Below it were three stick figures holding hands and smiling.
I stared at those stick figures, unable to speak. The glass of milk slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor, milk splashing everywhere.
The open window and the note said it all.
My son had run away from home.
CHAPTER 15
SERENITY KELLER
Iclosed the café door and hung up the Temporarily Closed sign.
When I turned around, Arian was sitting in a chair, eating his sandwich and drinking his milk. He noticed me watching and looked up, breadcrumbs still on his lips, and then he immediately flashed me a big smile.
Warmth and tenderness washed over me. I wished time could freeze in this moment, letting me enjoy this precious time with my child forever.
But reason told me it was impossible. I couldn't reveal who I was to him.
"Did that uncle leave?"
Arian asked when I walked back to his table.
I nodded. "Yes, he's gone."
Frank had barely smiled when he left. He must have been upset. I had not only rejected his suggestion to contact Arian's parents immediately, but I had also given him no answer to his proposal.
I would apologize to him next time we met. Right now, I had more important things to focus on.
After all, Arian's sudden appearance was full of questions.
Tara wasn't anywhere near Vernal pack territory. How had a four-year-old made it here alone? Had Elias discovered my whereabouts and brought him, or was this just a coincidence?
These questions made it impossible to think about how to handle Frank. I sat down across from Arian. "Can we talk, Arian?"
Arian immediately set down his sandwich. "Of course! What do you want to ask?"
His well-behaved manner made me reach out and pat his head. Then I tried to sound casual as I asked, "You said you came out to find your mommy. What does that mean? Do you know where your mommy went?"
"Yes." Arian nodded. "Mommy went to heaven! That's what Daddy said."
I froze, then understood. This was probably Elias's gentle way of explaining my death. So he didn't know I was still alive…
But just as I thought that, Arian added, "But I think he's lying."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because he's still looking for Mommy," Arian said matter-of-factly. "He didn't tell me, but I know. Every year he sends Uncle Herman to search along a big river for Mommy. If Mommy were really in heaven, why would he keep looking on the ground? So he must be lying!"
I was stunned.
Elias was looking for me? For four years, he had been searching along the river without giving up?
But why?
If he already believed I was dead, why keep searching? When Liv "died" back then, he hadn't gone this far. I couldn't understand.
Arian pressed his small hands together and fidgeted with his fingers. His tone was firm, showing maturity beyond his years. "So I want to help Daddy find Mommy too. I'll look in the places he hasn't searched. As long as I keep following the big river downstream, I'll find Mommy!"
