Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 126

I waited there for what felt like forever. The hours crawled by until finally, late in the afternoon, Mr. Lane strolled in like he had all the time in the world. After chasing down his signature, I was just about to head back to the office when my phone buzzed. It was Diana.

“Lambert, you need to come home. Your mom is missing.”

My stomach dropped. “Are you sure she’s not just out for a walk?” I tried to keep my voice steady, but I was already bracing for the worst.

Ever since she started feeling better, Mom liked to chat with our neighbors or pop over to the supermarket. It wasn’t unusual for her to be out.

But Diana’s voice was shaky. “No, it’s not that. Darleen said this morning she was just stepping out for a bit. She’s been in a good mood lately, so I thought I’d take the chance to go to the market since we were running low on groceries. When I got back, she seemed… off. I asked if she was okay, and she only said she was tired and wanted to rest.”

“After lunch, while I was cleaning up, I saw her sitting on the couch, staring at your photos for ages. Then she said she needed a nap. I went to lie down too, but when I woke up, she was gone. All she left was a letter. Her phone’s off, and I can’t find her anywhere. I should’ve noticed something was wrong. This is my fault.”

A chill ran through me. Something must have happened. She would never just leave without a word unless something was really bothering her.

“Diana, please stay at home. I’m heading back now. I’ll call the police on the way.”

I hung up and was about to start the car when another call came in. Claire.

“Why aren’t you back yet? You left this morning, and it’s already late. Where are you?”

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