Chapter 202
“Keen’s gone missing?!” Deanna’s voice was filled with panic. “Didn’t he go to that birthday party with the other kids?”
Haynes replied, “He left his smartwatch and phone at home, clearly not wanting to be tracked.”
Deanna quickly asked, “Isn’t he usually with Rachel Pearce? Have you checked with her?”
“Not yet, but I’m calling her now.”
Keen was Deanna’s precious grandson, and she was understandably anxious. “Let me know as soon as you hear anything… Actually, I’ll head out with Callie and start searching too.”
After hanging up, Haynes immediately dialed Rachel.
Rachel was surprised when she picked up. “Keen’s not with me… What? He’s missing?”
Rachel felt a wave of concern. If something happened to Keen, it could ruin her plans to get closer to Haynes. After all, kids are easier to manage than adults.
She paused for a moment, then hesitantly suggested, “Haynie, do you think Ms. Cameron might have taken him?”
Haynes furrowed his brows, “Maisie saw Keen leave on his own. No one picked him up.”
Rachel’s voice was soft, “Keen left his phone and watch at home. Clearly, he didn’t want anyone to know where he was going. If he was coming to see us, he wouldn’t be so secretive.”
“Didn’t you say Ms. Cameron is planning a divorce, and you’ve agreed to it?”
“Maybe she’s trying to make a point by taking Keen. She might want to show you that Keen can’t be without his mom. That way, you might reconsider the divorce for the sake of the child.”
“Besides, Keen usually spends weekends at Deanna’s, but he lied to her yesterday, which means he had plans.”
“Maybe Stella contacted him beforehand, convincing him to run away.”
Haynes was silent for a few moments before finally saying, “I doubt it.”
He remembered Stella’s firm stance when she brought up the divorce. It hadn’t seemed like an act. He had a strong feeling she genuinely wanted out.
Rachel was taken aback. Haynes, who never trusted Stella, was suddenly defending her?
Had Haynes’s attitude towards Stella changed?
It must have been Stella’s performance the other day. Haynes had always been drawn to talented women. If a woman was nothing but a pretty face, he lost interest quickly, just like he had with Stella before.
That’s why she had initially caught Haynes’s eye.
No way. She couldn’t let Haynie develop feelings for Stella.
…
Meanwhile, at the amusement park, Stella was blissfully unaware of Keen’s disappearance. She was about to take Marvin to the next ride when her phone buzzed.
The caller ID showed Haynes.
Stella hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Haynes, are you calling to discuss the divorce?”
Haynes had proposed a clean break, but Stella had already made it clear the next day that it wasn’t happening. She had given the O’Brien family an heir and had been a caregiver to Keen and Haynes for five years without any compensation. The nerve of him to suggest she leave with nothing!
She wasn’t in a rush to remarry post-divorce, and with Neville’s help, her lawyer had already filed the paperwork. Now it was just a waiting game with the legal system.
Her lawyer had warned her that if Haynes opposed the divorce, it might not go through on the first trial.