Chapter 418
Audrey’s POV
“But…” I frowned at the officer. “She wouldn’t just go home now.”
Astrid told me she was going to watch Rebecca and Thalia when we split up. That was less than thirty minutes ago, and now her phone’s off. Not like her at
all.
“Maybe she did, the officer said, giving my shoulder a pat. Check your place first.”
Then he just walked away.
I watched him go, the knot in my stomach getting tighter by the second.
Taking a deep breath, I left the station and called Adrian.
Adrian,” I said when he picked up. “Can you give me Henry Hartford’s number?”
“What for?” His voice already sounded irritated.
“Astrid’s disappeared. Her phone’s off. I’m worried something happened…”
*What could happen to her?” Adrian cut me off. “She’s a grown woman, not a kid. What, you think she got kidnapped like Emma?”
His tone sharpened. “If she did get kidnapped, I’d thank God for letting her feel what my daughter went through!”
I gripped the phone tighter. “Adrian.”
‘Emma’s kidnapping was planned by Rachel’s people,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Even if you or I had been with Emma instead of Astrid, they would’ve taken her anyway.”
“They came prepared. We weren’t. And Astrid feels terrible about it.”
My voice hardened. “Do you really need to blame everything on her? If she’s guilty for not watching Emma properly, aren’t we guilty too? As parents, shouldn’t we have been there?”
The line went quiet. Then Adrian’s voice returned, cold as ice.
‘I’ve always known Emma matters less to you than your friends. All that talk about treating her like your own daughter? Bullshit.”
I inhaled sharply.
“Adrian,” I said, gripping the phone. “I know Emma’s kidnapping has you upset, but I don’t want to fight about this now.”
“Just give me Henry’s number so I can find Astrid.”
“Even if you’re mad at us, we can talk after I find her.”
Adrian remained unmoved. “She’s not missing. Look harder.”
‘I’m not giving you Henry’s number. He’s overseas in meetings. Don’t bother him with this.”
The call ended abruptly.
I stared at my phone, stunned. The Adrian I knew in Sydney wouldn’t have acted like this. He was always supportive, encouraging me to reconnect with old
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Chapter 418
friends. He’d leave news articles about my friends on my nightstand, treat my friends like his own.
After Emma’s kidnapping, it was like he’d ripped off a mask. The gentle man was gone, replaced by someone bitter and cruel.
Too many people changing. I can’t read anyone anymore.
Rachel, my adoptive parents, Adrian… everyone has two faces they switch between at will.
And the one person who was always real with me is now missing.
I hailed a taxi. If Adrian wouldn’t help, I’d find Astrid myself.
Inside the cab, I told the driver to circle the area while I called Felix Thompson. Without Adrian’s help, Blake was my only option.
“Don’t panic,” Blake said after I explained. ‘Astrid’s not a kid. She wouldn’t just wander off.”
“She probably had some work thing and had to switch off her phone.”
His reasonable tone eased my anxiety a bit.
“I can’t send my people since I’m supposed to be dead,” he continued. “But Felix’s team is already out looking.”
I’m also contacting Henry Hartford. We should hear something soon. Try not to worry.”
I bit my lip, clutching my phone as the knot in my chest loosened slightly.
“Thank you,” I said quietly.
Since waking in Sydney, Blake had helped me more than I wanted to admit – Long Island, William, the Sinclairs, saving Emma, now searching for Astrid.
Five years ago, I saved Blake. But any debt between us was settled when he was injured saving me on Long Island. We should have been strangers after that.
Yet here we were.
“Don’t thank me,” Blake replied, his voice rough. “Without you five years ago, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Without you three years ago, I might never have woken up.”
“After everything I did to hurt you…” He paused. “The kindness you showed me, and what I did in return… I’ll never make that right.”
“Whatever I do for you now, it’s the least I can do.”
He lowered his voice. “Listen, Astrid will be fine. I promise.”
“Yeah,” I said softly before hanging up.
I closed my eyes, suddenly drained. I’d believed Adrian would be my final destination. Even without love, we could maintain a respectful relationship for Evelyn’s sake and Emma’s.
But today’s kidnapping showed the truth. Adrian and I couldn’t have the peaceful future I’d imagined.
Emma was only four. Her life would include accidents as she grew. Would I face Adrian’s cruel accusations every time? Would my efforts always be worthless
to him?
*Shit!”
Chapter 418
My thoughts shattered as the driver slammed the brakes. The force threw me against the front seat.
“What happened?” I winced.
‘Accident up ahead, the driver said, maneuvering around. ‘Bad one. Mortuary van’s already here
someone died on the spot.
For some reason, Astrid’s face flashed in my mind when he mentioned the accident.
No…
I looked toward the crash site.
A crowd had gathered, with police directing traffic. Blood covered the road in dark puddles.
In one bloody pool lay something silver. A necklace.
When I recognized it, my body went ice-cold.
That necklace… Astrid’s necklace.
She’d told me about it – Henry’s first gift to her after a business trip. She wore it always, saying it made her feel like he was with her.
Now it lay in a pool of blood at a fatal accident scene.
“Stop the car!” I yelled.
When the taxi halted, I scrambled out and ran to the accident center. With shaking hands, I picked up the bloody necklace.
It was definitely Astrid’s the same design, material, even the small chip in the pendant she’d refused to fix because it made it “special.”
Heart racing, I looked around frantically, discovering the victims had already been taken away.
“Terrible… that girl died instantly. Straight to the mortuary…” a bystander was saying.
“That car was chasing her deliberately,” another added. “She was running but couldn’t get away…”
*Must have been personal. Beautiful young woman who’d want to kill her like that?”
Each comment sent fresh panic through me. I rushed toward the people speaking.
“Did you see what she looked like?” I asked, my voice trembling.
I fumbled with my phone, pulling up a photo of Astrid. “Was it her? Did she look like this?”
