Nadine had been missing for more than twenty-four hours, and there was still nothing from the authorities about the case. Dominic had the feeling that they were not taking this with the seriousness it merited. The private detective he hired when the stalking started promised he would work harder at finding out what happened, but he had not heard back from him either. Although, if he was to wait between the police and his detective, he would go with the detective. It seemed, at least, that he was very invested in finding Nadine.

The news didn't take long to circulate that she was missing. It was all the town was talking about, so he preferred to stay within the confines of his house as he tried to think in peace. He didn't feel like stepping out to tears and pity from people he doubted cared that she was gone. He knew people didn't wish for bad things to happen to her, but with his anger, his grief, and their track record, he was sure he wouldn't believe anything anybody said. No matter how much they seemed to mean it.

Half the night he spent thinking about everyone who had a grudge against him, but most of them either had an alibi or just seemed too lazy to pull something like this off. The more he thought about it, the more it scared him that whoever it was could be a psychopath, with no grudge but a strange desire to torture them. Dominic feared that once they were done, they would move on to another person and torment their life as well. It gave him chills to think of what they might be capable of, especially with Nadine in their hands.

He had tossed around the idea until dawn, only sleeping for an hour before he woke up to the same nightmare again. His in-laws were in the house with him, they stayed waiting for news as much as he did, but nothing valid came through his doors.

Throughout the night Mrs Shearman had spoken and listened to the policemen that came to take their statements. They shared the little they knew, which rounded off to nothing, but it unsettled Mrs Shearman. What didn't please Dominic was the interest the police seemed to have in Nadine's past. The more his mother-in-law spoke, the more he could see the story storming in their heads. Nadine had disappeared before, and Dominic was confident they left his house, believing that his wife had planned her own disappearance once again.

"Coffee, sir." The maid smiled, pushing the small cup in front of him along with a plate of biscuits. "The madam would be upset when she comes back and learns that we have not been feeding you well."

Dominic laughed, accepting the coffee with an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Anna. Have you checked on our guests? Have they eaten?"

"Mrs Yuri checked on them early this morning and decided that we should take their breakfast to them instead of setting the table. No one seemed interested in stepping out to eat."

"Anyone called? Outside of my family? The police, the detective, anyone."

"No, sir."

"Thank you."

She left to continue with her work, and he moved to the study to eat his breakfast in solitude. He thought back to when Nadine told him about her life before him, right in this very study. Nadine had run away from her family when she was young because she had feared her love for them turning into hate. At the time, she thought it was the best option, and she started her life all over again, far from her family. Dominic didn't believe she did the same thing again.

He knew that Nadine was going through a rough time with her family, their lives hadn't been the best, but Nadine would never leave like that. He refused to believe it; he was waiting patiently for anyone to try and doubt that this was anything but a kidnapping. He wasn't sure what he would do, but he was certain he wouldn't sit and allow them to turn the story against her.

A knock distracted him, and he turned away from the window to see Nevaeh peeking through the partially open door.

"Please come in."

"Sorry, I hope I am not interrupting."

"No, of course not. Please, come in." She strolled in and hugged him, sighing as she took a seat on the couch. "How did you sleep."

"How did you?"

"Short."

Nevaeh nodded absently, wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes before it had a chance to slip down her face. "My mother is beside herself with grief. Fourteen years, we spent fourteen years waiting for any news about my little sister. Mother exhausted detectives, she prayed day and night and finally, we saw her again. Barely a few months, and she is gone. Once again."

"I can't imagine how you must feel."

Nevaeh laughed. "I am pretty sure that you do. My mother is wondering if you have any news from the police or the detective. She is getting herself together, so I thought I would just find out from you before she comes to join us."

"Nothing." He set the cup down on the table in front of them and twined his hands together. He rested his hands on his elbows and looked back at her. "I think, I am not sure, but I have this feeling that they believe she planned the whole thing."

Nevaeh was thrown back, but she shook her head defiantly. "What in the world would give you that idea?"

"You didn't see their faces yesterday. They were so interested in the kidnapping until your mother mentioned that she ran away from home years ago. All of a sudden, the details of an event that took place fourteen years ago became significant."

"Is that what you think they would think happened, or is it what you fear happened."

Dominic sighed. "I don't believe that Nadine would go through all this just to escape our marriage or escape anything. I am just worried that if they focus on that angle, they would never find your sister. It happens a lot with people who disappear. Sometimes they believe they are with friends or that they are left of their own free will. By the time they figure out that there is something more, the person might already be... well dead or far gone. I don't know."

"That won't happen. When my sister left the first time, it was because she was cornered. She spent months begging, pleading with my mother not to force her into marriage. Nadine, back then, Nadine didn't feel like her marriage would work as mine did. She left so she wasn't forced to live a life she would grow to hate. Here, at this moment, she is living the life she chose, not one that was forced on her. Nadine would never leave."

"Trust me, no one on this planet can convince me she left on her own. No one. I am afraid that no one else would believe it. Do you know how many people in this town have waited for us to fall apart or for something to prove that she was only in this marriage for interest? It would take one person to make a good number of the town believe that she pulled a disappearing act."

"Then forget the town. If the police or anyone else does not believe she was taken...we do. We would exhaust every resource this time, and we would not allow that anyone takes her away. My father already has pictures printed, and he plans to send them to every station and airport. We would bring her home."

Dominic rubbed his palms together, bobbing his head in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea."

"Okay. I am going to check on my mother. Please, wait for the officers to tell you what they think and don't think on their behalf. If not, you'd kill yourself with anxiety. Nadine needs all of us to be level-headed and calm."

Dominic nodded, and she smiled, embracing him one last time before rushing out the door. No one had called the house for ransom or requested anything, which strengthened Dominic's fear that there was more to everything than what he had to offer. If they didn't want money, they didn't want anything from him, and there was no possible way for him to help his wife. He didn't even know where to start or what to think.

Every question they asked him was the same, and his answers never changed. Do you know anyone with a grudge against you? No. Can you think of a reason? No. The answer was always the same.

His phone rang, and he hurried to answer.

"Hello."

"Dominic!" his mother wailed, and he sunk into one of the seats. "I have been trying to reach you all morning. I was so worried about you. Your father and I are on pins and needles over her. Please tell us how to help you, my boy. Do you need anything, anything at all? Your sisters think everyone at your house would overwhelm you, so they decided to stay back today."

"It's fine, mom. Right now, no one can do anything but wait."

"You don't mind that we are on our way, do you?"

"Of course, not ma." He pressed his forehead down on the table, using the coolness of the surface to soothe the ache that was building up. "Maybe you can keep my mother-in-law company while I go out to check on what's happening at the police station. Her daughter and grandchildren are here, but I am sure you both can find something to discuss that will distract her."

"Okay then. We would be there soon."

Dominic walked over to his drawer and pulled out the last letter that they ever received from the stalker. He sat on the couch to read again and again. The words felt new each time he went over them. The official letter was typed on a computer, printed neatly with large borders, and clear large font.

One thing was certain if one person was behind all this, they were highly intelligent. Not a single slip-up in the letters they left, the styles were never the same, and the people were always different and from other towns or at least a considerable distance from them. They were one step ahead of everything and very well-informed about his life without getting too close. Somehow, they knew about the expansion and planned the perfect moment to strike.

With so much effort for detail, Dominic feared deeply for what the endgame would look like. He wondered if they ever planned to release Nadine or if they wanted this story to end with her dying.