Chapter 9
Nicholas pov
As we drove, Laurel was usually quiet. Her hands were tightly clasped together, her grip firm like she was holding onto something invisible.
Suddenly, she got a call from work. After a brief exchange, she informed them she would be busy and that Madison should handle whatever seemed urgent for now.
Immediately after she dropped the call, I asked out of concern, "You good?"
"Yes," she replied.
But her tone… it wasn't fully convincing.
Still, I didn't push further.
Night fell quickly.
We searched almost all the important places in New Brunswick, schools, public areas, and other known spots where someone might be found. We moved from one place to another, asking questions, checking quietly, hoping for even the smallest lead.
But there was nothing.
Laurel eventually fell silent in a different way this time.
Not her usual composed silence.
This one carried weight.
Loss.
Doubt.
Hours passed.
Laurel finally lost all hope.
"Maybe… i was right," she said softly.
Then she suggested, "Let's just stay in a hotel for the night and continue searching tomorrow."
I agreed with her without hesitation.
Because I knew how draining all of this was for her . Not just physically, but emotionally.
While we were still walking along the street, a loud noise suddenly broke out nearby.
It was loud enough that anyone passing by would instinctively stop and look.
We both paused.
"What's going on?" I muttered.
We followed the sound.
It led us straight to a club.
Right in front of the club, chaos had already started.
There were people arguing loudly. Some were being picked up by clients, while others were resisting.
The club owner stood firm, insisting that his servers were not allowed to leave with clients. He made it clear, they were to work in the club, not be taken away.
Though the servers were young, this wasn't something new in New Brunswick. People did what they had to do to survive.
Survival sometimes came before everything else.
In the middle of the argument and commotion, my eyes caught someone.
Someone who matched the description my father had given me.
My heart skipped slightly.
Could it be…?
"Eric…" I said under my breath.
I immediately tried calling Laurel, but she had already moved away from the noise.
Noise wasn't really her thing.
I ran after her.
"Laurel!" I called out.
She stopped across the street.
"I'm not going far," she said calmly.
"Wait," I said quickly as I reached her.
Without thinking much, I happily grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Laurel…" I said, catching my breath.
"If you see your brother now… can you recognize him?"
She replied instantly,
"Even if my eyes no longer work…"
"…I will still recognize him."
I grabbed her hand.
"Follow me."
On getting back to the scene, the chaos was still ongoing.
Laurel looked around nervously at first, scanning every face, every movement.
Then suddenly she stopped.
Her eyes fixed on one person.
A young man.
Blue jeans.
Grey shirt.
Brown hair.
Blue eyes.
Her legs couldn't move.
She stood frozen.
"Is he the one?" I asked quietly.
She didn't reply.
But she didn't need to.
The silence… the way her eyes filled with tears…
It was enough.
That was him.
I rushed forward immediately.
He was being dragged by a drunken man, struggling slightly but clearly overwhelmed.
"Eric!" I called out.
I reached out and grabbed his hand through the crowd.
The moment I did, he stopped.
And he looked at me.
Not like a stranger.
But like someone who had been pulled back into a memory he thought he had lost forever.
The drunken man turned aggressively toward me, trying to pull Eric back.
"How much do you want?" I asked firmly.
He scoffed.
"No money," he replied. "All I want is him. Nice face, good body, small waist. I'm not trading him for anything."
His grip tightened again.
That was enough.
I stepped forward and landed a sharp punch on his cheek.
The impact was immediate.
"He can be yours before," I said coldly.
"But now… he is mine."
I took Eric's hand firmly and walked him out of the crowd.
The noise behind us continued, but it no longer mattered.
We moved past the chaos until we reached where Laurel was standing.
Eric stopped first.
He stood still.
His eyes locked onto Laurel.
It was as if he wanted to speak.
But something held him back.
Words failed him.
Then Laurel spoke.
"Eric… is that you?"
His eyes widened.
"Big sis…" he said, his voice trembling slightly.
"Are you Laurel?"
Tears began forming in his eyes as he stepped forward slowly.
"Always has been" Laurel replied.
Then suddenly,
He rushed toward her.
Pulling her into a tight hug.
"What took you so long?" he said, his voice breaking.
"I searched everywhere for you. I went back to the house, but it had already been sold."
His grip tightened.
"What took you so long?"
And then something unexpected happened.
Laurel.
The Laurel who never apologized.
The Laurel who never broke.
The Laurel who always walked away when things became heavy…
Was tearing up.
"I'm sorry…" she said.
Her voice shook.
"I thought I lost you…"
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
She held him tightly, as if letting go would mean losing him again forever.
"Please forgive me…"
I stood a few steps away from them.
Quietly.
Giving them space.
Allowing them to cry.
Allowing them to feel.
Because this moment… wasn't just about reunion.
It was about everything they had missed.
Everything they had endured.
Everything they had survived alone.
After a while, Laurel called out to me.
"Nicholas."
I stepped closer.
"This is Nicholas," she said to Eric.
"A very good friend of mine."
Then she added,
"Nicholas, this is Eric… my younger brother."
Eric looked at me and said sincerely,
"Thank you for taking care of her."
I nodded slightly.
No long words were needed.
"Let's leave here," Laurel said. "We will talk in the car."
But Eric suddenly stopped her.
"My clothes are still inside the club."
Laurel shook her head lightly.
"You can get more, Eric."
And just like that, we left the scene.
Behind us, the crowd was still in motion, voices still raised, arguments still ongoing.
But something had shifted.
Something subtle.
Something important.
As we walked away, heading toward the car, one thought settled in my mind.
Things were about to change.
Not in chaos.
Not in destruction.
But in a different way.
A better way.
And somehow… I could feel it.
This wasn't just a reunion.
This was the beginning of something new.