Chapter 331: Intentionally Disappeared
Wren Sutton’s fingers tightened around her phone. The news from the other end of the line struck her heart like a heavy hammer.
The soft lines of her face instantly tensed. Her heart plummeted as if seized by an ice-cold hand, and her breath caught in her throat. For a moment, it felt like the blood in her veins had frozen solid.
She had planned to visit Isla Griffith at the hospital that morning with some nourishing supplements. She’d been thinking about how she would console her and encourage her to rest and recover.
But she never imagined that before she could even leave, an unexpected crisis would shatter the peace.
"What did you say? Isla is missing?!" Wren Sutton could no longer suppress the panic rising within her. Her voice trembled uncontrollably, on the verge of tears.
The arms that had been steadily holding her child began to shake, her entire body radiating a helpless panic.
"How could she just disappear? Weren’t you and the nurse watching her at the hospital?"
"I haven’t left the hospital for days. Isla didn’t want to see me or let me in her room, so I just waited outside her door. I didn’t go anywhere."
Sean Sterling’s voice was fraught with anxiety, his exhaustion and pain palpable.
"This morning, Isla finally agreed to see me. I was overjoyed when I walked into her room. She said she wanted some millet porridge from that old, famous shop in Rydale. At that point, forget porridge—if she had asked for the stars, I would have found a way to pluck them from the sky for her. I would do anything, as long as she was willing to talk to me."
"You went out to buy porridge, so where was the nurse? The nurse should have been in the room with her!" Wren Sutton’s voice cracked with anxiety.
Sean Sterling sounded like he was wiping his face, his voice thick with regret and self-blame. "I only found out when I got back with the porridge. Isla had sent the nurse out to buy some toiletries, so she wasn’t in the room."
Wren Sutton: "!!!"
A BUZZ went off in her head as a powerful sense of unease washed over her. Her intuition screamed that Isla had done this on purpose, that she was deliberately trying to get away from everyone.
"What’s more, Isla’s phone was on the nightstand. She didn’t even take the SIM card out. She left it behind on purpose so no one could contact her and so we couldn’t use it to track her location."
Sean Sterling’s voice grew choked with emotion, a mix of regret and worry.
"The hospital’s security cameras only caught a glimpse of her leaving the inpatient wing..."
Wren Sutton’s ears were ringing, and the world around her faded into a dull roar. A chill that started in her fingertips spread through her entire body.
She bit her pale lip, tasting the faint tang of blood. She forced herself to pull back from the overwhelming panic, desperately fighting back tears.
’I can’t panic,’ she told herself. ’Panicking won’t solve anything.’
"Don’t be too pessimistic. Let’s try to think positively. Maybe Isla just felt cooped up and wanted to go for a walk by herself to clear her head. She might come back on her own once she’s feeling better."
Wren was saying it to comfort Sean, but she was also trying to comfort herself.
Sean sighed heavily. "I wish I could believe that, but the situation doesn’t look so optimistic."
"I’ve already called the police. They’re pulling all the security footage from the streets around the hospital. I’ve also had my men search every street and alley nearby and ask around, but we haven’t found a single trace of her."
"Wren, you’re Isla’s best friend. If she contacts you or comes looking for you, I’m begging you, please tell me," Sean pleaded.
Wren answered without a moment’s hesitation. "Don’t worry. The second I hear anything about Isla, you’ll be the first to know."
"Thank you."
Wren took a deep breath. Her fingertips were still ice-cold, and a heavy stone seemed to be sitting on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
"You keep searching near the hospital and the places Isla might have gone. I’ll go out and look too. Let’s call each other the moment there’s any news."
She said this quickly and hung up, but her heart refused to settle.
Little Nina, unaware of what was happening, had finished her formula. She blinked her big, dark eyes up at her mother, her tiny hand clutching the front of her mom’s shirt. Innocent and dependent, she cooed and babbled.
Looking at the daughter in her arms, Wren’s eyes instantly welled up.
"Sweetheart, we have to find your godmother."
As if she understood, Nina smiled and nodded, snuggling obediently in her mother’s arms.
"What’s wrong? What happened?"
Adrian Lancaster’s voice came from behind her. Holding Owen, who had finished his formula and was now resting quietly on his shoulder, he strode into the master bedroom.
When he saw Wren’s red-rimmed eyes, the relief he’d just been feeling vanished, and he tensed up again.
"I was in the other room, but I thought I heard something about your best friend. What’s wrong with Isla now?"
"Isla’s missing. She sent Sean and the nurse away, then left her phone in the room. She obviously doesn’t want anyone to find her," Wren said miserably, tears glistening in her eyes.
"She hasn’t contacted me or come to see me. I have no idea where she could have gone."
"She hasn’t even fully recovered yet. She’s still so weak. What if something happens to her out there all alone?"
Adrian’s expression turned grim.
He knew how close Wren and Isla were. He could only imagine how distraught she must be over her best friend’s disappearance.
Seeing that Wren was on the verge of tears, Adrian immediately put Owen and Nina back in their cribs. Once they were settled, he came back to comfort her.
"Don’t panic. After we eat breakfast, I’ll go with you to look for her."
"Sean has definitely called the police, so he’ll stay on top of that. I’ll send out more of my own people to search in different areas. There’s strength in numbers. Even if we don’t find Isla right away, we’re bound to turn up some clues."
"I know a little about Isla’s personality. She’s not going to do something foolish like ending her life. At worst, she’s just hiding somewhere by herself."
Adrian’s voice was steady and gentle, like a calming balm. It soothed Wren’s panic, and her frantic mind began to settle.
She looked up at him. The bloodshot veins in his eyes and the dark circles beneath them were stark and hadn’t faded at all.
’He’s clearly exhausted himself, but he’s still putting my feelings first.’
"You didn’t sleep at all last night. You should stay home and rest. Isla is my best friend. I’ll go look for her."
Adrian gently placed his hands on Wren’s shoulders, leaning down slightly to look into her eyes.
"If you’re out there, there’s no way I’ll be able to rest easy at home."
"I’d rather be with you than sit at home, restless and worried. At least if something happens, you’ll have someone there to talk things over with."
Wren knew his temperament. Once he made up his mind, he wouldn’t be easily swayed.
"If you insist... then fine. We’ll go look for her together. But I have one condition."
"What condition?" Adrian asked.
"You didn’t sleep at all last night, so you can’t drive today. We’ll have the chauffeur drive." Wren was concerned for Adrian’s well-being, but also for her own safety.
Adrian felt a sweet warmth spread through his chest at his wife’s concern.
"Okay. Whatever my wife says."