Despite the emotional earthquake of Ethan’s public declaration and his silent pilgrimage to her parents’ graves, Sarah maintained a careful distance.
She was moved, deeply.
But trust, once shattered, was a fragile thing to rebuild.
She focused on her routine.
Lily was starting a local preschool program, a chance for her to socialize, to be a normal child.
Sarah walked her to the small, cheerful schoolhouse each morning.
One afternoon, Sarah arrived to pick Lily up.
The teacher, a young woman named Miss Emily, looked flustered.
“Mrs. Miller… Lily… she left a little while ago.”
Sarah’s blood ran cold. “Left? With whom?”
“A woman,” Miss Emily said, her brow furrowed. “She said she was a family friend. Lily seemed… hesitant. But she knew her.”
A woman.
Familiar but unwelcome.
Olivia.
The name screamed in Sarah’s mind.
Panic, cold and sharp, seized her.
She knew. Olivia had taken Lily.
A cruel, desperate act of revenge.
Lily was crying.
The woman’s perfume was too strong. Her grip on Lily’s arm was too tight.
“Be quiet, child,” Olivia hissed, her voice a venomous whisper. “Or you’ll regret it.”
Lily was bundled into a car, driven for what felt like hours.
To a dark, scary place.
An abandoned warehouse, by the looks of it.
Cold. Damp. Terrifying.
She was tied to a chair.
Sarah’s phone rang.
An unknown number.
Her hand trembled as she answered.
“Hello?”
“Well, hello, Sarah,” Olivia’s voice, syrupy sweet, but laced with malice. “Missing someone?”
“Olivia! Where is Lily? What have you done with her?” Sarah screamed into the phone.
“Oh, she’s perfectly fine,” Olivia purred. “For now. But her continued well-being depends entirely on you, Sarah.”
“What do you want?” Sarah choked out, her heart pounding.
“Simple, really,” Olivia said. “I want you gone. Out of Ethan’s life. Out of his house. Forever. Disappear. And never come back.”
“If I do that… you’ll let Lily go?”
“Perhaps,” Olivia said. “Meet me. I’ll text you the address. Come alone. And don’t even think about calling Ethan. Or your precious Lily will pay the price.”
The line went dead.
A text message pinged. An address.
And a photo.
Lily, tied to a chair, her small face tear-streaked, her eyes wide with fear.
Sarah had no choice.
She had to save her daughter.