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  She didn't, but Macy nodded, not finding any words. She just wanted to go back home.

  "I think the doctor would clear his schedule if you're ready to talk with him."

  Macy wiped her face. "I am. Can we stop off at my room first?"

  "What for?"

  "Please."

  "Sure. Let's go." She led Macy back to Heather's room. Macy looked around for Heather and found her hiding near the door again. She motioned for Heather to come out.

  Heather looked at her like she was crazy. Macy motioned some more until Heather came out and stood next to her.

  The nurse looked back and forth between Heather and Macy, wide eyed. "What…? How did…? What's going on?"

  Macy looked her in the eyes. "The two of us, we want to speak to the doctor. We need to be heard."

  Results

  Chad kicked off his wet shoes and closed the door behind him. His clothes clung to him and he needed to get those off as well. Even though he was inside, rain water ran down from his hair into his face. He wiped it away.

  "Is anyone home?"

  The house was unusually quiet. Had Alex gone to Zoey's appointment already?

  "Alex, are you here?"

  Silence. He shivered as water slid down his back. He would have to dry out the inside of his car as well, but first he needed to get a shower. He felt empty inside after having sobbed and poured his heart out to Lydia.

  He had been afraid she was going to take his outpouring of grief the wrong way, but she kept her word and acted like a friend. She had listened and consoled, not giving him a judging word or look once. His heart ached. Why wouldn't Alyssa treat him like that? Who was he kidding? He knew the answer to that. She was stuck in her own heartache.

  Neither one of them was able to give what the other needed. Maybe this time apart was what they needed. Hopefully Sharon, or whoever she was staying with, was able to give her the same kind of friendship that Lydia had given him.

  "Is anyone home? Final chance to speak up before I strip."

  No one responded, so Chad pulled his shirt off, though it clung to him, fighting to stay on. He threw it on the tiled floor and then attempted to pull his pants off too. The drenched jeans fought even more than the shirt had. He had to sit on the stairs and play tug-of-war with them to finally get them off.

  He grabbed the shirt and then threw the clothes in the laundry room on the way to his bedroom. He took a shower and put on dry clothes, and then he noticed his cell phone sitting on the bed. The light was blinking, so he picked it up to see what he had missed. Maybe it was Alyssa wanting to talk. His heart tightened at the hope of working things out with her.

  Chad scrolled to the notifications and saw that he did have a missed call, but it wasn't from his wife. It was from Detective Fleshman. His heart exploded into a fit of beats. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel deep down that whatever Fleshman had to say was going to be a game changer.

  There were no messages, so he called the detective back.

  "Chad?"

  "What's going on? I left my phone at home, so I missed your call."

  "There's been a break in the case. Are you sitting down?"

  The room shrunk around him. He sat on the bed, preparing for the worst. "I am now."

  "We finally got the results."

  Chad held his breath. "And?"

  "It's not her. The DNA proves that the body isn't your daughter. The girl we found had connections to a cult commune we've been trying to find."

  Chad fell back on the bed, having only heard that the body wasn't Macy. "I knew it wasn't her." Tears of gratitude filled his eyes. "What now?"

  "Prepare for another media frenzy."

  "Of course. But what about the case? What about Macy? We need to find her. Everything has been focused on that body for too long. She's out there somewhere—and she's alive. We have to find her."

  "It's time to go through all of the clues with a fine tooth comb. We need to re-investigate clues that didn't get enough attention before. Word needs to get out again for people to keep an eye out for her. I've got someone working on doctoring her photos again to show what she would look like with different haircuts and colors."

  "Thank you." Chad couldn't find the words to express his gratitude. His chest tightened, making it difficult to breathe.

  Fleshman continued talking, now about the cult again, but Chad couldn't focus. Something about the mountains.

  Chad interrupted him mid-sentence. "Can I call you back?"

  "Of course. You've got my number."

  "Thanks." Chad ended the call and pushed his phone away. He gave into another fit of sobs. He shook, cried, wailed, and even yelled. When he calmed down, he started to drift off to sleep when he heard something in the hall. "Is someone there?" He allowed himself the hope that it was actually Macy, not that she would be able to get in with the new locks and security codes.

  "It's me." Alyssa appeared in the doorway.

  Chad sat up, rubbing dried tears. His eyes felt puffy.

  "Are you all right?" She looked concerned.

  "Yeah. I just got off the phone with Fleshman."

  She nodded. "I talked with him a little while ago."

  "Is that why you're here?"

  Alyssa nodded. She sat down next to him, looking deep in thought.

  "Are you coming back home?" he asked.

  Alyssa looked into his eyes and her face softened. "It kills me to see you so upset. Look at you." She ran the backs of her fingers along his face. "You're a mess."

  "Our baby is alive. We have the proof now."

  She stared at him, not saying anything.

  "Don't you believe it now?"

  Her fingers went down and traced his back. "We know that one girl isn't her."

  "Macy's alive. She's coming back to us. Why can't you believe that?"

  Tears shone in her eyes. "It's been so long, Chad. You know that. We've suffered through this for what feels like an eternity. April is almost here. Where would she be?"

  "I don't know that I want to know, but one day she's going to tell us herself."

  She rubbed his arm, staring into his eyes.

  He cupped her chin in his palm. "Please come back home, Lyss. I can't lose you, too."

  Alyssa's lips shook and tears spilled onto her cheeks. She nodded. "We'll see how it goes. You know, agreeing to disagree. If you're right, and I really wish you were, we'll see what happens with the new media campaign. Maybe something will come up proving me wrong. I've never hoped to be wrong more in my life."

  "You still don't believe she's coming home." It wasn't a question—and it ripped his heart into pieces.

  "I want to, but I can't lie."

  They continued staring into each other's eyes. There was so much he wanted to say, but he was afraid of sending her running again. "I've missed you. Please stay home. I need you."

  Something in her face changed. Her entire face twisted, and she leaned into his chest and sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She cried for a while and soon Chad found himself back in tears. He had never cried so much in his life, but it felt good.

  He wasn't sure how much time passed; it seemed to stop completely except that the sky cleared and the room lit up.

  Alyssa sat back. "I have something to confess."

  Chad's heart skipped a beat. "What?"

  She looked pained. "I…how do I say this?"

  "Just tell me."

  "I got the impression you think I've been staying with Sharon, but I haven't."

  He couldn't speak. What did she mean? Where was she going with this? Chad knew if she was about to say she had been staying with some guy—who he would kill—he really had no room to judge. He couldn't blame her, not after his relationship with Lydia. But the other man, sure, he could murder him. There wasn't a jury around that would blame him.

  Alyssa took a deep breath. "I've been staying with a guy named Rusty."

  "Who the hell is Rusty?"

  Her eye
s widened, begging him to hear her out. "I've been staying in his guest room—alone. He lost his family, his entire family. That's how we started talking in the first place. But nothing happened. I swear."

  "What do you mean nothing happened? You've been staying with some guy? Some random stranger? You can't tell me nothing happened." He knew he was being a hypocrite, but he didn't care. Anger burned within him at the thought of her being with another man.

  She explained going to the bar and how he had told the waitress to stop bringing drinks and then refused to let her drive home.

  "He could have towed you here. You realize that, don't you?"

  "I know." She paused. "He did, the first time."

  "What first time?"

  "It was shortly after Macy disappeared. I couldn't take it and one night, I snuck out and ended up at the bar. I could barely speak, and he got me back home safely."

  "When was that? I don't remember you going anywhere."

  She frowned. "You slept through the whole thing."

  Chad shook his head, the weight of what he had done with Lydia sinking in. If he felt this horrible just hearing about Alyssa staying at the house of some guy, how much worse would she feel knowing he'd had a relationship with Lydia before Macy disappeared?

  "I swear, Chad, nothing happened. If you met him, you'd know right away that he's not over the loss of his family. Their pictures and their stuff is all over the house. It's like they just stepped out to go shopping or something."

  "Why go to his house?"

  "I was going to sleep in my car since I couldn't drive. He wanted to tow me home, but I needed space to think—and sleep apparently. I've never slept so much as I have the last few days. But anyway, since I wouldn't go home, he offered his guest room. I poured my heart out, and he listened. That's about it. If it makes you feel any better, it helped me to realize how much I wanted to get back and pour my heart out to you instead."

  Chad nodded. "I had a similar experience."

  Her eyes widened. "You did?"

  "This morning I'd had all I could take. I ended up at a park, running around the trail." He pulled his feet up and rubbed his blisters. "I ran into Lydia Harris from the HOA and ended up sobbing in the park."

  "Lydia? Isn't her husband always out of town?"

  "Yeah."

  "Don't get too close to her. She's lonely. I can see it in her eyes."

  "I won't." Guilt stung at him for not telling Alyssa the entire story, but she didn't need to know everything. It was over. He wasn't going to see her, or anyone else for that matter, again. He was one hundred percent devoted to Alyssa as long as she would have him. If she knew about Lydia, it would crush her. He couldn't do that to her after everything that had already happened with Macy and Alex.

  It would definitely be the end of their relationship—and he couldn't handle that. He regretted ever talking to Lydia with everything in him. He would never make that mistake again. He belonged to Alyssa wholly. They needed each other now more than ever. His guilt was punishment enough. There was no reason to break her heart. She didn't deserve it.

  She ran her hand along his arm, giving him the chills. "We'll pour our souls out to each other only from now on. Right?"

  "You've got it."

  Alyssa leaned over and placed her soft lips on his. He pulled her closer, kissing her back.

  Both of their phones rang.

  They pulled back, giving each other confused looks.

  Chad looked at his. "It's Fleshman."

  "Reynolds. Something is going on." She slid her finger across the screen.

  Chad did the same on his. "Fleshman? What's going on?"

  Next to him, Alyssa talked to Reynolds, and he couldn't understand what either Fleshman or Alyssa were saying.

  "Hold on, Detective." Chad went out into the hall. "I couldn't hear you. What were you saying?"

  "We might not have to wait on the media. We already have a break in the case."

  "Another one?"

  "There's a girl several hours away claiming to be your daughter. There's a catch though."

  The hall spun around Chad. He leaned against the wall. "What?"

  "She's in a mental hospital, but the nurses are freaked out because they thought she was someone else. I'm more than a little confused, but we need to get over there and figure this out. They're not releasing her until they have proof that she is who she says."

  His throat closed up.

  "Chad? Are you still there?"

  Somehow he managed to find his voice. "Text me the address. We'll be right there."

  "Try not to get your hopes up. We—"

  "Just text me the address." Chad ended the call. Could this really be it? Was he about to see Macy again? Or would this be yet another heartache?

  He looked into the bedroom. Alyssa was on the phone with tears running down her face. He wanted to comfort her, but he needed to call Alex first. He would want to join them. He needed to know too.

  Alex answered right away. "Dad, can you call me back later? We're about to find out if it's a boy or a girl. It took forever to get in."

  "Okay. Your mom and I are going with the detective for a while. There have been some developments in the case. Check the news when you can."

  "Wait. What?"

  "The body isn't Macy, son. It looks like she's alive."

  "She's alive?"

  Chad could hear exclamations from Zoey and Valerie on the other end. "I'll call you in a few hours and we can exchange news."

  Breakdown

  When they pulled into the parking lot of the Shady Hills Mental Health Facility, Alyssa saw Detective Fleshman and Officer Anderson getting out of their police cruiser.

  She didn't wait for Chad to fully stop the car before she jumped out and ran to the police.

  "What's going on? Where's my baby?"

  "That's what we need to figure out," Anderson said, tipping his hat. "There's a girl named Heather claiming to be Macy. She's been in there longer that Macy's been missing, so we—"

  "No, there's two girls they thought were Heather," Fleshman corrected.

  "And the strange thing is that when the Mercers' house was broken into, the intruder mentioned someone named Heather. Do you remember that?" He flipped through his notepad. "See? Right here. Zoey said he called Macy's room Heather's."

  Alyssa looked at them like they had lost their minds. "What?"

  Fleshman gave her an apologetic look. "It's complicated. We'll wait for Chad and then get in there and figure out what's going on."

  Chad ran up to them. "Is Macy in there?" He looked as desperate as Alyssa felt. He took Alyssa's hand.

  "That's what we're here to find out," said Anderson.

  "Would you just take us to our daughter?" Alyssa blurted out. "I'm sorry. I can't go another minute without seeing her."

  "Sorry. Let's go."

  Fleshman walked toward the building and Alyssa hurried to keep up. Her heart raced. Would this be the end of the nightmare or merely another dead end? She prayed Macy would be inside.

  When they got inside, Anderson explained what was going on to the lady at the front desk. Alyssa had to bite her tongue. She wanted to scream for her to let them in.

  The receptionist looked through some notes. "I see that they're expecting you. Have a seat and someone will come for you soon."

  Alyssa squeezed Chad's hand. She looked at the big doors they would go through. She would rip them off their hinges if she had to. She would give them one minute to send someone before she started making demands.

  Fleshman and Anderson both took seats, but Chad and Alyssa remained standing. Alyssa kept her attention on the big clock on the wall. As soon as one minute passed, she looked at Fleshman. "What's taking them so long?"

  "Give them some time. This building is enormous. Even if they come for us right away, it could be five or ten minutes."

  "Five or ten minutes? I can't wait that long."

  The officers exchanged a look and then Anderson turned to
Alyssa. "You've been patient all this time. Give it a few more minutes and then you might get to see your daughter. We don't know, but we really need you to remain calm. Can you do that?"

  Chad squeezed her hand. "We will. You won't regret allowing us to come along with you."

  Fleshman nodded. "Good to hear. We don't know that we'll see her right away. Maybe we will, maybe we won't. Just follow our lead and hopefully you'll have your daughter in your arms soon enough."

  "They'll let her out, right?" Alyssa asked. "Why is she even in here?"

  Anderson shook his head. "We don't have those answers yet."

  "What answers do you have?"

  "Not a lot," Fleshman said. "There's a girl here who's been giving the staff trouble since before Macy disappeared. Her parents are out of the picture and—"

  "What does this have to do with my child?" Alyssa demanded.

  Chad gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Lyss, let him talk."

  "I don't see how you can stay so calm."

  "Because I don't want to be sent outside while they go in and see Macy."

  Alyssa looked back to Fleshman, clenching her fists. "Continue."

  "This other girl, Heather, she's been claiming that her dad killed her mom. She's in denial that her mom left them. The staff says it's a real sad case, but earlier today, there were two of her. Another girl appeared somehow, who looks just like her. The only way they can tell the difference is that the new one has shorter hair, but it's the same length as Heather's when she came in months ago."

  "What's your point?" Alyssa asked.

  "The second one is claiming that she's Macy. She says she was kidnapped by Heather's dad and she also believes that he killed Heather's mom."

  Alyssa leaned against Chad. "I…I don't understand."

  Chad held her tight. "You mean that the other dad, he took Macy to replace his daughter?"

  "It's beginning to look that way," Anderson said. "The local authorities are said to be questioning him now. There are a lot of pieces to be put together. A big one is you two identifying whether or not the second girl is in fact Macy."

  "Do you have a picture?" Alyssa asked. "Why won't they let us in there? What's taking them so long?" She pulled away from Chad and ran to the front desk, her vision more blurry by the moment. Blinking the tears onto her face, she stared down the receptionist. "Let us in there! My daughter has been missing since November! I need to see her."