The Footage

Walking through the aisle, Amelia's eyes paused on the spaghetti packet. She grabbed the bag and was about to place it on her cart when her eyes fell on the gap created once she removed the last pack of spaghetti.

Her breath was stuck in her throat at the sight of the dashing man standing, reading the packaging. His side profile was enough to give her an idea of his identity.

Her hand trembled.

What was he doing here?

On an alert mode, Amelia quickly moved away from there. She couldn't let him see her. Although matters between them had been dealt with, she didn't wish for an encounter between them.

Years passed, and even now, some wounds remained raw.

What would he do if he finds out about Evelyn?

Fear made her insides churn.

Where is Evelyn? She had to find her quickly and get out of there.

Pushing her cart, she was about to search her little ray of sunshine when that familiar sweet and energetic voice fell into her ears.

"Mom! Mom! Where are you? Ah, I found you!"

The grin of little Evelyn's face widened as she rushed into the aisle. Her joy made her not notice the panicked state her mother bore.

"Evelyn, if you are done, come on. Let's go home. It's late."

Her voice was shaky.

"Yeah, mom. I chose a lot of goodies. I will take you to them. Can I get all of them?" Evelyn stared at her mother pleadingly.

"Baby, not today. Please. We just have to go home now. I will get them for you tomorrow."

That brightness in her round blue eyes dimmed, and those pink lips of hers formed a downward curve.

"Not even one?" she softly asked.

Turning down her daughter was difficult for Amelia, but the longer she stayed here, the dangerous the situation got for her.

Sensing her mother's state, Evelyn, concerned, asked, "Are you alright, Mom?"

Did anything happen?

"Yeah, just a slight headache. I am exhausted."

Oh? Then, she shouldn't trouble her mother.

"I didn't want to have them that much anyways. Let's hurry home if you are tired. I can help you carry the bags as well," Evelyn eagerly stated.

Evelyn didn't fail to notice her mother's hurried movements. It almost gave her the impression Amelia was running away from a monster, but then again, finding that to be silly, she decided that she thought too much.

Once all of the groceries were checked out, Amelia carried the bags and was in a rush to get out of the grocery store. Evelyn almost thought the store was cursed.

She giggled mentally at her thought.

As her mother held open the door for her, Evelyn ran down the stairs, and when she almost tripped, it prompted Amelia to exclaim, "Be careful! You will get hurt!"

Evelyn jumped down the last stair and twirled herself. Her golden locks bounced with her movements.

"I am totally fine, Mom!"

At the same time, the woman's loud voice reached Daniel— the man who was referred to as boss by Steven. His movement paused at the familiarity, and his eyes widened.

It can't be.

There was no way he would fail to recognize that voice.

He immediately walked off from there and started to look around in the surroundings almost frantically. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest with anticipation building up inside of him, but that only came crashing down, bringing despondency to him, when he didn't the woman he had been hoping to see for the longest period.

His shoulders slouched, and his composure was long gone.

Seeing his boss in this state made Steven run over to him. Worry laced his voice as he asked, "What's the matter, boss?"

Daniel pressed on his temples.

"She was here."

It took a second for Steven to process that before his eyes dilated out of shock, and he asked, "You sure about that, boss?"

"I heard her voice, but…" he trailed off.

He didn't find her.

"Check the CCTV footage here," Daniel ordered.

°°°

Daniel leaned against the car's seat, having his eyes closed. Memories flooded his mind, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste. The flow was interrupted when the knocks sounded on the window. He lowered the glass.

There was a hint of pity and sadness in Steven's gaze as he broke out, "Boss, apparently, the CCTV cameras faced a couple of technical issues, and it is yet to be fixed."

The information made Daniel clench his hand into a tight fist.