The Unwavering Heart That Broke novel Chapter 145

She jolted upright, yanked out the IV, threw on her coat, and walked straight out of the hospital.

Once she got home, the pain in her chest eased, just a little, surrounded by the comfort of her own place. She ran a hot shower, crawled under the blankets, and let herself drift off, hoping her body could heal on its own.

Outside, the night was deep and quiet.

In the park, people were moving everywhere, their flashlights sweeping through the darkness as they searched. Aaron had a tablet in his hands, eyes fixed on the security footage. The last time anyone saw Jasper, he was near the children’s play area.

Jasper had gone behind the carousel and then... nothing. He was just gone.

Teams were out looking for him already.

When Lance arrived, Felice grabbed his arm, shaking. “We still haven’t found him. Lance… what do we do?”

Lance kept his voice steady. “We call the police.”

Felice froze for a second, then nodded, eyes wide. “Right. The police. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.” Her hands shook as she dialed.

Lance took the tablet, studying the footage for a moment, then handed it back to Aaron and took off in one direction, scanning the shadows.

The whole park felt darker than usual, the tall trees swallowing up most of the light from the path lamps. Some spots were pitch black.

The children’s area was huge. Lance checked around by the carousel, glanced left and right, and kept moving. He walked past the spinning teacups, the little roller coaster, and the old pirate ship ride.

Deeper in, there was a pumpkin-shaped playhouse.

During the day, kids would crawl through the pumpkin’s wide, cartoon mouth and out the slide at the back. But at night, the pumpkin’s mouth was shut to keep kids from wandering in and getting hurt.

The pumpkin house was under repair lately, so it was sealed off by barricades. This whole corner was nearly invisible in the dark.

Lance climbed right over the barrier, not wasting any time.

“Jasper?” He called out, his voice echoing.

Felice choked out her words between sobs. “Where did you go? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You scared me so much, I thought something terrible had happened…”

Lance cut in, his voice low and certain. “Let’s go home first.”

But Jasper shook his head, his whole body trembling. “No. No!”

Lance stopped in his tracks. “You don’t want to go home?”

Jasper could barely catch his breath. “Lance, I want to go with you.”

Lance nodded, gentle and sure. “Alright. Come home with me tonight.”

That finally seemed to help. Jasper’s sobs slowed. Felice trailed behind them, still crying.

When the car pulled up to Lumina Grand, Felice’s eyes flickered with emotion. Whatever she was feeling, she forced it down and followed them inside.