Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 145 Abby is Missing

Lacey and I were totally freaked out, but we tore through every room like maniacs. Sophie was on the floor, bawling her eyes out.

"It's no use. I checked everywhere, even under the bed. Abby's just... gone."

I peeked out the window; the sun was barely coming up.

"When did Richard bail?" I asked.

Sophie just shook her head, looking lost. "I don't know."

Richard vanishing wasn't a shocker, but Abby, who couldn't even walk yet, had to be taken.

Either Richard forgot to shut the door and someone snuck in to grab Abby, or he took her himself. That thought made my stomach churn.

I glanced at Lacey, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, while Sophie was too wrecked to even consider it.

I squatted down and gently patted Sophie's shoulder to calm her down.

"Sophie, don't freak out. Crying won't fix this, right? We gotta figure out how to find her."

Hearing this, Sophie quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, stood up, and nodded, trying to hold back her sobs.

"Okay, let's go out and look."

After heading downstairs, we split up to search.

Sophie was too emotional to go alone, so I stuck with her. Wandering around aimlessly was rough. By daylight, Sophie was walking around, crying, and showing Abby's photo to anyone, but it was pointless. If someone had taken her, they'd be long gone by now.

Feeling desperate, I called Ethan. He told us to wait. Before he arrived, Lacey called. We grabbed a cab to the Windsors. The gate was shut, but we heard a kid crying inside.

"It's Abby, it's Abby crying."

As soon as Sophie heard the crying, she lost it and started pounding on the cold iron gate.

"Open the door, please. I'm begging you, please open the door!"

Sophie knelt in the snow outside the gate, crying and begging for who knows how long, but there was no response from inside.

If I had any pull with the Windsor family, I could plead for her. But Victor and Linda couldn't stand me. If I spoke up, it would probably make things worse.

Ethan called again, asking where we were. I hesitated.

He was a stand-up guy, and if he knew the truth, he wouldn't ignore it. I was scared this would reignite the beef between him and Victor.

"At Victor's house? Is that right?"

I didn't answer right away, but he must have heard Sophie crying over the phone.

I mumbled a confirmation, and he hung up.

In less than ten minutes, he showed up.

Watching Ethan get out of the car, I felt super conflicted.

Sophie was Richard's wife, and Abby was Richard's daughter. Ethan's position was awkward, and he had no right to step in. But during Richard's detention, Ethan stepped in out of a sense of justice and responsibility. Now that Richard had taken his own daughter, what reason did Ethan have to get involved?

"Please, give Abby back to me. I don't want anything else, just my child."

Sophie's voice was hoarse from crying, her hair a mess and stuck to her tear-streaked face, looking utterly pitiful.

I didn't know who was inside, but their hearts must be ice-cold to ignore Sophie and Abby's continuous crying.

Ethan walked over, lit a cigarette, and asked calmly, "Sophie, do you just want your kid back?"

Sophie clung to the iron gate, her shoulders shaking, and slowly lifted her head, looking at Ethan with her swollen, tearful eyes.

"Yes, I just want Abby back. She needs me, and I need her. Ethan, I really can't live without Abby!"

This scene would move anyone with a heart.

Ethan nodded, took out his phone, and made a call.

I stared at him blankly, not knowing how he could resolve this deadlock. He couldn't mediate because Richard and Linda wouldn't appreciate it.

But when the call connected, I was shocked.

He had called the cops.

The police in Starlight City were super efficient; within five minutes, I heard sirens.

Two police cars quickly stopped behind us, and several officers got out. Ethan walked over and shook hands with the lead officer.

"Are you the one who reported a child abduction?" the officer asked.

Ethan nodded and pointed to Sophie, who was kneeling on the ground. "She's the mom who lost her kid."

Sophie, her face streaked with tears, was momentarily stunned. Realizing what was happening, she crawled over and clung to the officer's legs.

"My kid's in there. Listen, you can hear the crying. My kid's super shy and won't go to anyone but me. Please, have some mercy on us."

The officer nodded. "Don't worry. If what you're saying is true, we'll help you out."

I walked over to help Sophie up and tried to calm her down. "Sophie, chill. The cops will figure it out."

Sophie stopped crying and let go.

The officer stepped forward and knocked on the door, using a loudspeaker to call out. After a bit, the iron gate creaked open.

Linda opened the door, and Richard was standing at the entrance of the living room, furiously puffing on a cigarette and looking all kinds of agitated.

The officer talked to Linda, who smoothly explained that Abby was her granddaughter and that the kid's dad was also inside.

The officer looked skeptically at Linda and then at Sophie.

"Do you have a marriage certificate?"

Sophie shook her head sadly but suddenly knelt before Linda, bowing deeply.

"Linda, I'm begging you, have mercy. Please give me my child back."

Sophie bowed so hard that she quickly made a dent in the snow in front of her.

Linda crossed her arms and looked down at Sophie with a smug expression.

"If you insist on taking the child back, then she will have nothing to do with the Windsor family in the future."

Sophie slowly lifted her head, brushed the hair from her face, and seemed to look past Linda towards Richard. Her eyes gradually shifted from sorrow to calm.

"I never expected anything, nor did I expect to be with Richard. I just hoped Richard could be safe. Now that he's fine, I'm content and don't need anything else." "Fine, you said it yourself."

Linda turned and went inside, coming back shortly with a crying Abby.

Sophie, overwhelmed with emotion, rushed forward and took Abby from Linda.

Abby was crying so hard she could barely catch her breath, her face red. In Sophie's arms, she nestled against her breast. Though her crying softened, she couldn't stop immediately after crying for so long. The officer offered to take Sophie home. As Sophie turned to leave, she gave Richard one last look.

Richard averted his eyes, not looking at her. I believed he still had some reluctance; I couldn't believe he could be so heartless towards his own kid.

After the police car left, Richard, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, strode towards a corner of the yard and mounted his motorcycle.

Linda hurried over to stop him, asking gently, "Richard, where are you going? It's so cold out, riding a bike will be freezing. Stay home; I've made mushroom soup for you." Richard revved the engine loudly and irritably said, "I'm annoyed. Can't I go out for some fresh air? I've been locked up enough. Do you want to lock me up at home too?" Linda's hand, which was holding Richard, quickly retracted. She softly said, "I'm just worried about you."

Richard ignored her, turned the bike, and shot out of the yard like an arrow.

After watching Richard leave, Linda's gaze fell on me, becoming sharp.

I didn't want to look at such a cold-hearted person for another second.

I turned my gaze away and walked over to Ethan, holding his cold hand.

"Let's go."

Ethan dropped his cigarette, and we got into the car. He started driving quickly. Something was off, so I looked at him; his eyes were cold and fixed ahead.

Soon, we saw Richard on his motorcycle. He glanced back and sped up, widening the gap.

Ethan gripped the wheel tighter, speeding up. The distance between them kept fluctuating as the brothers reenacted a high-speed chase.

It was incredibly dangerous. I clutched the seat cushion tightly and whispered, "Slow down."

"Hold on."

He calmly uttered two words. But instead of slowing down, he sped up even more.

The two vehicles quickly left the city, heading onto a wide, empty asphalt road.

I didn't know if Ethan had floored the gas pedal. But I felt the car speed up significantly, and we quickly caught up to Richard.

My heart was in my throat the entire way, my body pressed tightly against the seat, not daring to move.

After overtaking Richard, Ethan suddenly jerked the steering wheel, swerving the car sideways, and then slammed on the brakes.

I lurched forward and saw Richard speeding straight towards us.

Just when I thought he was going to crash into the car, he stopped.

Through the car window, I saw Richard's cold, tense face and his defiant, fiery eyes.