Chapter 41 Chapter Forty One

• Cynthia sat quietly on the edge of the bed in her mother's room. Her mother's face glowed with joy as she updated about her dad. Seeing her father and his team consumed with the project discussion when she came in, she was barely able to believe her eyes. Relief swelled in her chest, almost painful in its intensity. Her father—whom she feared had been kidnapped—was alive, well, and animated.
• Just hours earlier, she had been in a state of panic at the hospital. Nurses rushed about, chaos mounting, and the one person she needed—her father—was missing. Desperation had seized her. She'd tried calling her mother repeatedly, but her phone had gone unanswered. Alarmed, Cynthia had fled her ward, searching each room, scanning faces, hoping he had mistakenly wandered into another section. She combed the restrooms and questioned nurses and patients, but every answer brought fresh disappointment. With her heart pounding, she stepped out of the hospital gates, intent on finding a cab—anything to act on the gnawing fear inside her—when her phone rang.
• Her hands trembled as she picked up. "Mum… Dad is no—" she began, but her mother's calm voice stopped her.