Right after Penelope disappears, Mom calls the police.
Because it is a disappearance of an infant, she doesn't have to wait for 24 hours to report it.
I also look anxiously at Frank, waiting for his reply.
No matter what the news is, it is better than nothing.
Frank shakes his head and sighs, "No news from the police. They said that they would keep tracking
the case. If there's any news, they will call us."
No news.
I slump in my chair, dejected and worried sick. My eyes are empty as I look ahead.
Penelope has been missing for almost 24 hours, and we hear nothing of her.
I don't even know if she is taken away by a child trafficker, or someone with some ulterior motive.
Regardless of who it is, Penelope is in danger now.
Or to put it more negatively, I don't know if she's alive.
What should I do?
What in the world should I do?
I really want to cry, but I understand that tears are the most useless thing on earth.
If crying helps, there won't be so many troubles in the world.
I don't know how long I sit in the chair. My mind doesn't stop wandering until my mother talks to me.
"Jane, get some sleep. You must be exhausted after the long flight. Have a good rest."
I nod and go back to my room.
Mom already feels guilty. My misery will add to the guilt in her heart.
Lying on the bed, I can't keep my eyes shut.
How can I sleep?
As soon as I close them, Penelope's cute appearance comes back to me.
And I fail to protect such a cute child.
I'm questioning myself as a mother.
She is so little. Besides suffering from the illness, she is faced with other threats.
"Penelope, where the hell are you?"
I'm clutching the blanket, crying my heart out.
At this time, I want a warm embrace and someone reliable by my side.
However, I have already lost Frances, so I can only hold on by myself.
I really don't know how, though.
Every day after that, I live my life in agony.
How is Penelope now? I'm so overwrought, but I can't do anything about it.
...
I don't eat or sleep and I run to the police station every day. All I want is news bout Penelope, even if it
is just something trivial.
But what I get is disappointment again and again, leaving me in despair.
Anything about Penelope has become a taboo subject in my family. As long as my family talks about
her, I break down.
I want to control myself, but I can't.
She is more important than my life.
And I feel like dead.
God, why are you so cruel to me?
I have two children. One is with Hilda and he must suffer mistreatment a lot.
The other, who endures thalassemia every day, is still missing.
Am I a jinx and destined to die alone?
A month passes, and Penelope is still nowhere to be found.
The police almost give up on searching.
Without Penelope, I put all my focus on Earl.
Every day, I wait outside the Louis', hoping to see him.
Even I feel like a lunatic. But there is nothing else I can do to relieve my pain.
Today I'm waiting for Earl to appear at the gate of the Louis' as usual.
Unexpectedly, Frances' indifferent face comes into my sight.
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