Chapter 4
"Excuse me, but I don't think you have the right to interfere in our family matters," Dad said, stepping protectively in front of Mom, frowning with impatience.
"Grace, don't let random people into our house from now on," he added.
He put his arm around Mom and tried to head inside, but the director stepped forward and spoke gently, "I'm sorry, Mr. Carter.
"The thing is, Elaine has come to our orphanage a few times, saying she really wants to live with the kids there.
"We just wanted to check if there's something going on that the adults might not know about. Is Elaine here? Can we talk to her together?"
When my name was mentioned, Dad froze for a second, like he'd just remembered I existed.
Mom snapped, "Elaine wants to go to the orphanage? Perfect! That's exactly where she belongs. Honestly, I should've sent her there the day she was born!"
Mom screamed. Her emotions were completely out of control now.
"Grace, take my wife back to the car. I'll grab some medicine and take her to the hospital," Dad said.
He turned to the director and the others, giving them a frosty stare. "My wife's not in good condition. I need to take her to the hospital."
With that, he turned and walked into the house, slamming the door shut behind him.
He staggered toward the bedroom, totally wiped out, and then suddenly tripped over something at his feet.
He caught his balance and saw he'd knocked over a suitcase.
His eyes narrowed in shock as he stared at the stuff spilling out of the toppled suitcase.
There were Edith's clothes, her toys, her little blanket, and other things.
Dad froze, unable to move.
After a long moment, he practically threw himself at my bedroom door, his hands shaking as he fumbled with the lock. He yanked open my closet, rummaged through my bookshelf, and even peered under my bed.
He couldn't find me anywhere.
"Elaine? Elaine? Where are you? Stop hiding..." he called out, his voice trembling.
I hovered next to him, watching as he searched every corner of the house.
Dad, would you find me?
In the hide-and-seek all those years ago, Edith disappeared forever, and that haunted my parents for the rest of their lives.
But it was not the same with me. Me disappearing was my way of making things right for Edith and letting my parents finally move on with their lives.
"No way... It can't be that suitcase..." Dad whispered to himself.
He shakily pulled up his old online orders.
The words "auto-lock" and "extra-thick lining" jumped out at him from the product description.
Those words cut through him like a blade.
Dad collapsed to the floor, completely stunned for a whole minute.
He looked dazed and more disoriented than I'd ever seen him.
Then, he pushed himself up, unsteady on his feet.
As if nothing had happened, he methodically packed all of Edith's belongings from the suitcase into a trash bag and tucked it out of sight.
Then Dad headed out, taking Mom straight to the doctor.
While they were gone, the "psychic" sent Mom a message: [Your child's spirit has finally let go, and she's already moved on. Before she left, she asked me to pass on a message to you.]
[Really? What did Edith say? She will be happy in her afterlife, right?] Mom's eyes lit up, tears spilling over as hope flickered in her gaze.
The "psychic" replied: [She said you shouldn't keep worrying about her. She wants you to move on.]
After reading the messages, Mom was crying her eyes out, tears streaming down her face.
By the time they arrived at the clinic, her mood had calmed down a lot.
The doctor gave her a quick evaluation and, seeing she was stable, had his assistant take her to another room for a session of hypnotherapy.
Then he turned to Dad with a smile.
He said, "Mr. Carter, your way of handling things was spot on. You really understand your wife.
"Sometimes, when someone's really caught up in something, you have to nudge them out of it. Honestly, she's been looking much better lately. I'll prescribe some medicine for her.
"Make sure you both get some rest. Why not go on a little vacation, clear your heads, and take it easy for a while?"
But Dad's expression was anything but happy.
I moved closer to Dad, and I could hear his breath, ragged and heavy, and his heart thumping like a drum in his chest.
With Mom finally calm again, Dad drove her home, and she couldn't stop talking the whole way. "Since the psychic said so, Edith's really okay now. That's such a relief.
"Edith, I'll never forget you, but I promise I'll do my best to live my life. We'll all be okay."
I watched as Dad managed a strained smile.
I was glad Mom was finally getting better, but deep down, I was scared I might end up hurting her all over again.
The car rolled along smoothly, and during the drive, Grace sent a message: [Mr. Carter, I've finished cleaning up the house. But Elaine still hasn't made a sound.
[She probably hasn't eaten anything all day. Should I still keep her in her room?]
Dad shielded his phone so Mom couldn't see, and quietly typed back: [Don't worry about it. Just head home. And don't come by for the next few days. We're going out of town.]
He glanced over and saw Mom smiling for the first time in ages, but his expression grew even more grim.
Outside, the sunset was blazing, flooding everything with color. Mom leaned against the window, looking more peaceful than I'd ever seen her.
She was lost in her own world, completely unaware of the tension radiating off Dad.