Bella's POV
The daycare building loomed before me like a fortress, every window dark, every door sealed shut. The fluorescent sign above the entrance buzzed and flickered, casting sickly yellow light across the empty parking lot. My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared at the locked entrance, willing it to somehow spring open and reveal my son waiting safely inside.
This couldn't be happening. Not today. Not when everything else had already fallen apart.
My hands trembled as I fumbled through my purse for my phone. The device felt slippery in my sweaty palms, nearly sliding from my grip twice before I managed to scroll through my contacts. Mrs. Foster's number stared back at me, and I pressed call before I could second-guess myself.
Each ring stretched like an eternity. My pulse thundered in my ears, drowning out the distant hum of traffic from the main road. Come on, come on, pick up.
"Hello?" Mrs. Foster's voice finally crackled through the speaker.
