Her Life Beyond the Walls

In the beginning, James Harris and the rest of the Harris family thought I was just in a mood, but it did not take long for them to sense that something was off.

Calvin Harris, the youngest son of the family, was the first to make a scene. He was initially thrilled when his micromanaging mother took off.

However, his joy turned to dismay at the school carnival when his father forgot to tell the babysitter to bake cookies, and he ended up with generic cookies instead of the homemade bear-shaped ones his mother used to bake.

Surrounded by classmates who craved his mother's famous treats, Calvin had a sudden epiphany: maybe his mother was not so bad after all.

Then there was Chester Harris who despised the scheming woman who had taken his mother's place. However, during a thunderstorm, as he pressed against the door, the absence of his mother's soothing hum from the other side sent him into a tailspin.

Mandy York came next, her blood pressure spiking again, then needing meds to keep it in check. It hit her like a ton of bricks—she had not had one of Emma Carter's nutritious meals in weeks.

Even Julia Harris, the husband's younger sister, started dropping hints to James, trying to figure out when they would bring me back home.

The Harrises pestered James about me, and some even nudged him, saying a true gentleman knew when to give in a little and sweet-talk his wife—it would not cost him his pride.

Mandy could not hold back any longer. At the breakfast table, she laid it all out for her son James.

"James, I get it, you're a man, and you've got your pride, but you and your wife shouldn't be so distant. If you're too embarrassed to ask Emma to come back, then let me do it. I'm just an old lady, after all."

James, who already had a reputation for being standoffish, seemed to turn even icier.

Everyone thought he was too arrogant to make the first move, but the truth was, he had tried to call the day after I left.

However, I had blocked him.

That number he never bothered to ring up in a decade was suddenly out of reach when he finally worked up the courage to dial it. The thought made his scowl deepen.

He glanced at his two sons, who were silent but watching him with hopeful eyes, and felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.

"Mom, stop worrying about me and Emma."

"How can we not worry? You've got kids together. She can't just shirk her responsibilities like that."

It was the first time he found his mother's nagging so unnerving.

"If you think you can find her, then be my guest!" he snapped, storming off.

It hit him at that moment just how much Emma's absence was getting to him.

The three left at the table exchanged bewildered looks. Mandy was the first to act, pulling out her phone. "I'm going to ask her straight up if she even wants this family anymore."

However, all she got was the impersonal voice of an automated message.

"The number you have dialed is not in the service area."

The boys could not just sit there either. They both tried the number, but it was the same dead end.

Chester was the first to break the silence. "She always picks up our calls. Do you think something's gone wrong?"

James froze, his hand on the doorknob as a reel of crime scenes spun through his thoughts.

A wave of panic crashed over him.

"Alex, my wife's gone missing. I need you to call the cops."

"Hold on, let's quietly contact some investigators first. I'll give you the details in a bit."

James massaged his forehead, struggling to keep his composure.