The next day, when Jackie woke up she found herself in an unknown room. She went back into her memories to remember how she ended up in an unknown room. When she remember what happen last night, fear and panic strucked her like thunder. She looked down her body and realized everything was is intact. Only her shoes were taken off. She climb out of the bed and made her way towards the door. Fortunately for her, the door wasn't locked. When she got to the living area, she saw a familiar face with some other four people. The familiar face was the man she saw inside Mrs. Sarah's ward and the other four... they looked like his family. They were two men and two women. Out of the two women, one look could be her mother while the other maybe have the same age as her or less. And the other two men apart from the ones she met at the hospital, one looked like he was the same age as the one in the hospital and the other was Eric's age mate.
It was the girl who looked like she was the same age as her that first saw her. She lift her hand and called her uncle. Mr Bob lift his hand the other family members followed closely behind. They all stared directly at her, their eyes locked onto her every move. Obviously, she wasn't comfortable with the intense weight of their stares, but she refused to let them see her flinch. She held her ground.
"Who is she?" asked a guy in the room, who looked to be around her same age group, his voice sharp with curiosity.
"Uncle brought her here last night," his sister answered quickly, shifting her gaze between them.
"Dear, come and sit down. Have breakfast with us," the middle-aged woman suggested, gesturing toward the table with an inviting smile.
"I... I haven't cleaned up yet," Jackie replied evenly, keeping her composure.
"Juliana, go give her some of your unused toiletries," the middle-aged woman instructed, turning to her daughter.
"Okay, Mom... but let me finish my food first," the girl cooed, completely unbothered.
Jackie stood perfectly still, staring at Mr. Bob quietly. Her mind was working rapidly, analyzing the room. She was completely confused as to why they were acting so incredibly welcoming and caring, especially since they had kidnapped her just hours before. It was a bizarre tactic, but she wasn't intimidated. She was determined to figure out their game.
"I'll tell you everything later. Go get ready first," Mr. Bob said quietly, reading the calculated look in her eyes and knowing exactly what she was thinking.
Jackie turned around and walked back inside the room where she had spent the night, her steps steady. Soon after, a soft knock sounded at the door, and Juliana came in carrying a neatly folded stack of clothes and a small assortment of toiletries.
"Here are the things you can use. I'll leave you alone to freshen up," Juliana said simply. Jackie didn't waste her breath on words; she just gave a firm, sharp nod of her head.
When she finished washing up and changing into the fresh clothes, she stood by the door, weighing her options. She didn't know whether it was smarter to stay put in the room or go straight downstairs to confront them. She sat back down on the edge of the bed for a moment, her mind coolly sorting through her next moves. That was the exact moment she remembered her phone. She
She searched the room frantically, but found nothing. Frustrated but collected, she went downstairs to ask Mr. Bob. The man was sitting on the couch alongside an elderly couple. "Ermm... I... I can't find my phone. Please, do you happen to have it?" she asked politely, though a slight knot of unease was beginning to form in her stomach. "You should sit down. I have something very important to tell you," Mr. Bob replied, gesturing toward the couch on the opposite side of the room. Jackie sat down, maintaining her outward composure. She wasn't paralyzed by fear, but the strange atmosphere and the heavy silence of the house left her feeling increasingly uncomfortable and confused. She just wanted answers.
"I know you have so much going on in your mind right now, and I promise I am going to answer all of your questions," Mr. Bob began, his voice heavy with emotion. "But first, let me tell you exactly why you are here. Gilbeth... I mean Eric... he is my son. We lost him when he was only fourteen years old. I searched for him everywhere, but I couldn't find a single trace. At some point, I concluded that he was dead, and that devastating conclusion filled me with a deep, consuming anger. Soon, a bitter hatred began to develop toward my younger daughter, Claudia. I blamed her, believing that if Gilbeth hadn't tried to save her from falling off the cliff, he would still be with us today."
Jackie lifted an eyebrow in shock at his candid words. A wave of confusion washed over her as she tried to connect the dots of this tragic family history, but she forced herself to stay steady. Swallowing her growing discomfort, she remained silent, allowing him to continue.
"It has only been a few months since I finally found him again," Mr. Bob confessed, his eyes downcast. "But the circumstances under which I discovered he was my son were not pleasant at all. Because of that painful history, he refuses to give me a single chance to explain myself. And that is exactly where you come in, Jackie. He trusts you, and you are the only bridge left that can help mend our broken family before it is too late. You are the only person who is close to him and whom I can access without much difficulty," Mr. Bob explained, layout out his reasoning as if it were a simple business transaction. "You are going to stay here until it becomes obvious that you are missing and he starts to look for you."
Jackie couldn't believe her ears. She wasn't frightened by his words, but the sheer absurdity of the situation left her completely baffled. Frowning in sheer confusion, she asked unexpectedly, "So... where is my phone?"
"You won't be using your phone until I have been able to talk to my son," Mr. Bob said calmly.
Jackie shifted, annoyed by the awkwardness of the room and the bizarre logic they were throwing at her. "Can I reject your whole plan? It seems completely foolish to me."
Of course, none of them expected that kind of blunt response. Because she looked so calm and respectful, they hadn't expected her to openly question their intelligence. In fact, they had expected a lot more resistance and dramatic complaints from her at the beginning. But because she had just stood there looking composed, they assumed she was entirely compliant and had dismissed any worries. That was why they were so thoroughly taken aback by her sudden, sharp insult.
The couple turned and looked at Mr. Bob, unsure of how to handle someone who was completely unfazed by them. The man sighed heavily before answering, "No."
"How long do you think it'll take for him to realize you have me?" Jackie pressed, her mind racing as she tried to map out their flawed timeline. "Because my mom is in the hospital and I have to visit her as soon as possible. This whole thing is just wasting my time."
"That depends on Gilbert," Mr. Bob replied flatly. "I can't tell."
Jackie actually became amused. She wasn't sweating, and her heart wasn't racing; she was just incredibly irritated by how ridiculous they were being. "You are making me angry with what you are doing. You really think this nonsense is going to work? I don't even think Eric cares about me. It might take him two or three weeks before he even notices that I am gone, if he notices at all. I simply cannot wait that long in this limbo before I can go to the hospital to visit my mother. She needs me there, right now."
"I am sorry but you just have to cope with it for now." Came matter of fact apology from Bob
The next day at night, Mich couldbe seen working late again. He was huddled on the living room couch, the glow from his laptop screen casting sharp, pale angles across his tired face. His fingers danced busily across the keyboard, a rhythmic tapping that was the only sound breaking the midnight silence. Every once in a while, he would pause his typing, rub his eyes, and take a slow, deliberate sip from a mug of lukewarm, sugar-free coffee resting on the low wooden coffee table.
He was so deeply absorbed in the spreadsheets and endless lines of text that he didn't even notice Claudia quietly push open the door and walk into the room. Her footsteps were completely silent against the rug. It was only when the cushions compressed and he felt the couch sink under her weight on the opposite side that he finally broke his focus, blinking against the harsh screen glare to look over at her.
"Working late again?" Claudia asked softly, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as if she were cold.
"Trouble sleeping?" Mich countered, a warm, reassuring smile breaking through his exhaustion as he pushed the laptop back slightly.
They both shared a quiet, knowing laugh, a brief moment of shared comfort that temporarily cut through the heavy, suffocating silence of the house. Once their laughter faded back into the dark corners of the room, Mich turned his body slightly to face her fully, his expression turning gentle and serious. "Did you have another nightmare?"
"Nah," she replied, shaking her head slowly as she stared down at her hands. "I just don't feel sleepy tonight. Every time I close my eyes, my mind just spins in circles."
"Well, I am almost done here anyway," Mich said gently, closing out a few stubborn browser tabs and shutting the laptop halfway to dim the room's light. "Do you have anything in mind for us to do after I finish? We could play a game, or just talk."
Claudia looked up at him, her eyes tracing the dark circles bruising the skin beneath his eyes. "Are you not exhausted? You really should go to bed instead of staying up late into the early morning just because of me. I don't want to be a burden on your routine."
"Don't say that," Mich insisted firmly, reaching out to give her shoulder a supportive squeeze before setting his laptop completely aside. "My conscience wouldn't even let me close my eyes, let alone rest, knowing you're awake and trapped alone with your thoughts. Tell you what—the air in here feels incredibly heavy. How about we head out to the balcony for a few minutes to get some fresh air and look at the stars?"