Healing Hearts

38 || i'm here

Mateo ⋆｡°✩

It's been days, and the silence is killing me.

Everyone around me is quiet, as if words could shatter the fragile reality we're trapped in.

The police, who should be our protectors, are failing us.

They refuse to do their job properly because deep down, they know the truth, that the person behind this could make them all disappear in a heartbeat.

They're under some kind of control, fear gripping them tighter than any sense of duty.

They try to offer empty reassurances, claiming they're working on finding her, promising they'll bring her back safely, but i know it's all lies.

Sleeping seems impossible.

Every time i close my eyes, i'm haunted by the image of her being taken, dragged away as i lay there, useless and broken.

The world feels wrong, twisted in her absence.

I can't eat, i can't sleep, and i'm not sure how much longer i can survive like this without her by my side.

So, i've made a decision.

If no one else will act, then i will. I'm taking matters into my own hands.

Ash. He's one of those people who knows how to get things done, the kind of guy you go to when the system fails you.

I've known him for a while—he's reliable, smart, and most importantly, he's got connections.

I decided to trust him, something i don't do easily. Ash knows people, and one of his guys, a hacker, is damn good at finding things—or people.

With just a few clicks and less than two hours, he managed to track down where Emmalyn was last seen.

According to him, she's being held in an underground room, a basement of some sort, just a little outside the city.

It's secluded, hidden from plain sight, and the perfect place for someone to hold a captive without raising suspicion.

The moment Ash gave me the location, i felt a surge of hope, mixed with fear and rage.

I knew what i had to do. There wasn't time to think, to plan, to question if this was the right move. I need to act now.

I quickly started preparing. I didn't have much—just the essentials.

A small handgun, a knife tucked into my boot, and the determination that had been simmering inside me since the moment she was taken.

I grabbed a backpack, stuffing it with whatever i might need: rope, flashlight, a first aid kit, and a few other supplies that might come in handy.

I didn't bother packing anything extra. There wasn't going to be time for second chances.

But i knew i couldn't tell Elias or Melina. If they knew what i was planning, they'd try to stop me, force me to rethink it, to sit and wait for the police to do their job.