The Heart Left Behind (Cole and Yvonne) novel Chapter 58

"What's going on?" I asked, my tone sharp and direct.

Her voice was calmer than I had expected, which only made me more suspicious.

"What did you say to Jared?" she asked, her words tinged with irritation.

"What did he say to you?" I shot back. Had he twisted things around? Did he run off to tattle?

"You don't have to know what he said," she snapped. "Just stop interfering in my life!"

I froze, baffled by her sudden outburst. "Interfering? What are you talking about?"

I said coldly, "Don't forget, Xavier is my son."

Something wasn't right. Her tone wasn't just defensive—it was laced with fear. A pit formed in my stomach as a nagging sense of dread crept over me.

"You've got three minutes. Send me a real-time picture of Xavier," I said.

Before she could argue, I ended the call.

Her strange demeanor and the way she had mentioned Jared made my mind race. If that man had done something out of line, I'd make sure he regretted it. No one messed with my son and got away with it.

Three minutes passed, and my phone buzzed. Her voice on the other end sounded hoarse, like she'd been crying.

"You... Can you hear me?" she asked shakily.

"Get to the point," I said, cutting her off.

"Xavier… Xavier is missing. We don't know where he is."

"What?" The phone slipped from my hand. My body froze as her words sank in. Xavier was missing!

The world around me blurred as panic surged through me.

"Cole!" Lorraine's voice broke through my haze as she grabbed my arm. I turned to her, feeling like I was underwater. She handed me my phone, and I pressed it back to my ear.

"When did this happen? Why are you only telling me now?" My voice was a mix of anger and desperation.

I didn't care about the reasons behind his disappearance—I just wanted him to be safe.

I asked Lorraine to keep an eye on Jonas, but at some point, he had wandered over and tugged at my shorts.

"Daddy, what happened to Xavier?" Jonas was young, but he could understand what I had said.

He knew his brother was missing and wondered how that could've happened.

Jonas' eyes turned red as tears welled up. "Dad, did Xavier get lost?"

The more he thought about it, the more scared he became. Curling up into a little ball, he began to cry softly. "Will I… Will I see him again?"

I crouched down and gently patted his head, my voice trembling with emotion. "I'll find him. Do you believe me?"

Jonas looked up, a single tear clinging to the tip of his nose.

"Yes. I believe in you, Daddy."