Chapter 111

It's been almost a year since Miran disappeared, and every minute without news was an overwhelming weight on Morgan. He had promised Laura that he would find their son and was determined to keep that promise at any cost. Using all his contacts and every resource he had, he scoured the city for any clues, but all attempts ended in the same dead end.

The exhaustion was visible on his face, his deep-set eyes betraying sleepless nights. In addition to the anguish of not finding Miran, Morgan was still dealing with the pain of losing his daughter. Grief consumed him in silence, a torment he didn’t let others see.

At the hospital, Laura was being kept on medication, but even the sedatives couldn’t contain the fury burning inside her. She felt trapped and powerless as time passed and Miran remained missing. Every minute without news was a blow, and anger became her only constant companion.

She had already argued with the doctors, nurses, and even Fabian, who insisted on trying to calm her down. But nothing made sense to Laura. All she wanted was to leave there and search for her son on her own.

At that moment, sitting on the hospital bed, her fingers gripped the white sheet tightly. Her mind was in turmoil.

The door to the room opened, and Nona entered. Her eyes carried fatigue and concern.

"You need to calm down, Laura," she said, approaching cautiously.

Laura let out a bitter laugh.

"Calm down? My son has been missing for four days, and you want me to calm down?"

Loren sighed.

"Morgan is doing everything he can to find Miran."

"And what about me? What am I doing? Nothing!" Laura gestured, her voice filled with frustration. "I'm here, stuck in this hospital while my son might need me!"

Nona sat down next to her.

"I know it's hard, but you need to trust Morgan. He won’t stop until he finds Miran."

Laura turned her face away, holding back tears.

"I just want my son back."

Loren gently touched her hand.

"And we will bring him back. Together."

Despite all the anger and pain, Laura wanted to believe that. But deep down, the fear that it might be too late consumed her.

Laura felt a tightness in her chest. The tears escaped uncontrollably.

"He said he was going to find him... How could he lie?" Her voice sounded bitter, filled with disappointment. "He still doesn’t accept Miran as his son. He probably thinks he’s Nick's."

Fabian exchanged a serious glance with Nona. Neither of them wanted to burden Laura anymore, but she needed to know what Morgan was going through.

"My dear granddaughter, we didn’t want to make you even sadder than you already are," Nona began softly but firmly. "But Morgan is not doing well. He’s doing everything to find Miran. He’s devastated. Furthermore, he’s avoiding coming here so you won’t see that his strength is running out."

Laura shook her head in disbelief.

"Does that justify it? Just because he hasn’t found our son, he should disappear and leave me alone."

Fabian furrowed his brow, his expression hardening.

"Laura!" His voice came out firmer than he intended. "Morgan lost his daughter! That poor innocent child... she didn’t see anything of life. She won’t grow up, won’t play, and will never go to school. He’s blaming himself. He doesn’t know how to react. So please... stop."

Silence filled the room.

Laura felt a lump in her throat. For the first time, she was speechless.

Laura lowered her head, feeling the weight of Fabian’s words. The lump in her throat seemed bigger, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.

She wanted to be angry at Morgan. She wanted to hate him for leaving her alone at this moment. But... what if he was as lost as she was?

"I... I just wish he was here," her voice trembled, almost a whisper.

Nona gently squeezed her hands, trying to offer some comfort.

"I know, my dear... And I know Morgan wanted to be here too. But sometimes, when the pain is too much, people pull away because they don’t know how to move forward."

Fabian sighed, running his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.

"Morgan isn’t running from you, Laura. He’s fighting in his own way. But if he keeps going down this path..." He hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "If he keeps consuming himself like this, he might lose himself for good."

Laura looked up at Fabian, fear written on her face.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He hasn’t slept, barely eats... He’s obsessed with finding Miran, as if that’s the only way to make up for what he lost. As if saving our son is the only thing that could pull him out of this abyss."

A shiver ran through Laura’s body.

"Then he needs me," she said firmly, wiping away the tears. "He needs someone to remind him that he still has a place to return to."

Fabian and Nona exchanged a brief glance. They knew Laura was right. But they also knew reaching Morgan in this state wouldn’t be easy.

"And what do you plan to do?" Nona asked softly.

Laura took a deep breath, as if gathering all the strength she had left.

"Bring him back."

With eyes filled with determination, Laura turned to Fabian and Nona and said, in a calmer but still firm voice:

"I’m not waiting any longer. We need the doctor to come here and discharge me. I need to go after Morgan now."

Nona looked at her with concern, trying to gauge her words, but she knew she couldn’t stop Laura from doing what she felt was necessary. Fabian, on the other hand, seemed more cautious.

"Laura, you’re still fragile. You need rest. You can’t just go out there without medical care."

Laura took a deep breath, her hand resting on her chest, where the weight of the pain still lingered, but not enough to stop her.

"I know I’m not 100%, but this is more important. Morgan is falling apart, and I can’t just sit here waiting for him. I need to help him, Fabian."

Fabian watched her in silence for a moment before sighing. He knew Laura was right in her heart, but the risk she was taking by leaving so soon after being sick worried him.

"I’ll call the doctor, then," he said with a sigh, grabbing his phone. "But you have to promise me you’ll be careful, Laura. I can’t let you hurt yourself even more."

Laura nodded, a resolute look on her face. She couldn’t wait any longer; she knew time was running out, and every moment without Morgan felt like an eternity. She needed to be by his side so that, together, they could face the pain that consumed them both.