Beyond the Divorce by Third Blossom

Ava's Sudden Disappearance

The day was busy from start to end. Just as I thought the work was winding down, Benjamin said the warehouse inventory was done, and we needed a quick meeting.

I hurried to the small conference room. I needed to get back soon and surprise my daughter.

The morning scene hadn't faded from my mind. I was sure my daughter felt the same. Let them look, I stubbornly decided. I wanted to see how they felt.

After all, Ava was a child of the Murphy family.

But to my surprise, the meeting ended abruptly. Before it was over, I received a frantic call from my mother, sobbing and wailing. She said Ava was missing.

This was a nightmare come true. I didn't even bother to wrap up the meeting and rushed out. How could an obedient child like her just vanish?

I descended the stairs, and Carol followed. She took the car keys from my hand, hopped in, and we sped out of the underground parking lot.

We made it back to Amethyst Apartments. From a distance,

I saw my mother on her knees, gasping between sobs. I hurried over, "Mom, please don't cry. How did Ava disappear?”

My dad, his face pale, explained the sequence of events. My mom said that after bringing Ava home, she played happily in the yard.

inside to prepare lunch. Shortly after, my dad called Ava in, but the gate was open. Ava was nowhere to be found in the yard. Her little shovel and other toys were

searched high and low, but there was no sign of Ava. Something felt off, so she called me. Typically,

had also rushed

and suggested, "Isn't there

Atlas had installed surveillance in my yard, but I hadn't used it in a long

and no exceptional circumstances, I never bothered

opened the surveillance footage, scrolled to today's date, and then searched for

I saw the scene where my mother

my father had said, she happily played in

I scrolled further, I saw a black car

her shovel and ran toward the gate. She looked so

opened the gate, the car had already started

video, Ava seemed a bit disappointed. She clutched her little skirt with one hand and held onto the gate's handle with the

her glance back into the house before she ran toward the direction

widened in shock. I

noticed this. "Continue to the next clip.

following clip. In it, I could only see Ava's tiny figure running further inside, gradually disappearing from the

He grabbed me and said, "Chlo, don't worry. Keep watching the