But all she received in return was a deep silence.

As the days passed, Kitty became more and more desperate to see her son. When she was brought food, which by now was always done by Linda, she begged the woman to let her hold him, to let her feed him, but all her pleading was ignored. She felt like she was going crazy, trapped in this shed with no one to talk to except for the roaches scurrying around in the corners.

Days turned into weeks, and Kitty spent her time sobbing and wishing for her baby back. She even told herself that she could hear him crying sometimes, and it broke her heart.

She didn’t understand why they would take him away from her. She began to lose hope, convinced she’d never see her child again. And she also wondered why Damian had stopped coming. Was he tired of her? Had he lost interest in her? Was she not good enough for him anymore?

Did he forget about me?

One night, as she was lying on the floor where it was the coldest in the hot shed, she heard a sound coming from the outside. It was faint at first, but then it grew louder and louder until she could make out the sound of footsteps approaching. Her heart raced with hope.

She knew it was probably just Linda bringing her food as usual, but the footsteps seemed heavier and more determined than usual. Could it be someone else?

Could it be… him?

The door creaked open, letting in a slight light from the now so mysterious outside world. The face greeting her in the doorway made her heart beat faster.

She smiled and rose to her feet.

“Damian!”

He walked in and closed the door behind him, then took her in his arms. She hugged him and clung to him as tightly as she could. He lifted her up and carried her back to the bed. She cried and enjoyed being held so much, she didn’t want to let go of him again. She had felt so alone these past weeks. It had been like the whole world had forgotten about her. Like she was going to just rot away in that shed.

But now she felt a sliver of happiness again. Now that he was back. He loved her and always had. She knew it. He would never forget her.

“I have some good news for you, Kitty,” he said with a handsome smile that made her stomach flutter.

“Good news?” she asked, thinking it had to be about her baby. Was she going to get to see him? To hold him? Would they let her into the house and be with him? She could promise to never try to do anything bad. She never would. She didn’t want to upset them.

“You’re going to be a mother again.”

Kitty’s heart stopped. “What do you mean? What happened to my baby? Where is Oliver?”

“Don’t worry about him,” he said. “He’s fine.”

“But… how?”

He smiled even wider, then removed a lock of hair from her face and put it behind her ear. Then he caressed her cheek.

“You know how. Just like last time.”

“Just like last time?” she repeated, feeling confused. All she could think about was Oliver. Her baby. Why couldn’t they just let her see him? And hold him? Why was he talking about another baby, about her becoming a mother again? She was already a mother.

“I don’t understand?”

He shushed her, then leaned forward and placed a hand over her mouth to stop her from talking. Then he whispered.

“I think you do.”

SIXTY-TWOBILLIE ANN

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I drove to Peyton’s house. She and Charlene had known each other for many years, and she lived only two streets down. Peyton’s mom was one of those who had given up on her teenage daughter years ago, and often left her alone in the house, where anything could—and would—happen.

I wasn’t going to let Charlene stay there for one minute longer. I knew I was about to humiliate her, but this was needed. She was grounded and supposed to be at home. She had put this on herself.

And I was angry. Not just because it was disrespectful, but also because Charlene knew how important my job was. How important my time was. Right now I should be out finding Emma or Marissa, and not looking for my own daughter.

When I arrived, I could feel the dread rising in my throat. There was a gathering of teenagers outside, some vaping or smoking, some laughing. Music blared from inside, the bass shaking the walls. I went up to the door and knocked, hard, but it wasn’t locked and slid open as I put my fist against it.

At first glance, I spotted Charlene, slumped against the wall. I hurried to her, and she barely noticed me. Then our eyes met, and my heart sank. She was glassy-eyed, and I felt a wave of anger and disappointment wash over me. I grabbed her arm and yanked her from the house.

“Mo-o-m! What are you doing?”

“You’re high, Charlene. What do you think you’re doing? You didn’t think I would find out you were gone and come for you?”

“I don’t care, Mom. You can’t just come here and… and… look they’re all laughing at me.”

“I don’t care, Charlene. This is not okay.”

She pulled her arm out of my grip. “So what?”

“So, we’re going home now.”

“No, we’re not.”

“Oh, yes, we are.”

I reached out my hand to grab her, but she pulled back. “If you touch me, I’ll scream. I’ll tell everyone that you’re a kidnapper. Or even worse that you’re… a lesbian.”

Is she for real? Where is my little girl?

“Charlene, you need to come with me right now.”

She shook her head. There were people everywhere, standing in groups and staring at us, and the last thing I wanted was for them to call the police. Technically I was the police, but I didn’t want these kids to get in trouble. And they would be once the police came here. Including Charlene.

We stood out on the lawn, the smell of marijuana and sweat heavy in the air. We glared at each other, neither of us wanting to give in. I wanted to yell, to scold her for her recklessness, but I bit my tongue. At least I tried to. Yet I couldn’t help myself and some of my rage escaped anyway.

“How could you be so careless?” I seethed, my hands trembling.

She dropped her gaze and sighed softly.

“Just let me go.”

Her voice was quiet but determined. I shook my head vigorously. “No way. You’re my daughter and we’re going home now.”

We silently stood on the lawn, our bodies almost touching. I opened my mouth to scream at her but quickly snapped it shut. She narrowed her eyes as if daring me to say something, but I refused to give in. Instead, all that escaped my throat was an exasperated groan.

We fiercely locked eyes, neither of us ready to back down. I wanted to shout, to chastise her for her thoughtless actions and disrespect, but she had hit me where it hurt. I knew deep down that this was all my fault. Joe was right, she was acting out because of me. How could I punish her for that?