Chapter 2 - The Search in the Dark
For forty-eight hours, David did not sleep. He operated entirely on black coffee and adrenaline. At home, he played the part of the devoted fiancé. He smiled as Chloe showed him fabric swatches for the wedding canopy. He kissed her forehead when she complained about the caterers. Every touch made his skin crawl, but he knew that confronting her now would only give her the opportunity to run.
On the third night, Marcus called at 2:00 a.m.
"We found her," Marcus said. "She's at a women's shelter on the East Side. It's a rough neighborhood, David. You shouldn't go down there alone."
"Send me the address," David demanded, already grabbing his coat.
He drove his black SUV through the rain-slicked, neon-lit streets of the city's underbelly. The shelter was a dilapidated brick building with barred windows and a flickering fluorescent sign.
When he walked into the sterile, linoleum-floored lobby, the woman at the desk looked at his bespoke Italian suit with immediate suspicion.
"I'm looking for Clara," David said, his voice trembling for the first time in years. "She has twins."
The woman's eyes narrowed. "We don't give out information on our residents, mister. Not to men in expensive suits. Especially not to them."
May you like
David pulled out his wallet, sliding a stack of hundred-dollar bills across the counter. "I am not here to hurt her. I am the father of those babies. Please. I just need to see her."
Before the woman could answer, a door down the hall opened. Clara stepped out, holding a plastic bottle of cheap formula. She froze. The bottle slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the hard floor, spilling white liquid across the linoleum.
