Chapter 3

Mom filled Dad in on what had happened, especially how I'd refused to let Mike take Jocelyn.

Dad frowned. "We can feed the baby ourselves. You can go take care of something else for now."

His voice was gentle, but his tone left no room for argument.

Mike's face twitched, and for a second, his expression nearly cracked. He forced a dry smile.

"Sir, your wife just gave birth. Breastfeeding can take a lot out of her, so it would be better if I—"

"That won't be necessary."

Dad cut him off again, his eyes turning wary.

Mom held me in one arm and kept her other hand on Jocelyn's swaddle, making it clear that Mike could leave.

Mike's gaze lingered on Jocelyn for a few seconds. Curled up in Mom's arms, I could tell from his eyes that he wasn't ready to give up.

Then he turned and walked out.

I leaned close to Mom's ear and whispered, "I'm scared, Mommy."

Mom took off my shoes and pulled me into her arms to comfort me.

Dad sat back down on the couch without a word, keeping his eyes on Jocelyn and me.

"Don't be scared," Mom said.

Seeing the warmth in Mom and Dad's eyes, I finally relaxed. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier until they finally slipped shut.

I felt relieved. This time, no one was going to steal Jocelyn away.

I didn't wake until the sun was already high the next morning. The moment I opened my eyes in Mom's arms, I looked for Jocelyn.

But she was gone.

I stood on the bed, my face draining of color as tears streamed down my cheeks. "Jocelyn's gone!"

My crying woke Mom and Dad.

The moment Mom saw the empty spot beside her, her eyes turned red. "Where's Jocelyn? Where did she go?"

Dad's hands were shaking too. "When did I fall asleep? I wasn't even trying to sleep..."

The last thing he remembered was the night before.

After Mike left, Mom had fallen asleep with me in her arms. Dad stayed on the couch, determined to watch over us until morning.

Then, without warning, his eyelids grew heavy, and his thoughts turned hazy. When he woke up, Jocelyn was gone.

Panic and despair filled his voice. "Honey, stay calm. The hospital has security cameras. Jocelyn's going to be okay."

Mom collapsed onto the bed, breathing hard and trembling all over.

The scene was painfully familiar. It took me back to the day Jocelyn disappeared in my previous life.

Mom had cried so hard she could barely see, slapping herself over and over. Dad had held her tightly, his face as white as a sheet. I had huddled in a corner, terrified, doing nothing but cry.

This time, Dad was the one blaming himself, but otherwise nothing had changed.

Even after getting a second chance, was I really going to fail to protect Jocelyn again?

Hospital security arrived within minutes. Dr. Telfer, the hospital director, showed up with Mom's attending physician and several nurses. Soon, the room was packed.

The commotion had even drawn relatives of patients from other floors.

Dad demanded, "Who was on duty last night? What happened to the security cameras? Where is my daughter?"

Sweat beaded across Dr. Telfer's forehead.

One of the security guards went pale. "Mr. Cooper, the security cameras went down last night. We're still trying to figure out what happened."

Dad was livid. "You people are useless!"

Relatives of other patients gathered in the hallway, whispering among themselves.

"I heard a newborn went missing. A baby girl."

"What kind of parents can't even keep track of their own child?"

"Exactly. And they're rich, too. Now they're crying over it?"

The color slowly drained from Mom's face as she listened. Her lips trembled, and her nails dug into her palms until they bled.

Dad swayed on his feet, then slapped himself hard across the face. The sharp crack silenced the entire hallway for a moment.

Inside the room, Mom sobbed while Dad blamed himself. The doctors and nurses were tense, and the onlookers watched coldly as one mocking comment after another came our way.

I stood in the corner with tears streaming down my face, completely lost and with no idea what to do.