Chapter 13

Shaun's men searched high and low across the city for half a month, but Cecelia was nowhere to be found. It felt like the city had swallowed her whole and erased every trace of her. Her resolve to shut him out cut deep, like a knife tearing at wounds that had never healed. Worst of all, nothing could have prepared him for the blow that came at the police station. As he filed a missing person report, the officer barely glanced at the screen before giving him a canned response. "You and Ms. Johnson ended your marriage two weeks back, Mr. Hawkins. Strictly speaking, you're not considered her immediate family." He balled his fists until his knuckles turned white. "That can't be true. There must be a glitch in your system. Look it over again." The officer patiently pulled up the document. "Take a look. Both of you signed it, and the courthouse logged it. The paperwork was done two weeks ago." Shaun staggered backward, his mind reeling in shock. He vaguely recalled Alice showing up wi