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"Ugh, that girl!" I groaned. "Okay, then. Just get to what you're doing, I'll check elsewhere."
"Have you checked in with Gretchen? I saw her and Artemis playing in the fields just behind me some time ago, I can't really place the time."
"I did. We're somewhere between when she left Gretchen and went to Mama. I'm thinking she got lost across the way."
"Okay then. Bring her here when you find her."
"And have her witness you stabbing another man in the gut? Tough luck Alessandro."
With that, I exited the office. I heard him say something to his defense, but I was too far to hear the rest. I felt guilty for leaving him talking to himself, but I had something else to worry about.
I really hoped Mrs. Ricci had found her already and I’d see the both of them giggling happily, but instead, I met a lonely Mrs. Ricci. Seeing me as well, the worry mirrored on both our faces. Mrs. Ricci called one of the men she saw passing by and asked him to join the search.
Within the next thirty minutes, what started out as a two-man search, turned into seven. Two hours in, that number had increased to thirty and still no sign of Artemis. My blood pressure had risen from naturally abnormal to the point where I was sure any further discomfort would push me into a cardiac arrest.
"What's going on here?" Alessandro finally showed up out of his office. I didn't think it was something to disturb him about until right now.
"We can't find Artemis," I deadpanned. I could see him visibly panic, but he shook it off before anyone else noticed.
"Well, find her then. There's like a hundred of you looking. Spread the fuck out! What are all of you doing in just the yard?" he began addressing the men that were assisting in the search. They obeyed and some of them entered the house.
By the next hour, the search party had doubled, and we still had no sign of Artemis. I had run more laps than an athletic jogger. More than four hours now and Artemis was still nowhere to be found.
There were tears in my eyes. Of regret...
Why didn't I wake up earlier? Why did I automatically assume she was with someone? Why didn't I install a tracker on her? Why didn't I just tie her to myself? Why didn't I buy her a phone?
The regrets got more unreasonable as I got more desperate.
Then came the tears of frustration, where it was me just screaming her name as loud as my voice could get before damaging itself and running around the entire compound as long as I could before I was finally subdued by someone. Someone I couldn't struggle out of.
Where was she?
"I just want to find my baby...I just...I just want my baby..." I kept crying in his embrace.
"We'll find her, I promise."
I can tell Alessandro is as distraught mentally as I am, but he tries his best to control himself and not give in to his emotions like I have.
I don't care about him though. All I wanted at that moment was my daughter. I didn't think it was possible to live without Artemis for a single day , but I did and not just a day. It wasn't until the third day before Alessandro rushed into my room with a phone in his hand shaking vigorously. I hadn't had much sleep since Artemis disappeared, so I was losing touch of what was real and what wasn't.
"Good evening to you too, Miss. Asghar," a comically deep voice spoke from the phone's speaker. That definitely jolted me into reality. I rubbed at my face multiple times to ensure that I wasn't dreaming and when that was settled, I focused myselfon the call, darting between the phone and Alessandro's face in confusion.
"Yes, what do you want?" I asked in a weak voice.
"When was the last time you checked your balcony?" the voice asked me. What kind of a question was that?
"Forgive me, Miss. Asghar," the voice said in response to my sarcastic retort. Please check your balcony. There's a special present for you."
Before he finished the statement, Alessandro had gone to the balcony and back. He was holding an envelope on his way back and he had it open before he finally reached where I was. The look on his face didn't display much, but when he spilled and showed me the contents of the envelope, my mind froze. In his hands dangled a very precisely cut piece of brown hair.
"Artemis," I whispered more to myself than to Alessandro. It took a while before it actually came together in my head, but I didn't know whether to feel happy or sadder.
"Artemis!" I screamed into the phone, hoping she could hear me. The bastard on the other line, whoever he was, laughed maniacally. For me, it was one of celebration and I took it to be so. Artemis was alive. Phew! That big question mark in my head was finally solved.
"I'm guessing you probably already know the trajectory things are taking now, don't you?" he said.
"What do you want from me? I'm prepared to pay any amount. I'll do anything!" I pleaded.
