Chapter 66 Chapter Sixty-six

Chapter 66 Chapter Sixty-six
Chapter 66

The first forty-eight hours following Lucy’s disappearance were unlike anything the Cross estate had ever experienced.

She barely ate. She barely slept. Every few minutes, she would look up and ask the same desperate question: "Any news?"

And every single time, the answer remained a devastating, "No, ma'am." Each repetition chipped away at whatever hope she had left.

Damian had spared absolutely no expense. Within an hour of receiving the initial distress signal, every available member of his private security network had been deployed across the city. They pulled security footage from surrounding streets, reviewed traffic cameras, and systematically questioned potential witnesses. Before sunrise on the first day, the van used in the abduction was found abandoned in a nearby industrial neighborhood.

The breakthrough finally came on the morning of the third day.

It wasn't a ransom demand or a voice-distorted threat. Instead, the call came from a small farming community nearly two hours outside the city limits. An elderly couple, walking out to their fields just before dawn, had discovered a young woman lying unconscious near an abandoned roadside chapel. She had no ID on her, only a scattering of bruises and a silver bracelet engraved with the name Lucy.

Within ten minutes, Damian’s private helicopter was clearing the pad. Aria had insisted on joining him.

"No," Damian had said immediately, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"I'm coming."

"You're still recovering, Aria."

"I don't care."

He stared at her for a long, heavy moment, reading the unyielding defiance in her expression, before finally offering a reluctant nod. "Stay right beside me."

"I will."

The rural clinic was incredibly small, just six patient rooms, a single doctor, and two nurses.

The elderly physician met them right outside the entrance. "You must be Mr. Cross," he said, adjusting his glasses.

Damian gave a sharp nod. "How is she?"

"Physically... she’s going to recover," the doctor replied.

The relief hit Aria so hard her eyes instantly flooded with tears. "Can we see her?"

The doctor offered a gentle, reassuring smile. "She’s still under, but yes. Follow me."

In Room Three, Lucy lay beneath a thin, faded white blanket. Bruises ringed her wrists, a small laceration marked her temple, and deep shadows ringed her eyes. She looked completely spent, but her chest rose and fell in a steady, peaceful rhythm.

Aria pressed both hands over her mouth, a sob escaping her throat. "Oh, Lucy..."

She rushed to the side of the bed, carefully taking her friend’s hand. It was warm and real. The tears Aria had spent days holding back finally spilled over. "I'm so sorry," she whispered fiercely, squeezing her hand. "I'm so, so sorry."

Damian stayed back by the door, silently giving them space. Even he couldn't deny the profound wave of relief washing through him. She was alive, and under the circumstances, that felt like nothing short of a miracle.

The doctor stepped up quietly to explain their findings. "She was severely dehydrated and heavily sedated when she came in."

"Any permanent damage?" Damian asked, his analytical mind already shifting gears.

The doctor shook his head. "No broken bones, and no signs of prolonged physical trauma. Frankly, whoever left her out there wanted her to be found quickly."

Damian's brows furrowed. It didn't add up. If their goal was to eliminate a witness or send a message, why leave her alive? The question hung heavily in the sterile air, unanswered.

\---

An hour later, Lucy finally began to stir.

It started with a slight twitch of her fingers, followed by a faint line creasing her brow. Aria noticed instantly. "Damian..."

He stepped forward as the monitors shifted rhythm. Lucy turned her head slowly, a faint groan escaping her lips as the morning light filtering through the window forced her to squint. Everything felt incredibly heavy, her eyelids, her limbs, even the simple act of drawing breath.

"Easy," a voice murmured.

Lucy recognized it immediately. She turned her head, her vision clearing to find Aria hovering over her. For a long second, neither of them said a word.

Then, a weak smile touched Lucy's lips. "You look terrible."

Aria let out a watery, breathless laugh before breaking down again. "Oh, thank God." She leaned down, wrapping Lucy in the gentlest embrace she could manage. "I thought... I thought I lost you."

Lucy slowly brought her arm up, resting her hand on Aria's back. "I'm okay."

"You terrified me."

"I know."

Damian moved closer to the bedside. "You had half the state looking for you."

Lucy shifted her gaze to him. "But you found me."

"We weren't ever going to stop."

Her smile widened just a fraction. "I figured."

The doctor stepped back into the room, looking relieved to see his patient sitting up. "How are we feeling, young lady?"

Lucy thought about it for a second. "My head is pounding."

"Perfectly normal given the sedatives," the doctor said. He walked her through a quick neurological check, shining a penlight in her eyes and tracking her pupils. "Let's do some simple data points. What's your name?"

"Lucy."

"Do you know what day it is?"

She hesitated, a frown crossing her face. "I... I have no idea."

"That's completely fine," he reassured her with a warm nod. "Do you know where you are?"

"A hospital?"

"A small rural clinic outside the city. Your memory will patch itself back together over the next couple of days."

Lucy stayed quiet for a moment before voicing the one thought they were all tracking. "What actually happened?"

The room went completely still. Aria glanced over her shoulder at Damian, who kept his eyes on the doctor. Finally, Aria squeezed Lucy's hand tightly. "You were taken, Lucy. Kidnapped."

Lucy closed her eyes, and small, jagged fragments of the memory began to click into place. The van door sliding open. The struggle. The sheer panic. "I fought them."

A faint, prideful smile touched Damian's face. "So we gathered. One of the men we picked up later needed a dozen stitches across his cheek. Another had a fractured nose. Even blind-sided, you didn't make it easy on them."

Lucy let out a soft, exhausted sigh. "I don't really remember anything after they pinned me down."

"You don't need to right now," Aria said softly, brushing a strand of hair from Lucy's face. "Just rest."

Lucy looked at her best friend, the exhaustion apparent in her eyes, but managed a tiny smirk. "I told you I'd be back before lunch."

Aria laughed through her tears, wiping her face. "You were just... a little late."

For the first time in days, the suffocating tension broke, replaced by the quiet sound of genuine relief.