Page 20 of He Doesn't Deserve You

“Okay, I’m going to stay out here for a little longer. Goodnight, Em.”

“Goodnight,” Emily said softly as she walked to the sliding glass door and opened it. Once inside, she paused, her fingers brushing against her lips as she replayed the moment in her mind. The kiss had been sweet and unexpected. She and Roman had been friends for years and she had never considered him in that light before. Maybe, once this whole ordeal was over, she could explore the possibility of having something more with him.

She entered the bedroom, stripped down to her bra and panties, and slipped into bed beside Ava. Despite her exhaustion, sleep eluded her. Her mind was racing with thoughts and emotions that refused to be quieted.

11

Gabriel sat in the police station chair, his knee bouncing up and down with nervous energy. He had been waiting for over thirty minutes when a detective finally approached him.

“Mr. Anderson?” the detective inquired, extending his hand. “I’m Detective Johnson. I’ll take your report if you follow me to the back.”

Gabriel stood and trailed the detective through the bustling police station. Arriving at the detective’s desk, he took a seat, trying to steady his nerves.

Detective Johnson settled into his chair, looked Gabriel in the eye, and said, “I understand you’re here to report that your wife has been kidnapped.”

Gabriel’s voice trembled as he replied, “Yes, and my daughter too.”

“Okay,” Detective Johnson said, logging into his computer. When did this kidnapping take place?”

“An hour ago,” Gabriel replied.

“What are your wife and daughter’s names?”

“Emily and Ava Anderson. My wife is Emily.”

“All right,” the detective said, typing their names into the computer. He then looked up at Gabriel, his expression serious. “Did you witness the kidnapping?”

“Yes,” Gabriel replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Okay. I need you to tell me everything that happened, in as much detail as possible. Don’t leave anything out, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem.”

“All right,” Gabriel began, taking a deep breath. “This morning, when I dropped my daughter off at preschool, I accidentally left her lunch in the car. The school called to inform me, and I assured them I’d bring it in before lunchtime. But they told me my daughter wasn’t there when I arrived.”

“So, someone took your daughter from the preschool without your permission?” Detective Johnson raised an eyebrow, clearly concerned. “Why didn’t you call the police immediately? We would have come straight to the scene and taken your report. What’s the name of the preschool? They should have security footage.”

“Not exactly,” Gabriel clarified, his voice trembling slightly. “The person who took her was authorized. It was my wife.”

Detective Johnson looked puzzled. “Wait, your wife took your daughter? Are you divorced?”

“No,” Gabriel replied.

“Separated?”

“No, we’re still together,” Gabriel explained, worry deepening in his eyes.

“What are we doing here, Mr. Anderson?”

“I know this sounds crazy, but something is wrong. I swear,” Gabriel said, his voice filled with urgency. “My wife went out of town with her friend Sydney on Friday night. I started to worry when she didn’t come home by Sunday evening. I called Sydney, who told me she had a family emergency and had to return home on Friday evening. According to Sydney, my wife called her on Saturday morning, sounding upset. She said something happened, and she was coming over to talk, but she never showed up.”

“Go on,” Detective Johnson urged him.

“No one has heard from her since then. Her phone goes straight to voicemail. It must be turned off because I can’t track her location either, Gabriel said, his worry evident. “The preschool told me that my wife and daughter had just left. I ran outside and saw them getting into a strange car.” He reached into his front pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. “I managed to get the license plate.” He handed the paper to the detective, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Accepting the paper from Gabriel, Detective Johnson looked him in the eyes and said, “I have to be honest with you, Mr. Anderson. Based on what you’ve told me, I haven’t heard anything that constitutes a crime.” Studying Gabriel’s face he asked, “Was the person driving the car a male, by any chance?”

“Yes, but…”

Detective Johnson’s gaze softened with sympathy. “I know this might be hard to accept, but it’s possible that your wife left you.”

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