73| The Frantic Search

Sophie had just delivered a fresh bouquet of flowers to the local grocery store owner, a kind man who always enjoyed a good chat.

They stood by the counter for a few minutes, exchanging pleasantries about the weather and the new seasonal produce he had in stock.

Sophie reached into her pocket, intending to check the time, only to realize her phone was dead.

Right.

She hadn't charged it last night—understandable, considering how she'd gotten heavily drunk.

Her eyes flicked to the old analog clock on the grocery store wall. The second hand wasn't moving.

"Your clock is broken," she commented absentmindedly.

The older man with kind eyes, chuckled. "Yeah, it's been stuck like that for months. Do you need to know the time?"

Sophie hesitated before offering him a sheepish smile. "Yes, please."

He glanced at his phone. "Just after eleven."

"Thanks," she said, returning his smile.

He offered to let her charge her phone at the store, but she waved it off. No need.

She was close to the Sinclair estate anyway. She could charge it once she got there. Evelyn would likely be waiting for her with tea and warm conversation.

With that, she waved goodbye, climbed back into the flower shop van, and pulled onto the road.

As she drove, she hummed softly to herself, her thoughts drifting.

She had actually said it.

The words I love you had been on the tip of her tongue for so long.

And last night, she had finally let them spill.

Sophie sighed, gripping the wheel tighter as a mix of emotions bubbled up inside her.

What was she supposed to do when Ethan took care of her like that?

The frustrating thing about him was how impossible he was to stay mad at.

The way he looked at her—like she was the only thing in the world he needed to breathe, live, survive.

How was she supposed to resist that? How was she supposed to protect herself?

No.

She wasn't going to let herself get lost in him again.

Not until she knew for sure that he wouldn't let her drown.

Sophie shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

Then she saw it.

The cars behind her weren't passing.

They weren't slowing.

They were following her.

Too close.

Sophie's fingers clenched tighter around the wheel, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Maybe it was just a coincidence.

She stole another glance in the rearview mirror.

Maybe she was just overthinking it.

But then—one car sped up, closing the distance.

A second later, another shifted lanes, cutting off the other side of the road.

Her stomach dropped.

They were boxing her in.

Her breathing turned shallow.

Cold dread seeped into her bones as she scanned the road ahead. There was nowhere to turn off—just a long, empty stretch of pavement with no sign of an escape.

Sophie swallowed, forcing herself to stay calm. Think.

She pressed her foot down harder on the gas, gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles ached. Maybe if she sped up, she could find an opening, a way to—

A black SUV swerved sharply in front of her.

Sophie's pulse skyrocketed.

She slammed the brakes.

The tires screeched.

The van lurched forward, jerking violently as it skidded to an abrupt stop.

Her heart pounded in her ears, her breaths coming fast and uneven.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

Doors slammed. Footsteps.

They were getting out.

They were coming.

Panic exploded in her chest.

Sophie's shaking hands fumbled for the lock—

But she was too slow.

The driver's side door was yanked open, and one of them grabbed her arm, pulling her out with rough force.

"Let go of me!" Sophie screamed, struggling, kicking, thrashing.

But there were too many of them.

Someone shoved her.

She fell.

The back of her head hit the pavement, hard.

Pain exploded in her skull. A white-hot, blinding ache.

Her vision blurred. The world spun.

Darkness crept in at the edges of her sight.

Somewhere above her, a voice cursed angrily.

"You idiot, we're not supposed to harm her!"

Sophie barely registered the words before everything went black.

********

Ethan drove with white-knuckled intensity, the world outside a blur of trees and asphalt as he pushed the car to its limits. His mind raced with fear and desperation, every second feeling like an eternity.

He could barely breathe.

As he rounded a bend, something caught his eye on the side of the road.

Sophie's flower shop van.

His heart skipped a beat.

Slamming on the brakes, the car screeched to a halt just ahead of the van. He barely threw it into park before jumping out, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he sprinted toward it.

The van was empty, the doors slightly ajar. The keys were still in the ignition, and Sophie's purse lay on the seat, her phone dead beside it. The sight of it all sent a cold shiver down his spine.

His breath came in shallow gasps as he scanned the area, his pulse hammering in his ears.

"Where are you, Sophie?" he muttered under his breath, fear clawing at his chest.

He yanked his phone from his pocket, quickly dialing Jessica.

"Jessica, I found Sophie's van. It's abandoned on the side of the road, about ten miles from my family's house. Her stuff is still here, but she's gone," he said, his voice shaking.

Jessica's voice was sharp and alert. "I'm on it, Ethan. I'll alert the authorities and send the Sinclair bodyguards immediately. Stay put until they get there."

"No," Ethan snapped. "There's no time to wait. I'm going to look for her. Tell the guards to meet me here."

Before she could protest, he ended the call and began searching the area, his eyes darting frantically in every direction.

The road was eerily quiet. No signs of struggle. No tire marks. No footprints.

Nothing.

But that did little to calm his fraying nerves.

Think, think.

The fear was creeping in now, suffocating. He tried to push it down, but the longer Sophie was missing, the harder it became.

Then, just as despair threatened to overwhelm him—

A faint, desperate cry.

Ethan froze.

The sound was almost lost beneath the noise of passing cars and the wind rustling through the trees. But he heard it.

That voice.

He'd know it anywhere.

His blood turned to ice.

"Sophie!" he shouted, his body moving before his mind could even catch up.

He sprinted toward the sound, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. The cries were coming from a nearby alley, tucked away just off the main road.

His feet pounded against the pavement as he pushed his way into the narrow, dimly lit passage, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he navigated the twists and turns.

"Sophie, where are you?" His voice echoed off the brick walls, his desperation growing with every passing second.

The cries grew louder.

Filled with fear.

Filled with pain.

They tore through him like a blade, spurring him forward, his legs moving faster than they ever had before.

Then—

He turned the last corner.

And he saw her.

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