"Our daughter is still missing and you're sitting here watching TV?"
I shot him a look of pure contempt. "Weren't you the one who said kids just want to play? That she'd be back any minute?"
He stared at me, caught off guard, mouth opening—
I cut him off. "What? Is listening to you suddenly wrong too?"
My mother-in-law glared daggers at me. "No wonder Maya's always sick. I've never seen such an irresponsible mother."
The whole family dragged me along as they searched the neighborhood.
Familiar streets. Familiar alleys. Asking everyone they passed.
The anxiety plastered across their faces—
it was all rehearsal. A performance designed to wash away suspicion once they found my daughter's body.
"Austin, this is taking too long. Let's call the police."
He snatched the phone from my hand. "Are you insane? She's just being mischievous. Don't waste the cops' time."
"Then what? We've searched everywhere. Maya's smartwatch tracker isn't working."
Tears welled in my eyes as I pressed him, voice cracking with worry.
"Keep searching. The neighborhood's only so big—where could she possibly hide?"