Chapter 4 Are You Pregnant?
Our son was in trouble, yet here he was, all lovey dovey with Claire! How could I accept this?
“Gabrielle, calm down!” Vincent frowned, grabbing my wrist. “What happened to Toby? Tell me what’s going on?.”
“Liz just called, saying something happened to him,” I broke down in tears.
“Gabby, don’t panic. It might be a misunderstanding.” Claire said, trying to soothe me with her usual calm demeanor.
I glared at her, and she immediately looked down, uncomfortable.
In that moment, I despised her. No, I hated her.
Growing up, she was the golden child, put on a pedestal by our family while they ignored me. But 1 never hated her back then.
But now, why did she have to come back? Why was she acting so familiar with my husband?
Vincent was clearly anxious too. He tried calling Liz, but the call couldn’t get through.
“Let’s head home,” Vincent said, his face filled with concern. “Claire, Gabby and I need to check on things at home.”
He dropped the fruit basket and pulled me along.
On the way, Liz called again, explaining that her phone had malfunctioned. She told us the school had called–Toby was missing.
Panicking, I urged Vincent to drive to the school.
In the security room, the teachers showed us the surveillance footage and explained what had happened.
Toby had asked to use the bathroom that morning. He went in, but never came out.
The last footage showed Toby entering the bathroom. There were no cameras inside, of course.
The staff had searched the bathroom thoroughly but couldn’t find him.
It was like he’d vanished into thin air.
Vincent and I searched the bathroom and classrooms, calling out for him.
No response. My sweet little boy who used to call me “Mommy” was gone.
We searched the entire school but couldn’t find Toby.
How could someone just disappear? It was bizarre!
Vincent called the police, who arrived quickly. After viewing the footage, they suggested our child might have been kidnapped.
We gave our statements at the police station, not getting back to our villa until late in the evening.
I kept replaying the day’s events in my mind.
22:30
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< Chapter 4 Are You Pregnant?
A female teacher had escorted Toby to the bathroom, waiting outside for him to come out.
But he never did–he just mysteriously vanished.
Though I was devastated, I couldn’t really blame the school or teachers for the situation–it was too
strange
I clutched my head in frustration. ‘Where could Toby be? Was he really kidnapped? By whom? Why?
I collapsed onto the sofa–too exhausted to think anymore.
I was drained, but I couldn’t give up. I had to find my child!
Suddenly, my phone chimed. I locked at the screen, shocked when I saw the message. It was from
Ryan:
[Don’t worry too much about Toby. I’ll hire a private investigator to help.]
I couldn’t believe Ryan had heard about it so quickly and was offering to help.
People said he was pretty cold and distant, never involved in others‘ business.
I was confused but chalked it up to his connection with Vincent. After all, he was Vincent’s relative- maybe he was doing it for Vincent’s sake?
I quickly texted back to thank him.
I knew how well connected Ryan was. With his help, we had a better chance of finding Toby.
After I replied, I remembered what Ryan had said earlier.
“We met just last month.”
That unexpected encounter flashed in my mind, making my heart race. I didn’t want to remember it,
but…
I rubbed my temples, trying to calm my pounding heart.
Suddenly, someone hugged me from behind. I jumped, spinning around to find Vincent’s tired eyes looking back at me.
“Let go of me!” I yelled. Thinking about how cozy he’d been with Claire earlier made my stomach chum, and I struggled to break free.
As we tussled, I caught a whiff of women’s perfume on him. My stomach churned, and I shoved him away, rushing to the bathroom to throw up.
I was violently sick, emptying my stomach. Afterward, I wiped my mouth and turned to find Vincent staring at me, confused,
“Gabby, what’s wrong?” he asked, confused, “You’re not pregnant, are you?”
# 22:30
