After Forever & Ever

Chapter 152

Tessa-Present

I call the police...but I don't leave. I can't. I left before and he was gone. I'm not doing that again.

I feel like too much time is passing and nothing....

No one comes out...the police aren't here....

It broke me to see him that way. He was so weak, I have no idea what he's actually been going through but I know that they have put him through absolute misery.

Moments later I see Vance come out just as the police are arriving.

I rush out of the car to him.... "where's Hardin?" I question.

"He's still inside....with Reed." He replies as some other guy approaches from behind him.

Hands where I could see them the cops yell to the man and he puts hands up and he quickly is placed under arrest.

I finally process what Vance said to me.... "why is he still inside with Reed?!" I ask frantically.

Before he can answer me the cops walk us over to a detective for questions while cops swarm the house.

They are asking us so many things and I can't even focus because I just want to see Hardin and know he's okay and....

Then my thought is stopped.

"House is clear." The cop says.

"What do you mean the house is clear?!!" I scream.

"No one is in the house." He replies.

"That's impossible...did you check the basement?!" Vance replies in the same panic I am showing.

"Sir there is no one in the house...did they leave when you all left?" He asks.

"No.... they were there. They were both there." He replies.

Just when I thought this was over....that this was all going to end....that Hardin gets to walk away from this. That we could have our lives together finally... he's gone.

After hours of staying on the scene hoping for the outcome to be different we finally leave and go back to the hotel. With the same hope that he's miraculously going to walk through the door or my phones going to ring and it's going to be him.

Those same thoughts are my constants for the next..... 6 months. We spent a little over a month in London. I flew back to get Emery and then came back to help Vance follow any and every lead that went nowhere.

When we finally returned to LA my focus had to shift from finding him to trying to return to living again. And not for me because I know I couldn't do that but for Emery...

But it was impossible...I tried going back to work but I just couldn't.

I've played a billion scenarios in my head of what happened to him. I haven't quite come to the conclusion that he's dead because I don't want to believe that but it's been 6 months...he's been gone without a trace for 6 months....

If he was alive...he wouldn't walk away from me or his daughter....and i never got the chance to tell him he would be a dad again.

I'm due in 2 months with a babyboy...our son.

Our son who I still am holding out hope he will get to meet...

Vance has taken this just as hard as me. His full time job has been looking for Hardin...well and Reed because he thinks if he can find Reed he can get to Hardin....

He hasn't forgiven himself for walking away...But it's not his fault.

Trish, Ken, Karen heck even Landon....even my mom have all been there for me and I've been there for them too. We have all tried to grasp this. But no one is doing well. Hardin would always say how he ruined everything and that's just not true. Him not being around has crushed everybody. And I just want him back. I want my husband back...