Chapter 164
By the time I finished packing, it was already evening.
Aura insisted on sleeping with James, and I let her have her way.
After James finished reading Aura a story, he fell asleep with her without even pulling up the blanket.
I went in to cover them up, and Aura woke up.
"Mommy, you're here. Are you going to sleep with Daddy and me?"
"Mommy's just covering you up with the blanket."
I tucked them in, and Aura grabbed my hand: "Mommy, please, sleep with us. Aura can't fall asleep without you."
Looking at sleepy-eyed Aura, I smiled and tapped her little head: "You say you can't sleep, but if I hadn't come to bother you, you'd sleep through till morning."
Aura acted cute: "Mommy, please, just sleep with us."
I couldn't resist when she acted like this, so I took off my shoes, got into bed, and lay down on Aura's other side.
Aura put one arm around me and the other around James, with a big smile on her face.
I kissed her forehead: "Sweet dreams, baby."
Just like that, the three of us slept in one bed.
The next morning, when I woke up, the bed was empty.
Both James and Aura were gone.
I got up and went downstairs to see James exercising with Aura.
After the workout, we had breakfast together, then went to the hospital to see Indigo.
The doctor said Indigo's condition went up and down, and she was asleep most of the time.
James hired a professional care team to look after Indigo in shifts around the clock.
One of the caregivers, named Faye, was particularly attentive and stayed by Indigo's side almost constantly.
She always wore a mask, saying she had been disfigured in a fire and was too embarrassed to show her face.
I could occasionally see hatred in her eyes, and my gut told me something was off about her.
And her eyes looked a lot like someone else's.
Someone who had disappeared from my world four years ago.
I checked her records and found she had only started working at the Smith Mansion a year ago.
Coincidentally, a few months after she arrived, Indigo's health started getting noticeably worse.
I told James about this discovery.
"Aren't you overthinking this?" James frowned. "I've checked her background; there's nothing wrong. The doctors all said Grandma's organs are failing because of her age; it shouldn't have anything to do with her."
"But her eyes really seem so familiar..." I said. "I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."
James patted my shoulder: "Sophia, don't think too much. Let's just spend quality time with Grandma during her final days and let her leave without any worries."
I looked at his face and nodded.
Maybe I really was being paranoid.
After staying with Indigo at the hospital for two days, her condition improved a bit, and she said she wanted to go home.
We couldn't argue with her, so we could only help her with the discharge procedures.
Aura had been cooped up at home for several days and was really bored, so she kept asking to go to the amusement park.
James couldn't get away from work, and I needed to stay with Indigo, so we could only ask Andrew to take her.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Aura." Andrew held Sophia's little hand. "Aura, want to go have fun with me?"
"Yes!" Aura nodded happily.
Watching them leave, I turned to go back inside, wanting to check on Indigo.
Passing by the kitchen, I saw Faye preparing Indigo's medicine.
I came up with a plan.
I walked over and took out a bag of flour, putting it in a bowl: "Faye, do you know how to make beef noodles? Aura said she wants beef noodles, and I want to make her a bowl for when she gets back."
As I spoke, I walked toward her, and suddenly, I slipped, and the flour in the bowl flew out, landing right on Faye.
She cried out and turned around.
Flour covered her hair and shoulders, and as she instinctively brushed it off, her mask got knocked crooked.
In that instant, I saw the lower half of her face clearly—there were no burn scars at all. Her skin was smooth and intact.
And the outline of that face made my heart skip a beat.
Too similar... too similar to Amelia.
Although four years had passed, I could never forget what Amelia looked like.
Faye quickly pulled her mask back up, panic flashing in her eyes: "Ms. Brown, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, sorry for getting your clothes dirty." I steadied myself. "Go change your clothes, I'll clean up here."
"No, no, I can do it." She said quickly.
"It's okay, go change." I insisted.
She hesitated, then nodded and hurried out of the kitchen.
I watched her retreating figure, my mind full of doubts.
She wasn't disfigured, so why lie?
Could it be that she knew the lower half of her face looked like Amelia's?
I found an excuse to search Faye's room, but she was very careful—there was nothing particularly suspicious in her room.
Just a medical nursing book that looked well-worn.
That evening when James came home, I told him about it.
"You're saying she looks like Amelia?" James's expression became serious. "Amelia was arrested and sent to prison four years ago with a five-year sentence. It's not time for her release yet."
"If she's not disfigured, why lie about it and wear a mask every day?" I asked.
"Maybe she really has some reason she can't talk about." James thought for a moment. "How about this—I'll have someone look into her background more carefully. But until we know for sure, don't do anything rash, so we don't tip her off."
"Okay."
Over the next few days, I paid even closer attention to Faye's every move.
I don't know if my last test made her suspicious, but she'd been very careful these past few days, showing almost no openings.
Until one afternoon a week later.
I was talking with Indigo. Although Indigo couldn't respond, I still told her about Sophia's funny stories and my life abroad, just like always.
Suddenly, my phone rang.
I answered with a smile: "Andrew, what's up?"
"Sophia, something terrible happened!" Andrew's voice was urgent. "Aura's missing!"
My mind went completely blank. I glanced at Indigo, and to keep her from worrying, I stood up and walked out.
Only when I got downstairs did I dare speak loudly: "What do you mean missing? Weren't you at the science museum?"
"We were at the science museum. She said she wanted water, so I went to buy some. It was just a minute, and she was gone!" Andrew's voice was full of regret. "I searched everywhere nearby but couldn't find her. Sophia, I'm so sorry, I didn't watch her properly..."
My hands and feet went cold, and I could barely stand: "Did you call the police?"
"Yes, the police are checking the security footage..."
I hung up, my whole body shaking.
James had just gotten home and was startled to see me like this.
"Sophia, what's wrong?"
"Aura, Aura's missing..." My voice was trembling.
James's face changed: "What happened? Where's Andrew? How could he lose track of Aura?"
"He said he went to buy water, and when he turned around, Aura was gone..." Tears fell from my eyes. "James, what do we do? What if something happens to Aura?"
"Don't panic." James held me, his voice shaking too, but trying to stay calm. "We'll go to the science museum right away. The police are involved; they'll find Aura soon. Aura will be fine."
When we got to the science museum, the police were reviewing the security footage.
The footage showed that Aura was taken away by a woman wearing a hat and a mask.
The woman was very cautious, keeping her head down the whole time, so her face couldn't be seen clearly.