Chapter 527

The search underwater was a long and soul-crushing ordeal. Susan watched as Brandon and the others bobbed up and down in the water, and with no word on Sophia, fear and despair nearly drowned her.

It was the deep blue here, not some woods or dry land where one could buy some extra time. A person couldn't last all that long in the water.

The search party had already spread out, heading downstream. The cops, too, rushed over after the alarm was raised and joined in the search.

From where Sophia fell in, the search stretched all the way down the river to the main channel, and even to the nearby mouth of the sea, but turned up zilch.

Desperation hung heavy in everyone's hearts. Whether she got trapped in a concrete column or swept out to sea, surviving was a long shot.

But no one dared to voice that; no one dared to even think it.

The wind and rain gradually let up. The sky over Zenithan began to show the first light of dawn, eventually brightening up.

The support crew had already brought dry clothes for those who'd been in the water, all except for Brandon.

Brandon, like a man possessed, kept diving back in numbly and doggedly. But the deep winter night was cold to the bone, with a fresh blast of cold air heading south.

As dawn broke, whether it was sheer exhaustion or despair from not finding Sophia that sapped his last bit of strength, Brandon's towering figure swayed and then he totally blacked out after another fruitless search, and in a frenzy, he was rushed to the hospital.

Daniel had also stood vigil by the river all night, but he couldn't sway Brandon.

Brandon's sudden collapse sent him into a total panic, and he scrambled to follow the ambulance to the hospital.

Susan was kneeling at the riverbank, having cried herself into a state where she couldn't even speak.

Kent felt equally sick to his stomach. He took off his jacket and draped it over Susan's shoulders, choking up as he told her, "No news is good news; Sophia's gonna be okay."

But even he couldn't convince himself with the weakness in his voice.

This was water they were talking about, not land. On land, there was still a chance if someone was missing, but in the water...

He couldn't bear to think about it.

catch her breath, just despairingly staring at the now slowly calming river

police had expanded the search to the sea outlet downstream. Grace, too, had red-rimmed eyes, fighting back

had puffy eyes like walnuts, not wailing as she had the night before, but her eyes brimmed with tears, her gaze panicked and

this meant, but her fearful and

Kent, where's my mommy?" As seeing someone finally notice

Theresa's hidden unease, thinking of

her, barely forcing a smile, and said

looking cautiously at Kent, "when can mommy finish work? She said she'd take me and daddy out

speak. Beside him, Susan's crying grew more intense,

looked timidly at Susan and then at Kent, her hands

knew it wasn't a hotel. She remembered her mom's promise over the phone last night

remembered she couldn't reach her mom's fingers, so her dad taught her to high-five with

seen mommy yet. She pulled back her anxious gaze, looking

course." Kent managed another smile, "I will take you back to the hotel right

"Let's go back to the hotel and rest for a bit. I'm here; I'll call you if there's

by her mood, her tears also starting to fall, but she earnestly said to Susan, "Godmom,

contain her emotions. Kent helped her up and whispered in her

them to the nearest hotel in town

see Sophia, Theresa, once back in the hotel room, didn't need coaxing; she obediently took off her jacket, climbed into bed,

let go of her little doll,

Auntie Grace, goodnight.

her eyes. She treated sleep with utmost care

heart perhaps firmly believed that as long as she did as she promised with mommy, slept well, she'd wake up to see her mom as she

down somewhat on the way back, but seeing Theresa

tears as he gently patted Susan on the

was still ongoing, and the work to dismantle the foundation pillars was carried out with

were only halfway done this time, yet they were

workers at the scene

about the search

as he stepped into the ward, he saw Daniel by the bed looking haggard, with a cold breakfast untouched

even his lips white, still unconscious

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