Chapter 103

Thomas let out a long, weary sigh as he paused in the dim hallway, the memory of his little Honey—Theresa—flitting through his mind like a fragile wisp of smoke. Earlier that morning, she had abandoned him in the living room with strict instructions: wait here while I whip up a snack before lunch. Yet when he wandered from room to room, calling her name into every corner of the quiet house, she was nowhere to be found. An unsettling hush had settled over the place, broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator and the distant tick of a clock on the wall.

Frowning, Thomas slipped his hand into his pocket and withdrew his phone. Sweet Monday had given Theresa a safety bracelet when she was two, a pastel-hued band inlaid with a tiny tracking chip. Felix had later gifted her an upgraded version—sleek and discreet, with an embedded distress signal feature that glowed faintly when activated. Thomas tapped the tracking app and watched the little dot that represented his daughter bou