Echoes of the Past

Chapter 23

The tension in the small police station was suffocating. I sat at the corner of the bench, holding the phone tightly in my hand. It was the first contact I'd had with the outside world in so long, and my mind was racing with thoughts of my boys, my family, and the life I was so desperate to get back to.

Detective Harris stood nearby, watching quietly, his expression unreadable. He nodded, signaling that I could make the call. My fingers trembled as I dialed my mother's number, and each ring felt like it stretched on for eternity.

Finally, she picked up. "Hello?"

"Mum, it's me, Ava," I said, my voice already breaking.

There was a brief, stunned silence on the other end. "Ava? Oh my God, Ava! Where are you? We've been looking for you for months! Are you okay? Are you safe?"

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I struggled to keep my voice steady. "I'm safe now, Mum. I was taken. I was abducted, and I've been on an island... somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But I managed to escape. I'm in the Bahamas now, at a police station."

"Abducted?" My mother's voice trembled with fear and confusion. "Who did this to you? I—I don't understand. Are you really safe?"

I wiped away my tears, glancing at Cole, who was sitting across from me, his eyes locked on mine, silently encouraging me to continue. "Yes, I'm safe. But it's been... it's been hell, Mum. They drugged me and Cole, and we were taken to an island where we—"

"Cole?" My mother's voice cut through my words, sharp and filled with sudden suspicion. "What do you mean, Cole? Why is he with you? Ava, what's going on?"

I hesitated, knowing this would be difficult to explain, especially without seeing her face, without her seeing how broken I truly was. "Mum, Cole was taken too. We were both there, and we've been trying to survive together. We had no choice."

There was a beat of silence, then a hint of anger in her tone. "Ava, tell me the truth. Did you run away with him? Is that what this is? James has been beside himself. We all thought—"

"No, Mum!" I interrupted, my voice rising in desperation. "I swear to you, I didn't run away. I was taken against my will. Do you really think I would abandon my boys? Do you think I would leave my family? I never wanted this—I've been fighting every day to get back to them. If you don't believe me go and look for my passport. It's still in the drawer of my bedside table. Do you think I could have travelled without a passport? I was taken mum."

My mother's voice softened, but the hurt was still there. "I just don't understand, Ava. One day you were here, and the next, you were gone. No one knew what happened. James thought you left him. The boys... they've been heartbroken."

I squeezed my eyes shut, the guilt and pain washing over me. "I would never leave them. Mum, please believe me. They drugged us. We were unconscious, and when we woke up, we were on that island. I've been living in a nightmare."

She was silent for a moment, trying to process everything I was telling her. "I... I believe you, Ava. It's just... this is all so much. Where are you now? What are you going to do?"

"We're at a police station in the Bahamas. The detectives are helping us, and they're trying to figure out who did this and why. But Mum, please don't tell James about Cole yet. I can't deal with that right now. I'll explain everything when I get back."

"You have no idea what it's been like here," my mother said, her voice thick with emotion. "The boys cry for you every night. James... he's been a mess. Everyone thought the worst."

"I know, Mum. I'm so sorry," I whispered, my heart breaking at the thought of my children feeling abandoned. "I'll be home soon, and I'll make everything right. But right now, I just needed you to know that I'm alive and that I'm coming back."