193: BLAME LUKE’S POV Andre and I got out of the car, moving forward to Ariel’s vehicle. She wasn’t there, but I was a hundred percent sure that this belonged to Ariel. “I can’t see anyone here,” said Andre, looking around this area. “Yes, but this is Ariel’s car. She must be around here somewhere.” “In an empty place like this? I don’t really think so.” “Come on, we have to search.” “Luke, this is telling us that something isn’t right here.” “So, what are you trying to say?” “I’m not going to jump to conclusions. But my mind keeps on telling me that Ariel’s been kidnapped.” sighed, still staring at the car. “I know. The same thought keeps running through my head. I’m just hoping for the best.” “What is this?” Andre’s eyes narrowed down, and he slowly sat on his heels. He took two necklaces from the ground. One I had seen around Ariel’s neck. And for the other, I had no idea who owned it. “This is Ariel’s,” Andre told me, flaunting the necklace that he was holding. “Of course, I see that.” I squatted and took the necklace from his hand. I looked at it pretty well, remembering how Ariel had that around her neck, making her really beautiful. “And this belongs to Janice.” Andre showed me the other necklace. “I think someone kidnapped the both of them.” “I can never be too sure about that,” I said, trying to be positive. But trust me, my mind was saying the complete opposite. I stood up and looked around, trying to find any clues or signs of where Ariel and janice could have gone. “We need to call the police,” I suggested. Andre nodded in agreement. “I’ll call them; you start looking for any other clues.” I started walking around the area, searching for anything that could give us a lead. Suddenly, I noticed a piece of paper on the ground. I bent down and picked it up, my hands trembling. It was a note written in messy handwriting. I could make the words out. Finally, she’s dead.” And this handwriting was very familiar. It belonged to Harriet. I was sure about that. I had been with her for years and knew what her writing looked like. Andre looked at me and noticed the scar on my face. “What’s that?” 193: BLAME 2/3 I slowly handed the paper to him without taking a look at him. “Finally, she’s dead?” He read it out, too. “What is this supposed to mean?” “That’s Harriet’s handwriting.‘ “Harriet. Your…” “Ex–girlfriend. She was in prison for murder, but she broke out, and now she’s come to do shit.” “I don’t get it. So what are you trying to say now? Is Ariel dead? That this ‘ex–girlfriend of yours actually killed her?” “I can’t tell that myself. But we have to be really careful now.” “Yeah, and the cops need to know about this. Let’s continue our search. We can’t give up now.” I breathed out deeply. “You’re right. I can’t give up now.” The two of us burst into my car, and I drove away, carrying Ariel and Janice’s necklaces. We reached the police station nearby and rushed to the front desk, asking for the officer in charge. A middle–aged man with a stern expression greeted us. “Excuse me, officer, we have some important information regarding a possible kidnapping case,” I said. The officer raised his eyebrows and asked, “And who are you?” “I’m Luke, and this is my friend André. We found some evidence that our friend, Ariel, and her daughter, Janice, might have been kidnapped.” The officer’s expression turned serious. “Alright, come with me, and we’ll take your statement.” As we followed the officer, Andre and I exchanged worried glances. We were hoping that the police would take us seriously and start an investigation. But to our dismay, the officer just kept asking us useless questions about our relationship with Ariel, our whereabouts, and even the color of her car. It was frustrating, and we could feel our anger building up. “Excuse me, officer, but we have important information, and we need you to take it seriously,” Andre finally snapped. Unimpressed, the officer looked at us and said, “Well, why don’t you let us do our job while you stick to yours? We’ll take your statements and start an investigation if we find it necessary.” Andre and I were seething with anger. How could this officer not see the urgency of the situation? We stormed out of the police station. “We can’t just sit around and wait for the police to do something. We have to find them ourselves,” I told Andre. 193: BLAME 3/3 “Of course. But this Harriet you’re talking about, do you perhaps know where she is?” “How am I supposed to know? She broke out of prison. She’s probably hiding her ass somewhere, with evil still in her heart.” “Let’s just go,” Andre said, and we both went back to my car, The two of us searched high and low, scouring every possible location we could think of, but our efforts were in vain. No matter where we looked, we couldn’t find any trace of Ariel or her daughter, It was a frustrating and disheartening experience, especially since we were so determined to find them. The feeling of helplessness and uncertainty weighed heavily on us as we desperately searched for any sign of their whereabouts. It was a truly fucked–up situation, and all we could do was hope and pray that they were safe and would eventually turn up, And I could blame myself for everything, reflecting on my past actions, Filled with regret and guilt. I should be the one responsible for causing her so much pain. I remembered every hurtful word I said, every action that caused her tears, and every moment I was selfish and thoughtless. She wanted the best, and I wanted the worst. Damage that I had caused, and it pained me to know that I had brought such sorrow to her heart. I was blind back then, but not anymore. I wish I could turn back time and make things right, but I knew that would not be possible. All I could do now was take responsibility for my actions and try to make amends. I will never forget how I hurt her, and I will do everything in my power to never make the same mistakes again. Now, I just needed to see her once again. Life can throw unexpected challenges our way, and sometimes, it can feel like everything is falling apart. My friend, I have learned that life can be really fucked up. I had a lot of money, and it blinded me to the point where I couldn’t see what was truly important. I ignored that Ariel only wanted the best for me, even if she didn’t love me then. My hatred so consumed me that I pushed away someone who genuinely cared for me. I was convinced that this person was only after my money, but ultimately, I realized I was wrong. I regret not being able to see the true value of this relationship and the lesson it taught me about the importance of genuine connections. Life can be unpredictable and tough, but it’s important not to let hatred blind us from the things that truly matter.
