«If she comes back and finds you, she won’t find me,» Amelia interrupted. «We have to try.»
When she finished, she put the page in her dress pocket and returned the notebook to its hiding place, covering it with the board. Her breathing was short, her heart pounding in her chest.
«Come on. Lucas, I have to find him now.»
As she opened the door, the afternoon sun blinded her for a moment. The hot wind hit her face, drying the tears still falling. She looked at the sky, and for the first time, felt something like destiny.
«I’m going to find him,» she said to Lucas, squeezing his hand, «even if I get lost forever.»
The sun was starting to hide behind the rooftops when Amelia ran without looking back. The hot air cut her throat, and her heart beat to the rhythm of each step. The folded page in her pocket scratched her skin, as if the paper had life, pulsing with her fear.
Lucas had stayed behind, watching her from the window with a lost gaze and trembling hands. «Be careful,» he murmured, not knowing if she could hear him. But the girl didn’t stop.
There was an urgency inside her, an impulse she didn’t even understand. All she knew was she had to find that man with sad eyes, the man who cried for the boy on the poster. The neighborhood seemed bigger than before, the streets endless.
Amelia tripped, got up, and kept going. At every corner, she asked strangers if they knew where the man with the black car lived. Many just shook their heads, others looked at her with pity.
Time seemed to mock her, dragging the minutes as if testing her. When night finally began to fall, an old man sweeping the sidewalk pointed the way. «The mansion at the end of the avenue. That’s where the guy who puts up posters lives.»
Amelia thanked him and ran off, her heart so strong it seemed to fill the silent streets. Henry’s mansion appeared ahead, imposing and sad at the same time. The yellowish lights on the facade reflected on the iron gate, and the air smelled of loneliness.
Amelia stopped, doubting for an instant. What if he doesn’t believe me? The fear almost made her turn back, but the thought of Lucas and that name in the notebook gave her strength.
She rang the bell once, twice, three times. A man in a dark suit appeared and looked her up and down. «What’s a girl like you doing here alone at this hour?»
The little one took a deep breath. «I need to see the owner of the house. It’s important, it’s about his son.»
The butler hesitated, but there was something so sincere in her gaze that he finally opened the gate. When Henry entered the living room, his face bore the exhaustion of someone who’d lived a year between despair and hope. Seeing the girl, it took him a second to recognize her.
«You’re the girl from the poster.»
Amelia nodded, her eyes full of tears. «Sir, I found something.» With trembling hands, she pulled the crumpled paper from her pocket. «This was hidden in my mom’s room. I don’t understand what it means, but his name is here.»
Henry took the page, and upon seeing Lucas’s name written there, he felt the world spin. The letters seemed to move under his blurred vision. «Where did you find this?» he asked with a broken voice.
«In an old notebook under the floor,» she replied, crying. «I swear I’m not lying. I just felt I had to show it to you.»
Henry sat down, pressing the paper to his chest. Those notes, names, dates, figures—they formed a sinister pattern. «This… this is too serious.»
His hands trembled. He recognized two names from the missing children posters he’d put up months ago. The pain turned to rage, and the rage to fear.
«She’s involved in this,» he murmured, almost voicelessly.
Amelia looked at him confused. «What do you mean?»
He hesitated before answering. «It means your mother might be mixed up in something terrible.»
Tears ran down the girl’s face. «No, she can’t be bad.» Her voice came out between sobs, like a plea denying reality. Henry approached and took her small hands in his.
«Listen, dear, sometimes evil doesn’t wear a monster’s mask. Sometimes it disguises itself as love.» His gaze was sweet but loaded with deep sadness. «The important thing is you had courage. You saved my son, and you could save many other kids too.»
Amelia shook her head, not fully understanding. «I just wanted her to be good,» she said quietly.
«I know, my girl. I wanted the world to be fair too,» he replied with a broken voice. A heavy silence filled the room. Outside, the wind blew, slowly moving the curtains.
Henry stood up, wiped his face, and looked at Lucas’s portrait hanging on the wall. «Where is he now?» he asked.
«In my house, in the room. She told him to hide.» The girl’s voice was a confession and a plea for help at the same time.
Henry took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and made a quick call with a voice firm like he hadn’t had in a long time. «Get the car ready. We’re going now.»
Amelia watched him with a mix of admiration and fear, not knowing what would happen next, but feeling deep down that nothing would be the same. He knelt in front of her and said tenderly, «You did the right thing, little one. Now leave it to me. I promise no one will hurt you again.»
Amelia, crying, hugged him tightly. A pure hug from someone giving the world to a stranger and at the same time finding a new home without realizing it. Henry closed his eyes and for an instant felt destiny aligning.
«Let’s go for my son,» he whispered. And when he stood, something in his gaze had changed. It was no longer the look of a broken man, but of a father ready to face hell for the life of the child who still waited for him.
The night fell over the city like a thick veil, hiding secrets and setting the stage for something no one could foresee. Henry’s car cut through the streets, its headlights piercing the darkness. The engines sounded like the echo of an accelerated heart.
In the passenger seat, Amelia clutched the piece of paper between her fingers, staring into the void with eyes full of tears. «Is everything going to be okay?» she asked with a trembling voice.
Henry looked at her with tenderness and determination. «Yes, I promise.» The words came out firm, but in his chest burned a mix of fear and hope.
Between love and the anger growing with every mile, the car stopped a few blocks from the house. Henry turned off the engine, took a deep breath, and observed around. «We’re going to go in without making noise, okay?» he said quietly.
The girl nodded, holding her breath. The night air was heavy, as if even the wind awaited what was about to happen. They crossed the rusted gate, walking carefully over the damp ground, and a distant dog’s bark made the moment even tenser.
The house was almost dark, only a weak light escaping from the bedroom window. Henry stopped, closed his eyes for an instant, and whispered, «Please, let me find him. Just one more time.»
They entered through the back door. The creak of the hinges echoed, and Amelia put a finger to her lips, asking for silence. The hallway was narrow, and the smell of must and old food impregnated the air.
With each step, Henry’s heart beat harder. «It’s there,» whispered the girl, pointing to the bedroom door. He approached, trembling hands, and slowly turned the knob.