My baby had gone missing.
The day I was discharged from the hospital and while we were handling the paperwork, we left the nanny to watch over the baby in the room. She stepped out briefly to use the restroom, and in that short time, the baby disappeared.
We anxiously reviewed the hospital’s surveillance footage it showed a young woman in sunglasses had taken him.
It was Mallory.
Ashton immediately called Cameron to ask what had happened.
Cameron explained that the previous night, Mallory had feigned stomach pain to send the nanny and caregiver away, taking the opportunity to slip out unnoticed.
They had been searching for her discreetly without informing Ashton, not wanting to alarm him. No one expected her to show up at the hospital early that morning and take the baby.
Despite scouring the surveillance footage, we found no trace of her leaving. For the first time, true fear overtook
- me.
Ashton sent out a team to search for Mallory, his phone ringing constantly with updates. Each call left his expression darker and more grim.
I tugged at his sleeve, and my voice was barely a whisper as I said, “Ashton, we should call the police.”
He bent down and hugged me tightly. “Pip, trust me. I’ll find her.”
“But when?” I burst out, breaking free from his embrace. “She didn’t hesitate to push me down the stairs. I can’t even begin to imagine what she might do to my baby!”
I screamed at him, and my voice cracked as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
Ashton gripped my wrist firmly with a resolute gaze. “Soon I’ll find her very soon.”
I deflated, laughing bitterly. “Ashton, no matter what, I’ll always come second to her, won’t I?”
He froze, probably stunned by my words.
“Even your own child doesn’t matter as much as she does to you.”
He shook his head, speaking quickly, “That’s not true. I just… I’m afraid calling the police will escalate things and make her more unstable…”
Tears flowed freely as I murmured, “My baby just came into this world. He’s still so small…”
Ashton’s expression hardened, and he pulled me into a fierce embrace. “Pip, I promise this will be the last time. I won’t let her hurt you or the baby again.”
Finally, Cameron called with news–they had found Mallory.
