Chapter 377
Another two days have passed with nothing to show for it.
Every lead we chase turns into dust the moment we get close. People come forward with claiming sightings, tips, stories about Brook or the baby but every single one of them falls apart under the smallest bit of scrutiny. Fraud after fraud, all of them trying to cash in on desperation, and I’m left with nothing but wasted time and growing frustration.
I should be used to dead ends by now, but this feels different. This feels like I’m running in circles while my daughter is slipping further out of reach.
I’m Noah fucking Wood, but I’ve never felt this helpless. This useless in my entire fucking life… And Sierra, fuck, I haven’t been to see her.
I told myself I would, but every time I thought about walking into that room without answers, without our daughter, I stopped myself. It felt pointless, almost cruel, to stand in front of her empty-handed. But the longer I stay away, the more it feels like I’m doing exactly what she accused me of before, abandoning her when she needed me the most.
That realization is what finally pushes me to the hospital, because I no longer want to be the man who hurts her. I no longer want to be the man that abandons her. She may not want to see right now, but I’ll be damned if I let her go through this alone.
The walk to her room feels longer than it should, every step heavier than the last. When I reach the door, I stop just like I did before, my hand hovering near the handle as hesitation creeps in again.
I haven’t spoken to Lilly or Sierra’s mom. I haven’t even spoken to mom or my aunts. I’ve avoided all of it, burying myself in the search because it was easier than facing what I left behind, but I can’t keep doing that. Not anymore.
I knock before I can talk myself out of it and push the door open.
Lilly is the first one I see. She turns, surprise flashing across her face, and then something else follows. Uncertainty.
Her eyes flick briefly toward Sierra, almost like she’s bracing for a reaction. I expect Sierra to shout out me. To hit me. To tell me to get the hell out, but nothing happens. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t turn. She doesn’t even acknowledge that I’m here.
She lays on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, her expression empty in a way that makes something in my chest tighten painfully.
I look back at Lilly, questions already forming, but all she does is sigh.
She looks exhausted. There are dark circles under her eyes, her posture slightly slumped like she’s been carrying too much for too long, and I don’t need to ask to know that she hasn’t been sleeping.
“Lilly,” I say quietly, nodding toward the door.
She follows me out into the hallway, closing the door behind her. The moment it clicks shut, I turn to her. “What’s going on p>
Her expression shifts immediately, frustration and anger flashing across her face.
“You would know if you hadn’t been a coward and refused to come see her,” she snaps.
The words hit harder than I expect, but I don’t argue or defend myself because she’s right. If I hadn’t been a coward, I would have known. If I hadn’t been running from the guilt, I would have known what was happening.
Lilly exhales sharply a second later, running a hand through her hair.
“I’m sorry,” she mutters. “I didn’t mean that. I’m just… I’m worried about her p>
“It’s fine. You’re right. I should have come sooner.” I say and glance back at the door briefly before looking at her. “You’re right. I should have come sooner. “I wanted to have our daughter with me when I did p>