Chapter 47 Felix Is Missing
Renee crept into the suite, her footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. The past few days had been a whirlwind of early mornings and late nights, leaving Felix in Alissa’s care. Each dawn when Renee had to get up, Felix would grasp her tighter, his small arms a silent plea for her not to leave.
The weight of his growing unease, pressed heavily on her as she promised herself that tomorrow-a rare day off-would be filled with laughter and adventure just for his little
boy.
The room greeted her with an unsettling silence. Expecting Felix and Alissa to be lost in dreams by now, Renee tiptoed across the room, her movements cautious and deliberate. Peeking into the bedroom, she was met with an unsettling emptiness-a hollow silence
where Felix’s lively presence once thrived.
Her pulse quickened; Alissa always left a note if she took Felix anywhere.
A knot of worry tightened in Renee’s stomach.
“Ms. Myers? Felix?”
Her voice broke the silence, hopeful yet tinged with a rising dread. She flicked on every
light switch she could find, half-expecting to see Felix pop out from behind a curtain
with a giggle, revealing their playful hide-and-seek game.
“Felix! If you don’t come out right now, I’m going to be really angry!” she called out, her attempt at sternness betrayed by the quiver in her tone.
The room remained still, ominously quiet.
Panic clawed at her chest as she fumbled for her phone.
Her fingers trembled violently, barely managing to navigate to Alissa’s contact.
She hit the call button, her breath caught in her throat as she pressed the phone to her
ear.
The silence that met her only amplified her fear-no ringtone, no comforting click of a connection, nothing but a terrifying void as she faced the possibility of her worst fears
becoming reality.
Rushing to the front desk, Renee urged them to check the surveillance. The staff, instantly on edge upon hearing about the missing child, wasted no time pulling up the footage. It took a while, but they eventually found the clip-at around five in the afternoon, Alissa hurried out of the establishment by herself, leaving Felix behind.
Moments later, Alissa reappeared, her pace hurried and her face a mask of fear, closely followed by a man with a predatory gaze.
Renee’s heart pounded as she watched, her fists clenching so tightly that her nails left crescent marks in her palms.
The stark realization that Alissa was the target hit her like a cold wave; it was clear the perpetrator had come well-prepared.
A shiver ran down her spine as she recalled the sinister figure who had tailed her the other day.
The footage continued to play, capturing the moment the man nonchalantly escorted Alissa and Felix out of the building, blending into the crowd with chilling ease.
The manager, pale and shaken, turned to her, remorse etched across his face. “I’m terribly sorry, ma’am. We take full responsibility for this mistake. The police are being contacted as we speak to locate your son without delay.”
Renee met his gaze, her eyes hollow yet resolute, biting her lip to muster the courage to speak without her voice breaking. “Thank you,” she managed to say, her tone firm despite the turmoil swirling within her. “Please make sure the police are involved. I need to start searching for them myself too, right now.”
The manager cast a sympathetic glance at Renee, his silence heavy with unspoken
words.
As Renee emerged from the building, the night greeted her-a canopy of dark clouds
overshadowed by the relentless neon glow of the bustling street below. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, sapping her energy completely.
For the past three years, barring the months spent cradling the miracle of Felix in her
womb, Renee had thrown herself into her work with relentless fervor.
She handled overwhelming obstacles on her own, fueled by sheer grit and relentless determination.
She had once believed herself invincible, armored against any storm. Yet, standing
alone amid the whirl of city life, she realized she had been mistaken.
After a moment that stretched on, she gathered herself, her fingers trembling slightly as they dialed Ryder’s number.
“Renee, what’s up?” Ryder’s voice cut through the static, immediate and concerned- Renee never called unless the matter pressed heavily on her heart. Felix would have used his own smart watch if he just wanted to chat with Ryder.
Upon hearing him, Renee’s defenses crumbled. Tears welled in her eyes, and she felt like a castaway clutching desperately at any lifeline thrown her way. She fought to keep her voice steady, but it wavered, betraying her panic. “Mr. Chadwick… Felix is missing…”
