The worst thing Emily could imagine had just happened.
After getting up, Emily started packing her clothes. So much had gone down lately; she needed to see Lisa.
Emily thought, 'It's been a while, Lisa should've cooled off by now.'
When Emily got to the apartment, she climbed the stairs, thinking about how to convince Lisa to go to rehab. But when she knocked on the door, no one answered.
She pulled out her phone and called Lisa, but still, no answer.
'Maybe Lisa's still mad at me,' Emily thought as she turned to leave. Before she could get out of the building, she bumped into Carol, who was just back from grocery shopping.
"Emily, you're back! Come on in! Lisa left the keys with me."
"The keys?"
Confused, Emily followed Carol into the apartment.
Carol handed her a set of keys and a letter.
"Emily, your mom's been having a tough time. She didn't want to drag you into it. The day you left, she regretted it. She regrets hurting you with her words."
Emily forced a smile, "Carol, I get it."
With the keys and letter in hand, Emily opened the door to her home.
Sunlight streamed into the living room, and Emily felt a sudden sense of peace looking at the familiar decorations.
She sat quietly on the sofa and opened the letter.
Lisa: [Emily, by the time you read this, I'll be in rehab. Don't worry, Patrick's already paid for it. He told me everything about you two, and I misunderstood. I'm sorry. Emily, my dear, you've been through so much. You and Gordon are all I have left. I've thought a lot and decided I can't go on like this. Please trust me this time! Take care of Gordon and yourself. I'll always love you.]
Holding the letter, Emily curled up on the sofa.
Did she really misunderstand Patrick? She wasn't sure. But right now, she felt a bit grateful to him for at least helping her keep a good image in front of Lisa.
While she was still mulling over the letter, her phone rang.
She glanced at the screen—it was a call from the special school. Her heart skipped a beat, a sense of dread washing over her.
The teacher's voice sounded anxious, "Is this Emily? I'm Gordon's teacher. I'm sorry to bother you, but I have to tell you something. Gordon is missing!"
Emily's heart tightened, she could almost hear her own heartbeat. She tried to stay calm and asked, "How did this happen? Wasn't he supposed to be at school?"
"He was supposed to be. But this afternoon, there was a special donation event at Seaside Splash Park, and they went there. We counted the students before leaving, but when we got back, Gordon was missing. We contacted the park staff, checked surveillance, and confirmed he got on the bus, but we couldn't find him on the playground or campus." The teacher's voice was filled with guilt.
Emily couldn't listen anymore. She hung up, grabbed her car keys, and rushed out. She had only one thought—to find Gordon!
She drove straight to the special school, her heart pounding, and rushed in to see teachers and staff frantically searching.
"Emily, you're here. We've reported it to the police, they'll be here soon. Don't worry, we'll figure this out together," the teacher said, hurrying over to her.
Emily nodded, trying to keep it together. She started searching every corner of the campus, calling out Gordon's name, hoping he'd hear her and respond.
As time ticked by, Emily's anxiety grew. She had no idea where Gordon could be or if he was in danger.
Just then, her phone rang again. It was Marlon.
"Emily, I heard about Gordon. I'm on my way. Don't worry, we'll find him together." Marlon's voice was urgent but comforting.
Emily felt a warmth in her heart and said, "Okay."
Marlon arrived quickly, and together they continued the search. They asked everyone who might have seen Gordon but got no useful info.
As the sky darkened, Emily's calm started to crack. She grabbed the teacher's hand, not caring about her image, and asked, "Could Gordon still be at Seaside Splash Park?"
"Emily, since Gordon was seen getting on the bus in the surveillance footage, he must have come back. Don't worry, I also contacted Seaside Splash Park, and the video feedback will be here soon." Marlon gently patted her shoulder.
"Let's think again, what are the places that are most likely to be overlooked?" Marlon asked the teacher and staff.
"We've searched everywhere we could," the young teacher said, her voice trembling.
Just then, the staff from Seaside Splash Park sent over the video footage. In the surveillance video, Gordon did get on the bus, followed closely by a slender woman.
"Wait, who is this?" The young teacher pointed to the person behind Gordon in the video.
Emily and Marlon exchanged shocked looks.
"No, she's not from our school!" the young teacher exclaimed, showing the phone to the principal.
The principal tried to zoom in, but the person was wearing sportswear, sunglasses, and a mask, making it hard to identify. "Could it be a human trafficker?!"
Emily, Marlon, and the school staff were speechless for a moment.
Just when despair was about to set in, a faculty member scrolled through the video, stared at Gordon for a while, and said, "In the afternoon, I think I saw this boy running into the storage room behind the teaching building."
Emily and Marlon were overjoyed at the news. Without hesitation, they rushed to the storage room.
The door was tightly closed. Emily pushed it open, and a musty smell hit her.
They looked around and suddenly saw a familiar figure crouched in the corner, looking scared.
Without a second thought, Emily ran over, hugged Gordon tightly, tears streaming down her face.
"Gordon, you scared me! If something happened to you, what would I do?" Emily cried.
Gordon looked at her blankly.
"How did you end up here?" Emily asked anxiously.
But Gordon, out of fear, resisted, broke free from Emily, and ran out.
Seeing this, Marlon quickly went after him.
Marlon caught up, held Gordon in his arms, and gently comforted him, trying to calm him down.
After some effort, they finally managed to soothe Gordon.
Emily gently stroked his head, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. I won't ask anymore, don't be afraid. Let's go home now, right now."
On the way home, Marlon tried to ask Gordon what happened, but he stayed silent. Emily, afraid that pressing too hard would cause more harm, interrupted Marlon's questioning.
"I thought it was Emily, so I waited," Gordon blurted out sporadically.
"Me?"
Emily and Marlon looked at each other, confused.