DAMIR
It was nearing 8 p.m.- a full hour past the time Eli should have been home.
I had just shut my laptop after finishing a mountain of paperwork in the study when the silence around the house began to gnaw at my chest. The empty echo of the ticking grandfather clock, the dim lights, the quiet hallways, everything screamed his absence. He hadn't returned. I could feel it in my bones.
He always rushes in. Always.
He'd run straight into my study after school, still in his uniform, cheeks pink from the cold or sun, dropping his bag on the floor, demanding my attention even if I was mid-call. But now… nothing.
I frowned and reached for my phone on the desk, the familiar dread rising like bile in my throat. Maybe he was just delayed. Maybe he got caught up somewhere, stubborn boy.
I checked my messages. Nothing.
I immediately dialed the number Eli had used to call me earlier….Lian's number.
It rang twice.
Then, a voice answered. "Hello?"
I exhaled slowly. "Lian?"
"Yes… Damir?"
My grip tightened around the phone. I didn't even sit back. My tone dropped low, calm, careful, but sharp enough to cut.
"Is Eli with you?"
A pause.
Then, panic.
"Wait…he's not home yet?"
My heart sank. I stood up instantly. My study chair rolled back with a harsh screech against the marble.
"No. He isn't. And he hasn't contacted me either."
"Damir, I thought he was home already," Lian said, clearly rattled. "His phone was at home, remember? He used mine to call you. Then… my phone died before we left each other. He told me he'd text when he got back. I assumed…."
I closed my eyes.
Assumptions.
"Where did you two go?"
Silence again. I could hear Lian hesitate. I could imagine him swallowing hard.
"Lian."
My tone dropped further, the faintest growl bleeding into it.
"We… snuck out."
A sharp inhale sliced through my teeth.
"What?"
"He forgot his phone, and the guards were always hovering. So I suggested we leave without them just for fun. Just to play. We weren't going far…."
"And you both parted ways? When? Where?"
"Around 6:45. We were near the central avenue. My house was closer, and Eli said he wanted to walk home."
I sat down slowly, my hand gripping the edge of the desk.
Not again.
Not like last time.
Not my baby.
I felt a thousand scenes flashing before my eyes, him walking, vulnerable, innocent, without his phone, in this city filled with wolves.
"Why didn't you walk with him, Lian?"
His voice broke. "I'm sorry. I thought…"
"Thinking doesn't protect him."
I hung up. Not out of anger. Not entirely. I just couldn't speak anymore. I opened my contacts and dialed his driver.
He answered on the first ring.
"Boss! Boss, I'm so sorry…I swear, I didn't let him out of my sight until…"
"Where are you?"
"I'm still out. I've been looking for him for almost an hour. I drove around the school, asked the guards, described him to people along the road but no one saw him…."
My blood ran cold.
"Keep looking. Don't come back until you find him. Call me the moment you do."
"Yes, boss."
I ended the call and slammed the phone on the desk. My hands curled into fists. The house was too quiet. His absence was louder than anything.
And my heart? My heart was thundering with a terrifying rhythm…
Where are you, baby?
Where are you?
Please be safe.
Please come back to me.
I will never forgive myself if something happens.