The night she vanished

SLOANE'S POV

“Thank you," I said to the cab driver as I brought out a handful of cash from my purse and handed it to him. 

He grunted and licked his hands, counting it before giving me a satisfactory nod. After pulling Daisy to the curbside, he drove off, leaving a trail of smoke. 

I waited for some moments, watching every single person that passed with keen eyes. I still had a feeling I was being watched and I wanted to make sure I was wrong. 

Seeing no suspicious movement, I pushed the hoodie of my sweatshirt over my head. Adjusting my glasses, I grabbed Daisy's hand and turned to the building behind me. 

“Good evening, madam," the bellhop standing at the door greeted me and I replied with a nod. 

He offered to take the suitcase I was dragging behind me but I refused politely. Shocked by my declination, he frowned a bit before putting on that professional smile. 

“Welcome to Sterling Suites,” he said with a smile as I walked in. "We hope you enjoy your stay.”

I adjusted the strap of my purse before proceeding to the counter, Daisy in tow behind me. The receptionist looked up from her table, offering a smile before I even got to her. 

“Good evening," she greeted, her grin never leaving her face. “What may I… Oh, hello.” She looked down at Daisy, waving a hand. 

Daisy smiled briefly, waving back at her before shoving her face in between my legs. "She's a bit shy,” I said with a faint smile as I began digging through my purse. "I'd love to secure a room, please. The most private you can offer.”

"Oh, that would be the Supreme Suite," she quickly replied as she turned to the system before her, clicking away. “We have room 705, 710 and 733 free on the seventh floor. All the rooms on the eighth floor too are also free.” She gave me a short glance. "How long will you be staying, ma'am?”

"Just keep on charging till I'm out," I replied as I fished my gold card from my purse and handed it to her. “Also, I'd love any room on the eight floor, please. I don't think I want to be spending the night hearing sounds outside my door.”

"As you wish, ma'am,” the receptionist replied as she finally looked up from the system. 

There was a slight hesitation as she made to pick up my card and I saw the shock on her face when she saw the name engraved on it. She looked up at me, then back to the card, then up at me again. 

“Dammit," I cursed under my breath. 

“Mrs. Sloane Harper?!” she exclaimed, her voice resonating through the floor. 

She placed a hand over her mouth, realizing how loud she had been. A breathless giggle escaped her lips as she looked at the card again. 

“You're THE Mrs. Sloane Harper?!" she asked, her voice now reduced to a soft whisper. 

“Keep your voice down…” I glanced at the nametag on her shirt, "... Danielle." She nodded, still snickering. "And besides, I'm not Mrs. anymore. I go by Miss now.”

"Okay, okay,” Danielle said, oblivious to the fact that I had just told her I was now divorced. "I just didn't know you were–" 

“I'd love for you to do your duties, Danielle, and hand me my room key," I cut her short. “I've had a really rough day today and I don't think I want any more stress." 

Danielle paused, taken aback by my bluntness. "Oh,” she muttered with a small nod as she grabbed the card machine and pressed my card against it. “Your room is…” she turned to the keyboard, clicking on it, "... room 801. And here's your keycard.”

I placed my hand on the counter and Danielle handed a small card with the tag ‘801’ on it. “Thank you," I said with a small smile as I collected my card and turned to the elevator. 

Daisy gave her a slight wave before following me and I watched Danielle return the wave nervously. Normally, I'd have been much nicer but every ounce of that feeling was drained out the moment Adrian soiled our matrimonial sheets in front of our daughter. 

I tapped on the elevator button and the door slid open with a soft hum. Daisy raced in before me and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. She laughed back and my heart beat faster. Even though everything felt like shit, before me was the only thing that brought me joy. She was so innocent, oblivious to the evil that had been going on at our house for a long time now. 

“I wanna puss the buttons," she said excitedly and I raised my hands in surrender, stepping back. 

She giggled as she clicked on the button with the number eight engraved on it. The door slid close and we began our slow ascend to our room floor. 

“Daddy's waiting for us?" 

I froze, my heart dropping to my stomach as I stared down at her innocent face. I hadn't expected the question so I didn't know what to answer. And even though I didn't want to, I knew I couldn't lie to her. 

"Your father's not waiting for us,” I said with a small smile as I tousled her hair. “Your father's back home with Aunt Mia. He's not here.”

"Oh,” Daisy muttered, the joy in her eyes slowly fading away. “Is… is it because of what happened yesterday?” 

"Yes,” I answered, faster than I had wanted to. 

Even though I acted strong, deep down, Adrian's actions hurt much more than I could admit. And Daisy's questions only showed me how bad it was. 

I swallowed, trying my possible best not to break in front of her. Luckily for me, the elevator chimed and the door slid open. I sniffed, gently grabbing her hand as we walked out of the elevator and into the corridor. 

Our room was the first on our left, saving us whatever long trek we'd have made. I pulled out the keycard from my pocket and placed it on the scanner. A soft ding sounded shortly after and the door clicked open. 

Daisy pushed it wide, revealing the lavish interior. A king sized bed stood by the wall, drapes in clean white linen with a plush couch that sat in front of the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the city lights. Soft golden lights spewed down on us from the chandelier above, basking the entire room with a gentle glow. The light bounced off the polished floors and minimalist decors and I couldn't help but smile. 

This was our new home.