Europe but never settled, all her life she never bought a home, she earned enough money to get by from small shop jobs and busking, she never so much as kissed another man after Ryan died.

...

When Zoe went into labour she was already heavily drunk. She had been found collapsed on the streets two weeks ago and was taken into hospital.
"Zoe there's a high risk that you will not have live births today." Informed the doctor as she lay on the white hospital bed, sweat draining from her distressed face.
"I don't care.." she breathed, "I'm over.."
She eavesdropped into the muffled conversations of the midwives, "I don't hear a heart beat..."
"What's the point..?" She grumbled, "whats the point of pushing out a dead baby?"
"Zoe, I know you've had a horrendous few months, but you've gotta do this. Okay?"
So she did.
She cried as she pushed with as much energy as she could fathom to give birth to her first still born child.
"I'm sorry, Zoe.. he didn't make it." Said the midwife, Zoe didn't want to look as baby was taken away from her,
The next baby Zoë gave birth to was also silent.
He was dead too.
Tears began to meander down Zoe's cheek, what's the point anymore! I've lost the love of my life and all my children-
"Just one more push, Zoe.. I'm so sorry-"
Suddenly a cry was heard as she pushed out the final baby.
"W-What..?" Breathed Zoe, opening her eyes and trying to sit up.
"Congratulations its a little girl!" warmed the midwife, nursing a tiny white blanket which was handed to Zoë.
"W-what..?" Zoë repeated as another tear streamed down her face and a tiny baby was placed in her arms.
"Now that is a one in a million." Soothed one of the midwives.
Zoe looked into her child's bright blue eyes which were also blinked with tears.
"M-Martha..." she breathed, her jaw shaking as tears poured down her cheeks. For the first time in months, she broke into a smile, "oh Martha..." she cried, holding her daughter so closely and lovingly, "it's so nice to meet you."

...

The End.