Mag-log inNATHAN'S POV “Sophia left on the same day Mr. Damian departed the city, sir,” Evans reported.“What?” I blurted out, struggling to process the fact that Sophia was gone too. For a moment, I could only stare ahead in silence. I didn’t need any more proof. It was becoming painfully clear that they were working together.Damian was taking Elena out of the city, and Sophia was part of it.I tightened my grip around my phone until my knuckles turned pale. I had never imagined that my own brother could do something like this. From the very first moment I saw Damian and Elena together, I believed that he genuinely cared about her. Never once had I thought he would stoop this low and actually take such a step.“It happened after the last time she crossed paths with Mrs. Ariana at the restaurant,” Evans said.I didn’t respond. I was beginning to realize that Sophia's actions had been driven by more than just her last encounter with Mrs. Ariana at the restaurant.I remembered our final argumen
ARIANA'S POV I had never experienced anything like this before.It felt as though my body no longer belonged to me. When I opened my eyes, I could see everything around me, yet I felt completely exhausted. Suddenly, I felt a hand on me and turned to find Naomi smiling beside the bed.My IV stand was positioned next to her. That was when I realized I ended up in the hospital.“Hey, just stay still for a moment. The doctor advised you to remain in bed,” she said.“Water,” I whispered weakly.Thankfully, Naomi understood what I meant and quickly went to the table to pour me a glass of water. She returned moments later and handed it to me. She also helped me sit in a comfortable position so I wouldn’t choke while drinking.I finished the water almost instantly. Naomi took the empty glass from my hand and placed it back on the table.“How are you feeling?” Naomi asked.I paused for a minute . My entire body ached with pain, but it was nothing compared to the agony I felt whenever I thou
NATHAN'S POV I stared at the monitor beside Ariana’s bed before looking at her peacefully closed eyes.I prayed for a miracle, anything that would make her wake up.It had been a full day and night since Ariana passed out, and I couldn’t stop worrying about when she would finally regain consciousness. Our daughter was still missing, and I didn’t know how much more I could take if something happened to Ariana too.I buried my face in my palm while my other hand held her delicate fingers tightly.I wished I could somehow give her some of my strength.“Ariana, you may never forgive me, but please... open your eyes.”Suddenly, a voice came from behind me.“Excuse me, sir. I’m here to perform a routine check-up.”I turned around and saw a nurse standing behind me.Slowly, I released Ariana’s hand and rose to my feet, giving the nurse enough space to examine her.I glanced toward the door just as Naomi walked in. I immediately made my way over to her.She looked at Ariana lying unconscious
ARIANA'S POV “Please, you need to get some rest too.”I abruptly rose from the sofa, barely registering what Naomi had just said. How could she possibly ask me to calm down at a moment like this when my daughter was missing?Elena was gone.My daughter was no longer here.I tried contacting the police station where we had filed the report, but no one answered. I suppressed my growing frustration and called again, only to receive the same result.“They’re completely useless. They should have concluded the investigation by now!”We had filed the report yesterday afternoon, so they should have contacted me with an update by now. Yet, I still hadn’t heard anything from them.The fear I had been trying desperately to suppress gradually consumed me. I realized that reporting someone as powerful as Nathan would be incredibly difficult. And deep down, I feared that everything I was doing might ultimately be futile.Suddenly, something Lillian had once told me came rushing back.“Sooner or la
NATHAN'S POV When I arrived at Ariana’s apartment, Naomi and her boyfriend were already there. Naomi was trying to comfort Ariana, who had broken down in tears, while her boyfriend was speaking to someone on the phone. I overheard him mentioning something about a CCTV recording.Seeing Ariana in tears broke my heart. Hearing that Elena had never made it to Naomi’s apartment left me completely unsettled. I approached her, even though deep down, I already knew she would reject me.I was right.The moment Ariana noticed me, she immediately straightened, her eyes blazing with anger.“Get out of here!” she snapped, thrusting a hand against my chest to push me back, even though I hadn’t said a word.“Please. I need to understand what happened too. I’m just as confused as everyone else,” I pleaded, trying to reason with her.During our earlier phone conversation, Ariana had told me that Elena never arrived at Naomi’s apartment. She believed I had taken Elena somewhere else, but that wasn’t
NAOMI'S POV"Are we ready to go?" David, my boyfriend, asked.He had been here for the past two hours, helping me get everything prepared for today's outing. We were supposed to spend the day with Elena on a picnic date, and I couldn't contain my excitement.Just thinking about it made me smile.There was only one thing left to wait for—Elena still hadn't arrived. Mrs. Ariana had told me she would be dropped off around nine."Wait. Elena still isn't here.""Seriously? That's strange. Have you tried calling her mother?" David suggested.I glanced at my watch and frowned when I saw that it was already one in the afternoon."You're right."I pulled up Mrs. Ariana's number from my contacts and called her. However, an automated message immediately informed me that her phone was switched off.I tried again, but the result was the same."No answer?" David asked."Looks like she's busy right now. She has a lot of orders today, so she probably hasn't had a chance to check her phone." I paused,







