The scenery outside moved past the windows, but I barely noticed it.
For the first time in two years, my thoughts weren’t occupied by wondering where Alicia was.
Because now I knew.
She was here.
Alive.
Safe.
Close enough to touch.
Close enough to hear.
Close enough to lose again.
The thought made my jaw tighten.
"Sir?"
Karen’s cautious voice came from the front seat.
I looked up.
She was watching me through the rearview mirror.
"Are you alright?"
I didn’t answer immediately.
Was I alright?
I had spent two years searching.
Two years waking up in empty rooms.
Two years wondering if Alicia was safe.
If she was eating properly.
If she hated me.
If she was even alive.
And today,
I had found her.
Not only her.
Our child.
A daughter I never knew .
My hand slowly clenched into a fist.
I remembered the little girl holding Evan’s hand.
The way she smiled at him.
The way she naturally stayed close to him.
The way Alicia looked at her even in her panic of seeing me.
Protective.
Loving.
Things I had never been able to give either of them.
A bitter feeling rose inside my chest.
Not jealousy.
Regret.
Because while I had spent two years searching for them,
Alicia had spent those same two years building a life without me.
A life where she looked peaceful.
A life where I didn’t belong.
"Sir?"
Karen called again.
This time I finally answered.
"I’m fine."
The lie sounded hollow even to my own ears.
Karen clearly didn’t believe it, but wisely chose not to push further.
The rest of the drive passed in silence.
I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.
Immediately Alicia appeared in my mind.
Then the blue eyes.
Then Alicia again.
The fear in her eyes when she saw me.
The shock.
The panic.
As if she never expected me to find her.
As if she had been hoping I wouldn’t.
My chest tightened painfully.
For a long moment I simply sat there.
Then slowly opened my eyes.
The uncertainty that had followed me for two years disappeared.
I had found them.
And this time,
I wasn’t going to let them disappear again.
We were taken to a hotel and, considering how quiet and reserved the town was, it was more than adequate.
The building wasn’t particularly large, but it was elegant in a simple, classic way. The atmosphere felt peaceful, completely different from the luxury hotels I was accustomed to in Velaridge City.
After checking in, we were led to our rooms.
Only after freshening up and stepping onto the balcony did I notice the view.
The ocean stretched endlessly before me, the evening sunlight reflecting across the water in shades of gold and orange.
Normally, I would have appreciated the scenery.
Today, I barely saw it.
I lit a cigarette and stared into the distance.
Everything that had happened at Whitemore Industries kept replaying in my mind.
The little girl.
Her blue eyes.
Alicia’s face.
Her startled expression.
Then Herbert’s words echoed in my head.
"My niece."
How was Herbert Whitemore related to Alicia?
Had he been the one who helped her disappear from Velaridge without leaving a single trace behind?
Question after question filled my mind, yet none had answers.
My phone suddenly rang from the table behind me.
I glanced at the screen.
Tristin.
A sigh escaped me.
Someone must have informed him about how distracted I had been.
I answered the call.
"Hello."
"Alexander, how are things going over there?"
His calm voice came from the other end.
"Everything is fine so far."
It was probably the hundredth lie I had told that day.
There was a brief silence.
Then he asked,
"I heard you went straight to the company. Any progress?"
I could already tell what he was really asking.
He wasn’t interested in the partnership.
He wanted to know what had happened to me.
For a moment, I remained silent.
When I finally spoke, my voice sounded hoarse.
Low.
As though saying the words too loudly would somehow shatter reality.
"I saw her."
Silence.
A long silence.
Then Tristin spoke carefully.
"You saw who, Alexander?"
"I saw Alicia."
The words felt unreal even now.
"I saw her at Whitemore Industries."
Another pause followed.
Then his voice lowered.
"You found her?"
"I found her."
I closed my eyes.
"And I found my daughter."
For the first time since the call began, my voice cracked slightly.
"She was there, Tristin."
Images of her immediately flashed through my mind.
The way she had looked up at me.
The way she had blinked in confusion after bumping into me.
Those eyes.
My eyes.
"She was so small."
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
"And she has eyes exactly like mine."
On the other end of the line, Tristin let out a slow breath.
"So she’s been hiding there all this time."
"I know."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
"You had to force me to come here."
"And the first person I run into is my daughter."
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then Tristin finally asked,
"What happened after that?"
I stared out at the ocean.
The waves rolled endlessly toward the shore.
"I watched them walk away."
The words felt pathetic.
Painful.
After two years of searching.
After two years of imagining every possible outcome.
The moment I finally found them...
I could only stand there and watch them leave again.
Tristin remained silent.
Eventually he asked,
"What are you going to do now?"
I laughed quietly.
Because that was exactly what I had been asking myself.
What was I supposed to do?
I couldn’t force Alicia to come back.
I couldn’t demand answers in front of everyone.
I couldn’t frighten her.
But I also couldn’t lose her again.
"I don’t know."
My fingers tightened around the railing.
"But one thing is certain."
I paused.
"I can’t let her disappear again."
The words came out firmer this time.
Because they were the only thing I was sure of.
"I spent two years looking for her."
Two years of dead ends.
Two years of waking up and remembering she was gone.
"This time I found her."
My throat tightened.
"And I found my daughter."
Even saying it out loud sounded strange in my mind.
As though I wasn’t allowed to say it yet.
"I finally got to see her."
A bitter smile appeared.
"And I couldn’t even hold her."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I said the thing that had been haunting me ever since leaving the company.
"What if she runs again?"
The words felt heavier than I expected.
"What if I give her time and she disappears before I can talk to her?"
I lowered my head.
"Or worse..."
My voice became quieter.
"What if she simply doesn’t want me in their lives anymore?".....