Chapter 250

Annie's POV

"Lucy's alreaddy been picked up?" Ms. Wilson's words hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. my voice rising sharply with surprise.

An indescribable premonition instantly crawled over my entire body.I desperately tried to suppress the tremor in my voice: "How is that possible?Who took her?"

Ms. Wilson's face was filled with confusion. "I'm not sure. I thought Mr.and Mrs. Parker came for her. When I saw Lucy wasn't in the waiting area,I assumed she'd been picked up by family."

I exchanged a glance with Howard, seeing the same unease flickering in his eyes. "Lucyy wouldn't leave with anyone unauthorized," his voice was low and firm. but I could sense the anxiety hidden beneath his calm exterior. "She knows the rules."

"I need to see the security footage immediately," Howard told Ms. Wilson,his voice carrying an undeniable authority.

We followed Ms. Wilson briskly to the monitoring room, each second of delay making my heart race faster. On the screen, Lucy had indeed gone to the waiting area after school but left the frame without staying long.

"I need to make a call," Howard said,pulling out his phone and activating the speaker. When Edward Parker's voice came through, my heart nearly stopped.

"Edward, did you and Eleanor pick up Lucy today?" Howard asked directly.

"No." Edward's voice reflected obvious confusion. "We had no plans to pick her up today. What's wrong? Has something happened?"

In the background. Eleanor's worried voice came through: "Is everything okay? Is Lucy alright?"

My blood seemed to freeze in my veins, a suffocating fear gripping my throat. Howard responded quickly: "It's probably just a misunderstanding.We'll get back to you soon."

After hanging up, Howard and I exchanged a look, able to read the fear in each other's eyes without words. Lucy, my little angel, where was she? The thought that she might be alone, frightened, or worse,made my heart feel like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand.

"We need to split up and search," Howard's voice broke through my panic."You ask other parents, I'll check the rest of the school."

I nodded, forcing myself to pull it together. Just then, a familiar figure entered-Penny and her mother Sue.

"Annie!" Sue waved, her smile bright, clearly unaware of what was happening. "You're late today."

I rushed over to them, my voice trembling with urgency: "Sue,did Penny see Lucy today?"

Sue's smile froze as she sensed the distress in my voice: "What's wrong? Is Lucy missing?"

Penny tilted her head in thought, her golden curls swaying gently:"I played with Lucy today! After class, she went to the waiting area first,then we played together at the playground for a while."

I immediately crouched down to Penny's eye level,trying not to frighten her: "Then what? How long did you play? When did Lucy leave?" I struggled to keep my voice steady, but each word felt like it was being squeezed from a taut string.

Penny furrowed her small brow, her expression turning serious:"We played on the swings for a bit, then I went to get a snack my mom packed.When I came back. Lucy wasn't there anymore. I thought someone had picked her up."

Howard and I exchanged another glance before he asked1,"Can you show us this playground? Where you were playing?"

Following Penny to the playground, the evening sunlight cast a golden glow over the entire area, the swings gently swaying in the evening breeze.Under different circumstances, it would have been a beautiful scene, but now, the empty playground sent a chill through me.

Fighting back tears, I checked every possible corner-behind the slide,under the climbing frame,among the bushes-but found no trace of Lucy.My heartbeat thundered in my ears, my hands trembling slightly with fear.

"Lucy wouldn't leave on her own," Howard repeated, his expression tense like a string about to snap. "She knows the rules."

Just then, a uniformed man approached us, his eyes reflecting our anxiety."Excuse me,have you seen Brian Baker? I'm Mitchell, Brian's driver.He should have been waiting here for me."

The unease in my heart instantly expanded into undeniable fear. Lucy and Brian, two children, missing simultaneously? This couldn't possibly be coincidence.

"No, we haven't seen Brian," I heard myself answer, my voice barely recognizable.

Mitchell observed our anxious expressions, seemingly realizing he had interrupted something important. "Sorry to bother you," he said quietly,his gaze moving between Howard and me. "I see you're concerned about something too. I'll continue looking elsewhere."

He nodded politely and quickly left, leaving us to continue searching the empty playground. I exchanged a look with Howard, seeing my own fear reflected in his eyes. Just then, my phone suddenly rang,displaying an unknown number.

My finger hesitated for a second before pressing answer. "Hello?"

"Annie Baker." a chillingly familiar voice came from the other end-Sarah Johnson. "You must be worried about Lucy. Don't worry, she's with me.Brian is here too."

Her words felt like ice water poured over my head. My body instantly went numb,with only fear coursing through me like an electric current."Sarah? What are you saying? Give Lucy back to me!" My voice broke with fear and anger.

Howard immediately moved closer to hear the call.

"Don't rush, Annie," Sarah's voice carried a sickening smugness. "If you want to see Lucy again, do exactly as I say. You and Howard need to split up now. You go to the abandoned factory on Fifth Street in Brooklyn, and Howard goes to the old pier in northern Long Island. Remember,don't tell anyone, and don't call the police, or... I can't guarantee what will happen to these children. You have one hour,"

The call suddenly ended, leaving us standing there, too shocked to move.I felt as if my soul had been pulled from my body, leaving only an empty shell filled with fear and despair.

"Who was it? What do they want?" Howard's voice was hoarse and low,his eyes flashing with dangerous light.

My hands trembled so much I could barely hold the phone: "It was Sarah...she said she's kidnapped Lucy and Brian. She wants us to go to different places... if we tell anyone or call the police,she'll hurt the children."

Howard's first instinct was to reach for his phone: "I'm calling security right now-"

"No!" I grabbed his arm, my nails nearly digging into his skin. "She said if we tell anyone,she'll hurtLucy and Brian. We can't risk it!"

I saw the struggle on Howard's face, his expression caught between anger and fear. "This is clearly a trap, Annie. She's separating us for a reason."

"I know," my voice was barely audible, "but we have no choice. It's Lucy...and Brian."

My heart ached at mentioning Brian's name. Despite my marriage to Philip being over, despite Brian having been turned against me by Sarah,he was still the child I had raised in my arms, my son whom I would always love.

Howard gripped my hand tightly, his palm warm and firm."Listen,we'll split up as she says, but I won't let you face danger alone."

He quickly sent a text: "I just notified Susan. I didn't explain the situation,just told her to have necessary support ready. If anything happens, just send your location."

I nodded, forcing myself to breathe deeply, trying to calm the fear churning inside me. "One hour. We need to move quickly."

As we hurried toward the parking lot, the evening breeze brushed my cheeks with early autumn coolness. I looked back at the empty playground.the swings still gently swaying in the wind, as if silently calling for the children who were no longer there.

"Lucy, mommy's coming to save you," I silently promised,while praying this wouldn't be the last time I saw this world, saw Howard, saw the happiness we had just begun to build.