Chapter 156 Vanished
Chapter 156 Vanished
Sarah POV
After finalizing the details and logistics with the moving company, I headed to the testing facility to pick up the paternity results. My stomach churned with different emotions as I approached the same front desk from two days ago. The receptionist looked up from her computer with a polite smile.
"I'm here to pick up the paternity test results for Sarah Johnson." I kept my voice steady.
She typed something into her computer, then frowned. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Johnson. Our equipment had a malfunction yesterday evening. The lab technician needs to rerun some of the samples. Results will be available tomorrow morning."
My heart sank and soared simultaneously. Another day of hoping and dreading in equal measure.
"Tomorrow morning," I repeated, processing the information.
"Yes, after 8 AM. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Walking back to my car, I felt oddly relieved. Maybe I needed more time to prepare for whatever answer awaited me. My phone buzzed just as I reached the parking lot.
"Hey, Jess."
"How did it go? Do we know if Ashley is really your daughter?"
"Equipment malfunction. They need another day."
Jessica exhaled loudly. "So what now? If the test comes back positive, are you really going to go through with adopting Ashley?"
"She's... already staying with us now." I leaned against my car, suddenly exhausted.
"Wait, what?" Jessica's voice shot up an octave. "Sarah, you let her move in before getting the results? How did this even happen?"
I briefly recounted the previous evening, but she interrupted before I could finish. "Sarah, this is exactly what I was worried about. What if the test comes back negative? You're setting everyone up for heartbreak here."
"What was I supposed to do, Jessica? It was late at night, and she was just a little girl. I couldn't exactly slam the door in her face." I paused, thinking of the way Mom's eyes had lit up when she saw Ashley. "Besides, my mother seems genuinely taken with her."
"What does Michael think about all this?"
I closed my eyes. The weight of the decision pressed down on me once more. "He agreed with my decision. But honestly? I'm torn. If I bring her back, it's not fair to Michael. If I don't, and she really is my daughter... I'm abandoning her again."
"Sarah, you didn't abandon anyone the first time. You were barely surviving."
"I know, but that doesn't make this easier. Jessica, you should see how she looks at me. Like I'm everything she's been waiting for."
"What about Lily? How's she handling having another child in the house?"
I thought about the toy incident this morning, then Ashley's apparent change of heart. "They had some friction at first. But Ashley seemed to understand after I talked to her. She even picked out a gift for me when Linda took them shopping today."
"Sarah..." Jessica's voice carried a warning tone. "Be careful. Remember how Ashley exploded the other day? Don't mistake compliance for genuine change. That kind of volatility doesn't just disappear overnight."
"I'm watching her closely. Michael is, too."
"Good. Because your health needs to come first right now. The pregnancy, the stress of moving, and now this? Promise me you won't let this situation overwhelm you."
"I promise." Though even as I said it, I wondered if I could keep that promise.
Driving home to Skyline Heights, I tried to imagine how the rest of the day would unfold. Maybe Ashley and Lily were getting along better now. Maybe this evening I could sit down with Michael and really talk through what it would mean to have Ashley as part of our family.
I parked and took the elevator up, my hands full of paperwork from the moving company. Tomorrow's move felt surreal with everything else happening.
"Ashley, Lily, you two are finally back?" Mom's voice called from her bedroom as I fumbled with the keys.
I set my things down on the counter, confused. "Mom, what are you saying?"
She emerged from her room, looking surprised to see me. "Oh, Sarah! I thought you were the girls. They went next door to play quite a while ago and haven't come back yet."
Something cold settled in my stomach. I glanced toward the door, noticing the spare keys to the adjacent apartment still sitting on the hallway table.
"They haven't come back?"
"No, and I'm starting to wonder if I should check on them."
Without another word, I grabbed the keys and hurried next door. The apartment felt empty. I called their names anyway, checking every room, every closet, even the bathroom.
Nothing.
I rushed back to find Mom.
"They're not there," I said, trying to keep panic from my voice. "How long ago did they leave?"
"Maybe two hours? They were playing house in the living room, and I was so pleased to see them getting along. When they said they wanted to play next door, I was in the back room packing those fragile vases. I didn't actually see them leave." Her voice was filled with self-reproach. "Sarah, I'm so sorry. I should have been watching them more carefully. I just thought... I thought they were safe playing together."
The guilt in her tone made my chest ache, but I couldn't spare energy to comfort her right now. My fingers were already dialing Michael's number. He answered on the second ring.
"Sarah? I'm in the middle of a presentation—"
"Michael, Ashley and Lily are missing."
The line went quiet for a moment. "Missing how?"
"They told Mom they were going next door to play. That was two hours ago. They're not there, Michael. They're not anywhere in either apartment."
"I'm coming home. Check with the front desk, see if they have security footage."
The next twenty minutes felt like hours. I'd called the front desk twice, and they'd assured me they were pulling up the security feeds.
When Michael finally burst through our door, his face was pale with worry. "Any updates?"
"The security desk has footage. They're setting it up for us to review."
"Let's go."
We rode the elevator down to the security office, where Marcus reviewed the cameras with us. The timestamp showed Ashley and Lily leaving our apartment around 2:30 PM, but instead of going next door, they headed straight for the elevators.
"There," Michael pointed at the screen. "They're going down."
We followed their path through the lobby cameras, then the exterior ones. They walked toward the back of the complex, near the maintenance area and parking garage entrance.
"The camera coverage gets spotty back there," Marcus explained. "Maintenance has been meaning to install additional units."
Michael and I hurried to both areas, calling their names, checking every corner. Nothing but echoes of our increasingly desperate calls.
"Someone took them," I whispered, the reality hitting me like ice water. "Someone took our children."
Michael pulled out his phone. "I'm calling the police."
Just then, my phone rang—Mom calling.
"Sarah, there's a young man here. Says he has a message for you and Michael."
We raced back upstairs, where a teenager in a baseball cap and hoodie stood nervously in our hallway. He thrust a folded paper at Michael and turned to flee, but Michael grabbed his arm.
"Not so fast," Michael said firmly, keeping his grip. The kid struggled but couldn't break free. Michael's face went white as he read the note with his free hand. With shaking fingers, he passed it to me.
I have your children. Tonight at 10 PM, put $100,000 cash in a bag and place it in the dumpster behind Marco's Pizza on 5th Street. After you drop the money, call this number below. No police. One wrong move and your precious Ashley and Lily disappear forever.