We’d started to watch a movie together because we were now both wide awake. I also remember that he was unable to sit still, like something was troubling him. I figured it had to do with work.
Thirty minutes later, exhaustion caught up with me again and I went to bed.
Even though it was late, Gabriel said he had an urgent report to write that he had forgotten about and would work in the library.
At some point while I slept, I thought I heard the front door closing, but I didn’t wake up again until two hours later.
That’s when Gabriel woke me up to let me know that Scarlett had called to tell us that Sadie was missing. The moment my heart shattered, and nothing would ever be the same again.
After the stay at the camp, Sadie and Scarlett were meant to join us for a few days before we all returned home. We knew from Scarlett that Sadie was being bullied by some kids in her class, so we came before they checked into the camp, letting her know that we were close in case she needed us.
In addition to the bullying, for months she’d been testing limits, slamming doors, hurling “I hate you” like daggers, clashing with me constantly. Gabriel missed the worst of it, buried in case files. His work schedule was hectic and he was rarely home.
When she got her nose pierced with a friend after school, I nearly lost my temper. But the moment I found out she had stolen a pair of earrings from a store in a nearby mall, I totally lost it.
I was terrified of what would become of her if we didn’t do something. I asked Sadie if she wanted to go, making the camp sound fun, showing her the glossy photos. Sadie refused, so I said I’d go with her, that we would make it a mother–daughter week. The next words she said broke my heart.
“Can I go with Aunty Scarlett instead?”
She didn’t even seem to notice the tears in my eyes when I nodded.
That was the only way for me to get her to go, with the credibility of her beloved Scarlett, who thankfully agreed. I wishshe hadn’t. I wish I had not forced Sadie to go. But how could I have known this is how it would end?
It’s shortly after midnight, and like last time, I walk barefoot through the house in search of Gabriel. Maybe I’ll ask him to just go ahead and give me the PI’s report already and not wait until morning.
I check everywhere, but don’t find him. On my way back to our room, I notice that Scarlett’s bedroom door is open. I peek inside, expecting to find her sound asleep, but she’s not there.
Back inside our bedroom, I pull out a pair of night visionbinoculars I bought six months ago and spent hours staring through them, searching the distant sea for my daughter.
Standing out on the balcony now, I peer through them at the two figures on the beach. They look like they are arguing. Their body language is sharp and tense as they point fingers.
I adjust the binoculars.
It’s Gabriel and Scarlett.
FIFTEEN
At eight the next morning, after a long morning walk on the beach, when I enter the apartment, Gabriel is still not up. I had waited for him last night, and he arrived perhaps twenty minutes after I saw him with Scarlett on the beach, but I pretended to be asleep.
Seeing them out there reminded me of Sadie’s broken window, how they schemed behind my back.
When he does walk into the kitchen—fifteen minutes later—I still don’t confront him. I pretend I know nothing, and make him a cup of coffee.
“Thanks, babe.” He kisses and hugs me, holding me a few heartbeats longer than necessary, while Coco tries to push us apart with her damp snout.
Ten minutes after we have settled down at the island, Scarlett, who had gone out earlier, lets herself into the apartment carrying a bag of groceries and a white and pink box from the bakery.
“Good morning, you two.” Her voice is all cheery. She puts the fancy box on the island.
“Grocery shopping so early?” I ask, sipping my coffee.
“Yeah. I didn’t sleep well last night, and I woke up early, so I decided to run out and get us some goodies.” She opens the box to reveal strawberry and chocolate donuts, six in total, and slides them onto a plate. Her hands move fast, too fast, like she’s trying not to let them shake.
“Thanks.” Gabriel immediately reaches for a chocolate one and, with his mouth full, he nods. “These are so good.”
“Glad you like them. There’s a new place on the square. I figured we could all use a treat.” She turns her back to put a carton of milk and eggs in the fridge, then turns to me with a bright smile. “I also brought croissants.” She pulls them out of the bakery bag and puts one on a plate for me. “I know you love these.”
“Thanks,” I mutter. “You said you couldn’t sleep. What kept you up?”
