The question pierced Liam’s heart. What could he say? That Sunny had fled town, possibly because of his actions? That his revelation had come too late?
But as he looked at his daughters — Maddie’s cautious optimism, Hailey’s open trust — something crystallized within him. Sunny might have left town. But that didn’t mean she was lost forever. It just meant he hadto work harder to find her, to prove that he was serious this time.
Slowly, Liam stood, squaring his shoulders as a plan began to form.
“I don’t know where Sunny is right now,” he told his daughters honestly. “But I’m going to find her.”
Maddie’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “How? Beth said her phone’s off.”
“Then I’ll have to get creative,” Liam replied, the first genuine smile in days tugging at his lips. “Fortunately, your old dad can be pretty resourceful when he needs to be.”
Hailey hopped down the remaining stairs, her earlier caution forgotten as excitement took hold. “Are we going on an adventure to find Sunny?”
Liam glanced at Beth, who gave a small nod of understanding. She would stay with the girls, however long it took.
“This is something I need to do myself, pumpkin,” he said, kneeling to Hailey’s level. “But I promise to call the moment I find her.”
“What will you say?” Maddie asked, still keeping a slight emotional distance, protecting herself from potential disappointment.
Liam considered the question seriously. “I’ll tell her I love her. That we all do. That we miss her. That I was wrong and I’m sorry and I want to spend the rest of my life making it up to her.”
“And that we want her to come home,” Hailey added firmly.
“Especially that,” Liam agreed.
As he returned to his feet, a new resolve hardened within him. It didn’t matter where Sunny had gone. It didn’t matter how long it took. He would find her. And this time, he wouldn’t let fear drive his decisions.
This time, he would fight for what mattered — with everything he had.
Liam
Liam sat in his car outside the apartment building, staring up at the dark windows. The weak morning light cast long shadows across the modest complex, painting everything in shades of gray that matched his mood. Three days. Three agonizing days since Beth had delivered the news that Sunny had packed her car and left town.
His eyes burned from lack of sleep, his body running on nothing but black coffee and the desperate need to find her. The dashboard clock read 6:43 AM. He’d been sitting here since 5:30, hoping against hope that Beth’s neighbor had been wrong, that Sunny might still be inside, that she might emerge with her bright smile and golden-brown hair catching the morning sun.
His phone buzzed again — the fifteenth call from his agent this morning. Liam silenced it without looking. The team management could wait. Everything could wait.
He closed his eyes, and unbidden, a memory surfaced — Sunny in the kitchen with flour dusting her cheeks, teaching Maddie how to make cinnamon rolls on a rainy Sunday morning. The way she’d thrown her head back with laughter when Hailey sneezed and sent a cloud of flour into the air. The way she’d caught his eye across the room and held it, a silent connection that made his heart skip.
“Where are you?” he whispered to the empty car.
The hollowness in his chest had only grown deeper with each passing hour. Every lead had evaporated, every possible hideaway had proven empty. It was as if she’d vanished into thin air, taking pieces of all of them with her.
But he couldn’t give up. Not when Hailey cried herself to sleep each night. Not when Maddie had stopped talking almost entirely, retreating into the same silent grief she’d shown after Kate died. Not when he finally understood exactly what he’d thrown away.
With a heavy sigh, Liam pushed open his car door. Sitting here staring at empty windows wouldn’t bring Sunny back. Maybe there was something he’d missed, some clue in the building or grounds that might point him in the right direction. He’d walk the perimeter, check the mailboxes, perhaps even knock on a few doors. It was a desperate move, but desperation had become his constant companion these past three days.
As he stepped onto the sidewalk, stretching his cramped muscles, the cool morning air bit at his skin, a small but welcome sensation after the numbness that had enveloped him since Sunny’s departure. That’s when he heard it — a sharp, yapping bark that cut through the morning quiet.
He spotted an elderly woman walking an excitable white terrier that strained against its leash. The woman wore a vibrant purple coat despite the mild weather, her silver hair styled in an elaborate updo that seemed at odds with her casual dog-walking attire.
Recognition sparked instantly. This had to be Mrs Finley, the neighbor Beth had mentioned — the one who’d seen Sunny leaving.
“Excuse me,” Liam called out, jogging over. “Mrs Finley?”
The woman squinted up at him, her heavily lined face suspicious. “Who’s asking?”
“I’m Liam Anderson. I’m looking for Sunny. I believe you’re her neighbor?”
