Chapter 73
inside the police department, Audrey said to the female officer, “I found this child over there. She was alone and so hungry that she was rummaging through the trash.”
The female officer immediately moved to hold Luna, but Luna turned and clung to Audrey’s leg.
Audrey squatted down and gently said to Luna, “The police will help you. Don’t be afraid.”
Luna clutched her clothes, burying her face and shaking her head.
“You need to explain the situation to her clearly so she can help you. When the police ask you questions, you can nod or shake your head. You need to answer seriously, okay?” Audrey said.
“Good girl, don’t be scared,” the female officer tried again to take Luna’s hand and said. Luna allowed herself to be led, slowly releasing the hand that was gripping Audrey’s, but still looked at her expectantly.
Seeing this, the female officer asked, “Do you know each other?”
“Yes, she’s the child of my ex–husband’s childhood friend, so it’s not convenient for me to take her there,” Audrey replied.
Their relationship is so complicated. It really is inconvenient,‘ she thought. The female officer turned to Carson. “What’s your relationship with this
child?”
“–“Carson coughed, quickly pointing at Audrey. “I’m friends with her ex–husband. I can vouch that Audrey found the child by accident and didn’t kidnap her on purpose.”
“Then come with me and make a statement,” the female officer said.
Clayton received a call from the police department and immediately rushed over with Valerie.
They had thought Luna had only wandered out of the neighborhood, but she had ended up on the commercial street, far away and across multiple intersections. He couldn’t figure out how a three–and–a–half–year–old child had made it there.
Valerie burst into the police department and, seeing Audrey standing at the entrance of the reception room, flew into a frenzy.
“Audrey, I know you hate me, you despise me. If you want revenge, take it out on me. Why did you go after Luna? She’s only three and a half. Why did you target her?” Valerie screamed and lunged at Audrey, trying to grab her, but Clayton held her back.
Clayton probably thought that if Audrey was willing to use Luna to teach Valerie a lesson, it meant she still had some feelings for him. So, he was much
calmer than before.
Clayton held the crying Valerie with orie hand and said to Audrey, “Audrey, Luna is just a child. She doesn’t understand anything. And she’s sick. Don’t scare her. We don’t blame you for what happened today.”
“Why don’t you blame her?” Valerie cried. “Luna is my whole life. She’s trying to take my life. She hurt my hand before, and I could forgive her. I’d just stop painting. But now she’s trying to take my life.”
Valerie clung to Clayton’s clothes, collapsing in a heap of grievance. “Clayton, are you just going to let her do this? She kidnapped Luna to threaten me. You might as well just give her a knife and let her kill me.”
“Audrey won’t hurt you,” Clayton said.
“But she kidnapped Luna. How can you guarantee there won’t be a second time?” Valerie glanced at Audrey, who stood there with an expressionless face.
Valerie’s wild accusations seemed like the antics of a clown.
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Clayton also noticed that the police officers‘ attitudes were off. He patted Valerie, trying to calm her down, but she simply leaned into his embrace.
Clayton looked at Audrey, thinking of pushing Valerie away, but seeing her emotional breakdown, he didn’t.
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“Officer, she’s Luna’s mother. She was frantic because she couldn’t find her child. Thank you for helping find her. Can we see the child now?” he asked.
Another male officer
Isterly at Valerie. “Ma’am, why didn’t you report it when your child went missing?”
“–“Valene looked at Clayton with grievance. “We-”
“She was in the hospital,” Clayton cut her off, fearing she would say something inappropriate. “She’s been hospitalized these past few days.”
“Then who was taking care of the child?” the male officer asked.
Clayton looked at Valerie, who bit her lip and just cried, shaking her head when pressed for an answer.
The male officer pressed on. “The child is just over three years old. Did you leave her alone at home? Didn’t you ask a neighbor or friend to look after
her?”
“1-4 had something urgent to take care of. I didn’t expect-” Valerie looked at Clayton with a sorrowful gaze, as if to say that she didn’t want to be a neglectful mother and that she did love her child.
Valerie had gone to pick up Clayton temporarily, only to end up sleeping with him, and then she was forced into a suicide attempt, which caused her to neglect her daughter.
Clayton understood Valerie’s implication but couldn’t let her say it out loud.
“Vally suddenly fell ill, which is why she was hospitalized. It wasn’t intentional. Is the child okay now? We want to see her.” Clayton tried to change the subject, but the male officer wasn’t so easily fooled.
“Let’s get this registered. When exactly did the child go missing?” he asked.
Valerie’s crying paused, and she stammered, “Just today.”
“Was it this morning or this afternoon?” the officer pressed.
“Well, this afternoon,” Valerie replied.
The officer looked at Valerie sharply. “What time in the afternoon?”
Valerie looked to Clayton, crying, “I don’t know. I don’t know what time she left. When I got home, the door was open. I thought she had just gone out. I really didn’t mean to,”
The officer tapped his pen on the table, signaling for her to look at him and answer the question.
Valerie averted her gaze again and repeated herself.
The officer put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Valerie. “From the time you were hospitalized until this afternoon, over two days, you haven’t been home even once? You didn’t ask anyone to look after the child?”
“I just moved there, and I don’t know any of the neighbors.” Valerie glanced at Clayton again. “I just got back to Ironhaven. Clayton was taking care of me. But his mother was also in the hospital, and he was busy.”
Valerie just wouldn’t answer the police officer’s questions directly. She neither admitted nor denied having been home.
The officer continued his questioning, and Clayton walked over to Audrey. “Vally really was in the hospital. Didn’t you see her there? Luna is her whole life. You’ve scared her enough once. Stop making a scene.”
“Vally is really in the hospital. Didn’t you see her there? Xiaotuanzi is her everything. You’ve already scared her once–can’t you just stop stirring up
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Chapter 73
trouble” Fins tone was a mix of frustration and pleading
“Her life must be really precious then,” Audrey said ambiguously.
Clayton frowned. “Luna has autism. She can’t interact with strangers. You’ll scare her.”
“If Luna can’t interact with strangers, then how can she go to kindergarten?” Audrey countered, looking at him as if he were foolish.
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‘Does Luna have one–on–one care at kindergarten?‘ Audrey wondered. If Luna really can’t be around strangers and is afraid of unfamiliar environments, Valerie should have hired a permanent nanny to stay home with her!
At first, Audrey had thought Valerie was a great actress, deceiving Clayton. Later, she realized these inconsistencies were easy to spot.
Clayton, a meticulous lawyer, couldn’t possibly have missed them all. Most likely, it was because Clayton was deeply in love with Valerie.
Even if Valerie claimed the world was ending tomorrow, Clayton would believe her without question.
Clayton felt the contradiction himself, but still chose to trust Valerie. After all, no one knew their child better than a mother.
“Here it is,” Carson said, rushing in with a set of children’s clothes. “I got the clothes.”
When they found Luna, Audrey had only given her food. It was only after they got to the police department that she had Carson buy a set of clean clothes.
Carson almost instantly understood that some things needed to be witnessed by the police or seen by them firsthand to be credible.
“Carson? What are you doing here?” Clayton looked at him, then at Audrey. “You’re helping her kidnap Luna?”
“What are you talking about? Audrey and I ran into Luna on that street. She looked like she had been hungry for a long time, rummaging through the trash for something to eat. We even took her to have some fast food,” Carson explained.
“He and Audrey were walking around the street together?‘ he thought. Clayton’s expression changed instantly as if something of his had been encroached upon, and a hint of hostility rose in his eyes.
AD
