6
S ydney stood before the bay window, her eyes scanning the street for any sign of an approaching car, eagerly anticipating Emily’s arrival. Hours had passed since Emily had called to say she was on her way—she should have been there long ago. By nightfall, after multiple calls and messages, Sydney had no choice but to accept that Emily wasn’t coming. She figured she must have changed her mind and gone home to work things out with Gabriel.
She spent all of Sunday trying to reach her, leaving several messages but hadn’t heard back, and her concern began to grow. After bathing Kevin and tucking him into bed, her phone finally rang—it was Gabriel calling.
“Hello.”
“Hey, sorry to bother you, but Emily’s not answering her phone. She’s mad at me. I get that. I was just wondering what time you guys are coming home?”
A knot of anxiety twisted in Sydney’s stomach. “She’s not home?” her voice trembled slightly.
Gabriel’s response came quickly, laden with confusion and worry. “What do you mean? I thought she was with you?”
“Kevin got hurt. I had to leave early. I told Em to stay and enjoy the weekend,” Sydney explained. “She’s really upset with you.”
Her tone shifted dramatically as she raised her voice, anger, and disbelief spilling over. “I can’t believe you’re cheating on her with your assistant!”
“What?” Gabriel said, surprised. “She thinks I’m involved with Maggie? Why?”
“Awe, come on, Gabriel. She saw the credit card bill. She knows.”
“Look, Sydney,” Gabriel’s voice was laced with desperation. “I didn’t use the credit card. You need to trust me. I need to talk to Emily. I need to explain everything. Is she leaving me? Do you know where she is? Please, don’t cover for her.” His words came out in a rush, a frantic plea.
“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Sydney admitted. “I’m not covering for her. I’m just as worried about her as you are. I called her on Saturday morning to update her on Kevin. She sounded different, disoriented. She didn’t even know it was morning; she thought it was still nighttime. I was worried about her. I thought it was because of you. When I asked if she was okay, she mentioned something had happened but was reluctant to discuss it over the phone. She insisted on coming over to talk in person. When she didn’t show up, I assumed she had changed her mind and decided to go home.”
“Did you call her?”
“My calls are going straight to voicemail. Her phone must be turned off or dead. I can’t even track her location. What are we going to do?” Sydney asked.
“I’m going to call the hotel. Maybe she extended her stay, and she’s still there.”
“What room number were you in?”
“4101.”
“Okay, let me know what you find out.”
Gabriel hung up and immediately googled the Ritz-Carlton and placed the call.
“Ritz-Carlton. How may I assist you?” a pleasant female voice said.
“Could you please connect me with room 4101?”
“Certainly, one moment, please,” the woman said.
A moment later, the phone in room 4101 began to ring. After six rings, the woman from the desk came back on the line. “I’m sorry, sir. It seems there is no one in the room. Would you like to leave a message?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay, what is the message?”
“Please call Gabriel. It’s important.”
“Sir, are you sure you have the right room number? According to my computer, room 4101 is unoccupied.”
“Yes, that’s the correct room number. Can you tell me when they checked out?”
“Saturday.”
“Okay, thank you.”
When Gabriel hung up, he immediately texted Sydney, letting her know that the hotel had informed him that Emily had checked out on Saturday. Desperation mounting, he redialed Emily’s number and left a frantic voicemail.
“Em, it’s me,” Gabriel began, “I know you’re mad at me. We don’t have to talk about things right now. I’ll wait until you’re ready.” He paused, taking a shaky breath. “Please, just call or text to let me know you’re okay. I’m really worried about you.”
His mind raced for anything that might convince her. “Ava misses you. She keeps asking when you’re coming home, and I don’t know what to tell her.” His voice cracked with emotion. “I love you—please come home. Okay, that’s it. Bye.”
After accepting that Emily wasn’t coming home, Gabriel called Agnes to plead for her help. Agnes answered right away, surprised that Mr. Anderson was calling so late.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Agnes. I’m sorry for calling so late. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“No, it’s fine. Is everything okay, Mr. Anderson?” she asked, her curiosity piqued because Gabriel rarely called her.
Gabriel cleared his throat, his voice tinged with unease. “I was wondering if you could come over earlier tomorrow morning. Mrs. Anderson isn’t home yet. I could use some help getting the kids off to school. Would that be possible?”
“I thought she was coming home tonight?”
“Yeah, something’s come up. Can you help?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Anderson. I wish I could, but I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning.”
“Darn,” Gabriel said, his disappointment evident. “Thanks anyway. I’ll figure something out.”