Chapter 2

The plane landed on the afternoon of the third day.

I didn't go home.

The first thing I did was go straight to the local general hospital.

Whenever Mom got sick, she'd always go to this hospital.

I checked the inpatient department, but there was no record of her being admitted.

I went to the community hospital and Mercy General Hospital too.

I went to every major hospital, and none of them had anyone named Louisa Lambert.

It was September.

Standing at the hospital entrance, I felt cold chills running down my back.

So Mom was never sick at all?

Those so-called surgeries, those so-called imported drugs.

Was it all fake?

I clenched my teeth hard and took a cab to my brother's house.

My heart was racing as I slid the key into the lock.

I was afraid Mom would be home, and just as afraid she wouldn't.

I turned the key, and the door clicked open.

The place was a bit of a mess.

The trash can was full of takeout wrappers.

The sofa was piled high with clothes.

Further in, the master bedroom was Spencer and Pearl's room.

The second bedroom belonged to my nephew and niece.

The little room next to the bathroom was Mom's.

But now.

That little room had been turned into a walk-in closet.

There wasn't a single trace of Mom ever having lived in the house.

Impossible!

Just last month Spencer said Mom had been discharged.

That he'd brought her home.

So why was there no sign anywhere that Mom had ever lived here?

My mom doesn't know how to use a smartphone.

I bought her a basic phone for seniors, but she just tossed it aside.

She didn't want to use it, and she wouldn't learn.

So there was no way for me to reach her at all.

I forced down the panic and frustration churning inside me.

I sat on the sofa and dialed Spencer's number.

The phone rang three times before he picked up.

It was noisy on his end.

I could faintly hear the clatter of a keyboard.

I did my best to keep my emotions in check.

"Spencer, I'm back in the country."

There were three seconds of silence on the other end.

Spencer's voice was clearly flustered.

"Sis, why didn't you say a word about coming back!"

"Where are you right now?"

"At home."

The other end went quiet again.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

"Sis, hold on, I'll be right back!"

"Wait for me!"

The call was hung up in a hurry.

The fingertips gripping my phone had gone slightly pale.

I would wait. I'd wait for Spencer to come back.

Wait for him to explain to me why there was nothing of Mom's in the house.

Why the hospitals couldn't find Mom either!