When I returned home, I discovered that both my kid and the babysitter had disappeared.

This was meant to be a typical night of babysitting, but it turned out to be the worst nightmare experienced by any parent.

When I found out what had occurred, who was responsible for it, and the surprising reason why, my terror morphed into the most intense anger I could possibly feel.

In the forty years that I have lived, I have experienced storms such as financial difficulties, heartache, and betrayal; yet, nothing could have adequately prepared me for the mayhem that broke out on Friday.

What was supposed to be a typical day at work turned out to be a terrifying experience that continues to cause my hands to shake whenever I think about it.

Before I can explain what took place, I need to provide you with some background information.

My ex-husband, Derek, and I finalized our divorce two years ago, and to say that it was “messy” would be exaggerating the situation rather than being accurate.

Lorraine, his mother, had a loathing for me from the very beginning of our relationship.

In the beginning, she was able to conceal it very effectively; nevertheless, as the marriage began to fall apart, her distaste transformed into something more intense, more personal, and more persistent.

Following the breakup, her distaste turned into an ongoing obsession. As if I had been plotting against Derek from the very beginning, she continued to blame me for every single setback that he encountered.

As a matter of good fortune, I was no longer required to engage with her very frequently, with the exception of the occasional, inevitable interactions that involved our daughter, Harper.

Harper is six years old; she is brilliant, inquisitive, and the very source of my life’s energy. Her giggle, her never-ending questions, and the way she curls up in my lap when she’s weary are the things that make my life whole.

As the week progressed, Harper began to have symptoms of a slight cold. A runny nose and a little bit of weariness were all that was present; it was nothing major.

In spite of this, her kindergarten had a stringent “no sick child” policy, and I was getting dangerously close to exhausting my vacation days through my career.

In the event of an emergency, I did not even consider asking Derek or Lorraine for assistance since I did not trust them to handle the situation.

As an alternative, I contacted Jessica, who is our usual babysitter.

Jessica was a respectable and caring college student who was twenty years old. She had a talent for making Harper feel comfortable and pleased during the entire process. In the months that she had been working with us, she had never once given me a single reason to be concerned about her.

As per my customary routine, I left for work on Friday morning. As Jessica sat next to Harper on the couch, she read out loud from one of Harper’s favorite stories. Harper was cuddled up on the couch with her blanket and a stack of coloring books. Everything appeared to be completely normal.

The instant I arrived at my house, that illusion was broken.

It was a few minutes after six o’clock in the evening. Upon entering the driveway, I was carrying a bag of chicken noodle soup that I had purchased from Harper’s preferred deli. I was already imagining the two of us sitting together in front of the television.

On the other hand, as I opened the front door, there was complete and utter silence.

No television. A lack of Harper’s giggling. The kitchen is not filled with Jessica’s humming.

Nothing except silence.

“Harper?” you ask. I raised my voice. “What’s up, Jessica?”

There is no response.

The living room, the kitchen, and Harper’s bedroom were among the rooms that I swiftly inspected as I traveled through the house. None of it.

Panic began to set in at that point.

Jessica was very good about sending me a text message if she was going to take Harper anyplace, even if it was just for a walking trip. But for the entire afternoon, there had been no texts.

My phone was pulled out, and I dialed her number. The line continued to ring for a considerable amount of time before finally going to voicemail. When I attempted it once more, I was met with a voicemail message.

I felt a starting tremor in my hands.

After that, I became aware of something that caused my stomach to turn out of shape: Harper’s pink bag was vanished. The individual who possessed the glittering unicorn patch that she never abandoned.

Because of this, I was able to recall it.

This is the AirTag.

I had concealed one of them in her backpack as a precautionary measure, “just in case,” several months ago. During that time, I had pondered whether or if it was a bit excessively protective. On the other hand, I found myself strangely appreciative of my own paranoia.

It was with nervous fingers that I opened the tracking application.

That was the case.

The location seemed to make my head spin.

The air terminal.

It took my brain a moment to decide whether or not to process it. Was the backpack belonging to Harper at the airport?

I did not deliberate. Just now, I grabbed the keys to my car and ran away.

The drive was a jumble of honking horns, flashing red lights, and prayers that were made in half. The AirTag position was updated at regular intervals of a few seconds. Still waiting at the airport. It is still there.

As I was going inside, I parked the car in a negligent manner outside the airport, and I just remembered to put it in park before I ran inside. As I searched intently, my eyes swept across the sea of people who were traveling.

I then became aware of it.

The pouch in pink color.

Alongside it, there is Jessica.

However, she was not by herself.

Even Derek was present. Lorraine, as well.

I was overcome with wrath at such a rapid pace that it almost caused my lungs to become unable to hold the air. When I finally made it to them, my voice was loud enough to be heard above the din of the terminal.

“What in the name of Heaven is going on?!”

The astonished Jessica turned around. There was hardly any change in Derek’s expression. On the other hand, Lorraine smiled at me with such a smug expression that I wanted to wipe it right off her face instead.

“Oh, Rachel,” she began in that sweet voice that she adopts when she is attempting to appear reasonable even if she is not. We shouldn’t make a scene here, shall we?

I completely disregarded her, and instead focused my attention on Harper. As soon as she laid eyes on me, her adorable little face brightened up.

It’s Mommy! She sobbed as she ran around and embraced me.

Taking her in my arms, I encircled her so securely that she let out a squeal. “Baby, what exactly is going on?” It was a whisper.

“They said we were going to the beach,” she muttered, her voice falling softly against my ear as she spoke slowly.

I became numb. “Is it the beach? You were informed that by who?

Her gaze was directed directly toward Lorraine.

As I turned to face them, the anger in my voice caused it to shake at times. You were bringing her out of state without informing me, wouldn’t you say?

The eyes of Lorraine were rolled. Please, Rachel, don’t be such a dramatic person.

Derek intervened, his tone devoid of warmth. She is in need of rest and recuperation. It will be for a couple of weeks that we are taking her. You have been working an excessive amount.

I snapped, “She has a cold,” about her. It is a form of kidnapping that you are engaging in.

A contemptuous hand gesture was made by Lorraine. “She will benefit from the air from the ocean. The resort is ideal for her, and we have already made reservations there.

Words struck me like a smack in the face. Neither of these were impromptu decisions. They were planning it out. She stuffed her bag. Paid for the tickets. And it is abundantly evident that Jessica was tricked into bringing her here.

Jessica’s brow went into a frown. What is this? ” She was aware, as you stated. You informed me that she was going to meet us here!

I made a sudden turn to face her. You were deceived by them. It was without my permission that you assisted them in transporting my daughter to the airport.

The color left Jessica’s face. Oh my goodness. Unbeknownst to me… I can vouch for the fact that

No, I did not allow her to finish. Derek and Lorraine were the focus of my attention at that moment. “Did you truly believe that you could just take her away. To the extent that she is a possession that you may sign out of?

Derek gave a shrugue. We reasoned that she would be more comfortable staying with us for a while.

Arriving at this point, a couple of airport security personnel had taken notice of the situation and were moving closer.

I uttered the words, “This is kidnapping,” with a voice that was clear and deliberate.

There was a pause in Lorraine’s self-assured smile. “Rachel, my sweetheart, you are acting too strongly. Due to a misunderstanding, this occurred.

I laughed with a sour tone. Forgetting to call is an example of a misunderstanding. Your actions consisted of both lying and deceiving, as well as making an attempt to take my child from the state without my permission. It is not a misunderstanding; rather, it is a criminal offense.

At that moment, the officers intervened and began asking questions, which caused a tiny separation between us. Keeping Harper in my arms, I made sure that her little fingers were firmly grasping my sweater.

In order to ensure that they were aware of the situation, I said, “You lied to her babysitter and attempted to take her out of the state without my knowledge.”

Just now, Derek let out a sigh. Because we didn’t want her to become agitated. That is the only thing.”

It appeared that Derek had finally come to terms with the seriousness of what they had done when the officers asked for our identification. There was a lot of attention. Speculations were being repeated. There was no way for them to go in peace at this point.

Lorraine gave it one final shot, her tone becoming more inconspicuous. Only what was in Harper’s best interest was our concern.

I looked intently into her eyes. In the event that you ever attempt something similar to this again, I will make certain that you never see her again. A pledge has been made.”

There is no sound.

The lips of Lorraine were drawn together in a thin line. She was aware that she had been defeated. Derek mumbled something under his breath and then gave over Harper’s small rolling bag as if he were returning an umbrella that he had borrowed.

Not a single word was spoken by me. With Harper still clinging to me, I turned and went away, leaving them to stew in the knowledge that their plan had been unsuccessful.

As Jessica ran after me, she apologized while fumbling over her words. It’s a lie, Rachel; I had no idea about that. Apparently, you gave your OK to everything. I was under the impression that I was assisting…

I took a moment to pause and take a breath right outside the doors of the terminal. “Why did you not pick up the phone when it rang?”

She retrieved her phone from her luggage and displayed the calls that she had missed to me. “It was stuffed away. After we had already arrived, I was the first to hear about it. They had made it sound urgent by that point, as if you had been delayed and wanted us to get a jump start on the process. I made a terrible mistake. Sorry, I’m so sorry.

I was fooled by her. In spite of her lack of malice, she was naive. However, once trust has been broken, it is difficult to regain.

My voice was tired as I said, “I’ll get in touch with you in a few days.” “At this moment, all I need to do is concentrate on Harper.”

Harper was given a slight wave as she nodded, appearing to be in a state of heartbreak. The wave that my daughter gave back was reluctant.

During the process of fastening Harper’s seatbelt, I noticed that her young face was displaying signs of bewilderment. She was not quite aware of what had just taken place, and I was unsure of how much more I should convey to her at this point.

One thing I was aware of was that this was not yet finished.

In the past, Derek and Lorraine had demonstrated to me the extent to which they were willing to go. They believed that they could exert influence over me, disregard my authority, and seize custody of my child whenever they felt the need to do so.

It was completely unknown to them who they were dealing with.