It was 2:00 pm, and the sun was relentless. I was in the neighboring city for a work trip when my five-year-old daughter, Sally, called me. Her voice was trembling with fear, and she was wracked with tears.

"Mom, help me! Dad locked me in the car."

My head spun, and I nearly passed out. "Baby, don't cry... Tell me where you are, and I'll come get you right now!"

Sally tried to calm down and sobbed out the words, "I'm at..."

However, the call ended. I panicked and called back, but the phone was off. I tried again, but it was still off. It had to be out of battery. I started calling my husband, Charles Lowe, frantically, but there was no answer! Even when I called again, I could not get through.

I shouted to my coworkers, asking them to call the police. All the while, I continued to call Charles. I jumped into my car and sped back to our city. Finally, the call connected, and Charles' impatient voice came through.

"What is it? I'm busy."

In the background, I heard a little girl giggling. "Daddy, I want to play that!"

That wasn't Sally. Who was this little girl calling him daddy?

It wasn't the time to be asking about this, though.

"Where are you? Why is Sally locked in the car?! You need to save Sally..."

His voice was barely audible amidst the background noise of children playing.

I suddenly realized the little girl had taken his phone. Her voice cut through, sharp and annoyed.

"Dad, you promised to play with me. No phone calls."

"Okay, okay, I won't make any more calls! Look, I'm turning it off now!" His voice was soothing, and he completely ignored my desperate screams.

"No, don't turn off the phone!" I shouted frantically, but it was too late.

I dialed again, but the phone was already off. Tears blurred my vision, and I nearly smashed my phone in frustration.

A coworker called, telling me that the police said this situation was tough to handle and they had passed the case to the local station. They needed the exact location of the person needing help.

Exact location. Damn it! I needed to know the exact location right now. My daughter was in danger!

I forced myself to stay calm as every second counted. I had to find Sally's location. I hurriedly called Charles' friends and coworkers, but no one had any clues.

"Charles is on leave today."

"He didn't say where he was going."

The kindergarten teacher's voice came through, saying, "Sally was picked up by her dad this morning."

"Picked up in the morning? Where did they go?" I pressed, but the teacher did not know.

"Oh right, another woman and a little girl followed along at the time."

I quickly leaned forward, my heart racing. "Is the little girl from the same kindergarten? What did she look like?"

"She has blonde and curly hair—"

My stomach dropped. I knew immediately that she was Chloe Rearden's kid.

Chloe had the same blonde, curly hair. She was Charles' first love, his obsession since high school. For Chloe, he sacrificed everything—better university offers, promising job opportunities, even his relationship with his parents.

In the end, Chloe married a wealthy man in a shotgun wedding. When Charles received her wedding invitation, he was devastated. He got drunk, cut himself, and tried to drown himself in the river. Desperate, I jumped in after him. I could not swim and almost drowned myself.

A passerby saved us both. When Charles hugged me after, he said, "Jessica, let's get married."

At that moment, Charles was expressionless, but I felt like the happiest person in the world. I had loved him for so long, but I was always in the background. I never asked for anything in return. I thought that this time, I had finally won his heart.

We married quickly and had Sally. I believed our life would be a happy, peaceful one. Then, one day, I found him staring blankly at his phone, tears streaming down his face.

I took his phone quietly and saw the news that shattered my world.

There had been a serious car accident; a woman and child narrowly escaped death. But her husband died tragically. In the photo, the woman, still with her long curly hair and delicate beauty, was unmistakably Chloe, whom we had not seen in years.

Charles tried to stay calm, but I could see through his facade. "I just feel bad for them," he said, his voice almost too casual.

In the days that followed, he became increasingly absent-minded. He forgot important dates—my birthday, Sally's vaccination appointment, and our wedding anniversary. It was unlike him.

Then, there were the changes. He started using cologne, which he had never liked before. He would style his hair meticulously with gel he previously detested. Our daughter even took notice of it. "Dad's getting more and more handsome," she said innocently.

A gnawing worry took root in my mind. It was a vague but persistent fear. The pieces fell into place when I saw them—Charles and Chloe—walking out of a hotel, hand-in-hand, looking like a couple in love.

My blood boiled. I charged forward and slapped Chloe across the face. Charles immediately stepped between us, his eyes blazing with anger. "We didn't do anything! Don't you touch her!"

I did not care about his protests, however. "Does Sally know?" I demanded, my voice shaking.

"Don't drag Sally into this!" he shot back.

"That's exactly what I want to say!" I retorted, my voice breaking. Sally was all I had left, and there was no way I would let anyone hurt her.

But Sally soon sensed something was wrong. She would ask, "Mom, where's Dad? Did I do something wrong? Dad hasn't smiled at me in ages."

I would just tell her that her dad had been super busy with work.

Thinking about my daughter made my heart race. I floored the gas pedal, feeling the car's engine strain, but I could not slow down. I had to save her.

I called everyone I knew in the city, pleading for help.

I would give up everything if I had to.

Without Sally, my life was meaningless.

Chloe was the key. Charles was with her child, so finding Chloe meant finding them. I did not have her contact information, but I remembered how Charles had been acting differently lately, especially around her.

I had checked his phone countless times but found nothing. Then, one day, I caught his reflection in the mirror as he dialed a number. He did not need to save her number—he had Chloe's number memorized.

I thought back to the day he stopped at a cake shop, insisting we buy a birthday cake. Sally and I were confused. "It's not our birthday…" I said.

He just stood there, looking lost. It dawned on me then—he hadn't forgotten our birthdays. His mind was just elsewhere, with someone else.

No matter what, Sally was still our daughter. I had to find her.

It was 43 miles to our city. I pressed harder on the gas pedal, feeling the car lurch forward. I called the traffic department, the information services, the fire department—anyone who could help track Charles' car.

Every second felt like an eternity, and my daughter's terrified cries echoed in my mind.

I prayed that my darling daughter would be safe.

I kept redialing her number, praying she would answer.

The highway ahead seemed endless, and bad news just kept coming.

"Mrs. Lowe, your husband's car is still in the company parking lot."

"Jessica, the amusement park staff is looking around, but they haven't found anything yet."

"Jessica, Chloe isn't at the office. I heard she's on a business trip with some guy."

I nearly screamed, "Then check her car for me! Sally is still in the car!"

Ahead, everything was blindingly bright. The sun was scorching, and the ground looked distorted from the heat.

I felt like my brain was distorted too. I was already speeding, but I did not care. Nothing could happen to my baby.

I was getting closer to the city, but I was not feeling any relief.

His phone was still off, just as it was on the nights that he did not come home.

On those nights, Sally could not sleep and would cry for her dad. "Did Dad get lost? Mom, can we go find Dad?"

I could not bear to tell her that he was probably at someone else's house... I lied and said he was working overtime.

But she kept asking to go to his company to keep him company.

The next morning, Charles would come back. When he heard we had been out looking for him, his expression would turn grim.

"Didn't I say not to get Sally involved in our issues? Jessica Jabs, can you stop being so childish?"

I remembered my daughter touching my tired face with her small hand. "Mom, I love you. Stop smoking!"

Ever since I found out that Charles had rekindled his old flame, I started secretly smoking on the balcony. Divorce or not, it was a very complicated problem. My daughter would secretly hide my cigarettes, like a little adult. I tried to hide my sadness, but she noticed anyway.

She would wrap her little arms around my head, whispering softly, "Mom, don't be sad. It'll be okay."

"Thanks, sweetie," I would reply, trying to muster a smile. She was just a child, yet she was so worried about me.

Before I left that day, she stood on her tiptoes, reaching up for a hug. "Mom, I love you! Come back soon, okay? We'll go to the amusement park and surprise Dad."

...

The car scraped against the guardrail with a loud bang. My heart pounded, but I did not stop to check the damage. My speed did not decrease. My phone rang again, and it was Charles.

I answered, my voice trembling, "Charles, where are you? Where's Sally?"

"She's in the car!" he snapped. "Why are you tracking me? What's the big deal?"

"Charles, listen to me. You need to get her out now!" I pleaded.

He wasn't listening and still ranting. "Jessica, this is ridiculous. Why are you making such a fuss?"

In the background, I heard Chloe's daughter, Holly's, mocking voice. "Forget Sally. She's always fighting me for ice cream. She wants my mom too!"

My anger flared. "Charles, check on Sally, damn it!"

There was a pause. "Are you using Sally as an excuse again? Holly's in a bad mood, so I took her to the amusement park. And all you're thinking about is Sally? She's spoiled because of you."

Holly's voice grated on my ears. "Stupid Sally, she's just a bad egg. She's probably staying in the car and watching cartoons, snoring like a pig."

I finally understood what was happening.

He did not want to jeopardize his bond with his first love's daughter, so he left our daughter in the car to watch cartoons.

Sally did not even like cartoons; she just wanted her mom and dad with her. How dare Charles lock our daughter in the car while she was asleep?!

Her cries for help echoed in my mind once more.

"Charles, I'll say it one more time. Go to the car and get our daughter out now. Please, whether you want a divorce or all the money, I don't care. I don't want anything else. If you want to be with Chloe, I won't stop you. I just want Sally..." At this point, my voice broke.

My desperate pleas went unheard.

He snapped, "You're using Sally against me again? Can't you think about Holly for once? She's from a single-parent home now... Chloe's struggling to take care of her."

Tears streamed down my face. "I'm talking about Sally! Her life is at stake!"

He sighed impatiently. "Sally, Sally, that's all you care about. Holly lost her dad and she's a shell of what she used to be… Sally's fine. She's in the car with the A/C on, watching cartoons."

I was shaking with rage. "How could you leave her alone in the car?! Just tell me where she is. What's the license plate number?"

He scoffed. "And then what? You think I don't know what you're up to? You say it's all for Sally. How childish. Aren't you resourceful? You even got people to track me down, so go ahead and find her yourself..."

Before I could respond, he hung up.

Then, his phone went dead.

I was beyond furious. Sitting in the car, I started screaming out loud and slamming my hand on the steering wheel. Why couldn't I just hold my tongue? All I needed was Sally's location.

My phone rang. It was Franklin, my coworker.

"Jessica, pull over to the side of the road!"

"What is it, Franklin? Just tell me!"

"Jessica, calm down. We found Sally, but..."