When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 49

She rushed over to Alan, heart pounding. Alan looked like he’d just seen a ghost. He had only turned away for a quick smoke, and now Carrie was gone.

“Go find her! She can’t have gotten far. Bring her back before Brody gets here!” Sheila’s voice was tight with panic. If Brody found out she couldn’t even keep track of a kid, he’d never forgive her.

Alan didn’t waste a second. He plunged into the crowd, searching. The exhibition hall was dim, packed with people—thousands of faces, shadows everywhere. Finding anyone in this chaos was nearly impossible.

Not long after Alan left, Brody walked in.

“Where’s Carrie?” He noticed right away—Carrie was gone, and Alan too.

Sheila’s nerves frayed. “Um, Brody, I think Carrie went to look for you… Alan followed her. They should be back any minute.” She tried to sound casual, but her voice wavered.

Brody’s eyes narrowed. He picked up on the tension instantly. “Weren’t you with her the whole time?”

“I… I just went to the restroom,” Sheila mumbled, unable to meet his eyes.

Brody was up before she could say anything else, striding away without a backward glance.

Up in the gallery, Nelly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure below. She dumped her snacks back into the container and stood up quickly.

“I have to go out for a bit,” she said.

Jonah reached out, stopping her. “The auction’s about to start.”

“Carrie was taken.” Nelly’s voice was low but urgent.

Their seats had a clear view of the floor below. Outside one of the private boxes, a little girl in a green dress was being pulled inside. Nelly’s heart dropped. That was Carrie, her daughter. She hadn’t expected Brody to bring her, but whoever was with Carrie definitely wasn’t from Brody’s side.

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