As the locksmith removed the old lock face, Colton pulled out his phone. The screen lit up with a new message from Reed Donovan. Bay View Hotel, poolside wing. She's with him. I'll send photos shortly.
Colton inhaled once, controlled and steady. Then he copied the hotel address and opened a message window to Edward Montgomery, her father. Your daughter left my house to spend the night with her college crush. Here is where she is right now. He attached the address.
Then he sent the exact same message to Lillian Montgomery, her mother. He didn't wait for their responses. He didn't need to. He then dialed his friend Grant Whitmore, who answered on the first ring. Colton, everything all right?
"I need you to come over, " Colton said, his voice firm and even. "I need help moving some things out of the house. " Grant didn't ask questions. "I'm on my way. Colton slipped his phone back into his pocket just as the locksmith finished installing the new front lock and moved to the back of the house.
The metallic clicks trailed behind him as he rounded the corner. Inside the house still held the faint scent of Meline's perfume, but it no longer stirred. Affection, only confirmation. She had chosen her path. Now he was choosing his.
15 minutes passed before Grant's car pulled into the driveway. He stepped out, confusion already visible on his face as he approached the porch. Colton, what's going on? Colton didn't explain in detail. We're packing up everything that belongs to her.
Grant didn't argue. He nodded once and followed him inside. Together they moved through the house quickly and quietly, opening closets and drawers, pulling down handbags she cherished, shoes she rarely wore but always flaunted, dresses she spent half their savings on, jewelry boxes she boasted about to friends. They folded everything neatly into luggage and boxes. Colton moved with a focus that surprised even himself.
Grant stayed silent, respecting the unspoken weight of the moment. When they finished packing each room, they carried the boxes and luggage outside and stacked them neatly beside the porch, lined up under the warm evening light. Her entire world, everything she valued, waited outside for her return. The Bay View Hotel stood tall against the evening sky, its glass exterior catching the last remaining glow of sunlight. As the day slowly relaxed into early dusk, families wandered through the lobby.
Couples lingered at restaurant tables and soft lounge music floated from the bar near the pool area. To anyone passing by, it looked like an ordinary hotel on an ordinary evening. But inside the Montgomery household, chaos had erupted. Edward Montgomery stared at his phone, reading Colton's message again and again as if the words might rearrange themselves into something less devastating. His wife, Lillian, hovered behind him, clutching her own phone tightly as her breath trembled.
Neither of them had expected to receive a location, an actual address, confirming their daughter was not only gone from her home, but gone to meet another man. Get your keys, " Edward said abruptly, his voice strained. "We're going right now. " Lillian didn't argue. She grabbed her purse and followed him out to the car, her heart pounding with a mixture of dread, disbelief, and a mother's silent plea that this was all some terrible misunderstanding.