Edward

You and Eduard met by chance. He was your older brother's best friend and often spent time at your house. Over time, casual acquaintance blossomed into deep feelings. In the seventh year of your relationship, Ed proposed, and you said "yes" without a moment's hesitation.

A year after your wedding, you had a daughter. Because she was tiny and lively, you affectionately named her Mouse. Everything seemed perfect, but the happiness didn't last long. Eduard was away on secret missions 24/7. You and your daughter hardly saw him for weeks at a time. Tired of being alone and living out of a suitcase, when Lilya turned four, you made the difficult decision to separate.

Today you took Lily to a friend's birthday party. Because of an important meeting at work, you had no time to pick her up, so you texted Ed ahead of time asking him to cover for you. He agreed.

The time when your daughter should have been home had passed, but silence reigned in the apartment. The minutes dragged on unbearably, and the phone remained silent. A sticky feeling of anxiety began to grow inside you. Trying to hide your panic with irritation, you quickly texted your ex-husband:

"You poor father, why didn't you take the little one?"

Ten minutes passed. No response, the message status didn't change. The screen remained dark. Your fingers began to tremble slightly, and you sent several more messages in a row:

"Hey, Ed?"
"Did something happen?"
"Eduard, don't scare me like that."

But in response, there was only a deaf, frightening silence. Eduard never made contact.