Chapter 8 - THE NIGHT MY BABY DISAPPEARED
Carter Blake had never changed a diaper.
He had never stayed awake with a feverish baby.
He didn't know Leo's favorite food, the song that helped him sleep, or the way he rubbed his left ear when he was tired.
Yet he stood outside Evelyn Sterling's guesthouse claiming he was ready to become a father.
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I looked him directly in the eyes.
"Who hired you?"
Carter's smile disappeared.
"Nobody hired me."
"Then where did you get the money for that attorney?"
"I've been doing well."
"At what?"
He ignored the question.
"I have rights, Mariana."
"You also have responsibilities."
He stepped closer.
"Don't make this difficult."
Something in his voice reminded me of Julian.
The same calm cruelty.
The same assumption that money would make everyone obey.
I backed toward the door.
"My lawyer will contact yours."
Carter laughed.
"Your lawyer? Wow. You really have moved up in the world."
I went inside without answering.
Then I called Naomi.
She listened while I explained the petition.
"Do not panic," she said. "A filing doesn't mean a judge has approved anything."
"He says I'm an unfit mother."
"He can make allegations. He has to support them."
"Julian is paying him."
"Then we'll investigate that."
I looked through the window.
Carter was still standing beside his car, talking on the phone.
"What do I do?"
"Keep Leo with a trusted adult. Document Carter's abandonment and any threats. And don't discuss the case with him directly."
I swallowed.
"Can Julian really use him to take my son?"
"Not simply because he's wealthy. But he can make your life difficult, and he knows it."
For the rest of the day, I felt as though someone had placed a weight on my chest.
I followed Leo everywhere.
When Rosa made him lunch, I stayed in the kitchen.
When he napped, I sat beside his crib.
When Marcus checked the security cameras, I watched the screen over his shoulder.
I knew I was frightened.
I didn't realize how frightened until Leo reached toward my face and touched my tears.
"Mama," he babbled.
It wasn't a new word.
But that day, it sounded like a promise.
I kissed his forehead.
"Nobody's taking you away."
That evening, I visited Grant at the hospital while Rosa stayed with Leo and Marcus remained on the property.
Grant looked better.
His face had regained some color, and his fingers were moving more reliably.
He could communicate using the board without exhausting himself quite as quickly.
When he saw me, his eyes brightened.
Then he noticed my expression.
He selected two words.
WHAT HAPPENED?
I tried to smile.
"Nothing I can't handle."
He gave me a look that made me laugh despite myself.
"All right," I admitted. "Someone is trying to make my life miserable."
He selected another message.
JULIAN?
I nodded.
Then told him about Carter.
His expression darkened.
He reached toward the communication board, but his hand trembled.
After several attempts, he managed:
I'M SORRY.
I shook my head.
"You didn't do this."
He selected more letters.
BECAUSE OF ME.
"No," I said firmly. "Because of people who think money gives them permission to hurt others."
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then his hand moved toward mine.
I took it.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
There was something unexpected about the silence.
It wasn't awkward.
It wasn't frightening.
It was the first moment of peace I'd felt in days.
Then Grant selected another message.
LEO SAFE?
I smiled.
"He's with Rosa."
Grant visibly relaxed.
I leaned closer.
"You know, you're getting awfully attached to a baby who drools on everyone."
His mouth curved into a faint smile.
He moved his fingers toward the board.
GOOD TASTE.
I laughed.
A real laugh.
The first one since entering his mansion.
But when I returned to the guesthouse, the front door was open.
Just slightly.
I stopped.
Marcus's vehicle was in the driveway.
The living room lights were on.
Everything looked ordinary.
Yet something was wrong.
I entered.
"Rosa?"
No answer.
"Marcus?"
Silence.
Then I heard a faint sound from the kitchen.
Rosa was sitting on the floor, pressing a cloth against her forehead.
My heart stopped.
"Rosa!"
She looked up, dazed.
"Mariana?"
"What happened?"
"Someone came to the door."
"Who?"
"He said he had a delivery."
I knelt beside her.
"Where's Leo?"
Her face changed.
"Leo..."
I ran to the bedroom.
The crib was empty.
His blanket was gone.
So was his favorite stuffed elephant.
I searched the bathroom.
The kitchen.
Every corner of the house.
"Leo!"
My voice broke.
"Leo!"
Marcus came rushing through the back entrance.
He had been checking a reported alarm at the property's rear gate.
The alarm was false.
Someone had deliberately drawn him away.
I looked at him.
"He's gone."
Marcus stared.
"What?"
"Someone took my baby."
The words felt impossible.
I said them again.
"Someone took Leo."
Marcus immediately called the police.
Rosa began sobbing.
I stood in the middle of the living room, unable to move.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
"Where is my son?"
A man's voice replied.
"He's safe for now."
I nearly collapsed.
"Please. He's just a baby."
"Then you'll do exactly what you're told."
"Anything. Please."
"Bring the evidence Natalie Brooks gave you. Come alone."
I gripped the phone.
"Where?"
"The old Sterling guest entrance. Midnight."
I looked toward Marcus.
He was already listening.
The caller continued.
"If you involve the police, the boy disappears permanently."
My knees weakened.
"Please don't hurt him."
"Then make the right choice."
The call ended.
I stared at the screen.
For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the pounding of my heart.
Marcus approached.
"Mariana, we need to tell the officers everything."
I shook my head.
"They said they'd hurt him."
"Kidnappers say that to isolate families."
I pressed my hands against my mouth.
"What if they're serious?"
Marcus's expression softened.
"Then we make sure the police understand how serious this is."
The responding officers arrived minutes later. They collected the threatening messages, interviewed Rosa, and reviewed the available security footage.
One camera had captured a dark SUV leaving the rear service road.
The license plate was partly obscured.
But Marcus recognized the vehicle model.
It belonged to the fleet used by Sterling Global's private security contractor.
Julian's security contractor.
I wanted to rush to the mansion.
To tear through every room until I found my son.
But the police warned me not to approach anyone involved.
A detective named Asha Reed took my statement.
She was direct and steady.
"Ms. Cruz, we're treating this as a child abduction. We need you to stay reachable and tell us immediately if the caller contacts you again."
I nodded through tears.
At 11:38 p.m., my phone lit up.
This time, it was a video.
Leo sat on a carpet beside his stuffed elephant.
He was crying.
A hand reached into the frame and lifted him.
Then the screen turned black.
A message appeared.
Midnight. No more chances.
I looked at Detective Reed.
She had already seen the video.
Her face was grim.
"We have a location lead," she said.
"Where?"
She hesitated.
Then answered.
"The Sterling estate."
I grabbed my coat.
But before I reached the door, another message arrived.
This one contained just six words.
Ask Grant what happened to Lily.
I stopped breathing.
Because suddenly, the kidnapping wasn't only about the medical evidence.
May you like
Someone wanted me to uncover a secret about Grant's dead daughter.
And they were using my living child to force the truth into the open.
