My Sick 67-Year-Old Mother Disappeared for 3 Days, and When She Returned She Pointed at My Husband
I thought she’d been safe.
I was wrong.
For three agonizing days, we searched everywhere. The police were involved, and hundreds of questions were asked and answered. Flyers were posted and a hotline was created.
An open suitcase | Source: Midjourney
But it was as if she had vanished into thin air. Just like that.
The guilt ate me alive. I should have been there. I should have stayed home. Or I should have taken my mother with me. It would have meant more stops along the way, but she would have been with me.
I would have kept her safe.
But how could I have known? Alzheimer’s was a slow thief, robbing her of herself in pieces. I left her at home because her routine was one of the few things that kept her stable.
A close up of a worried woman | Source: Midjourney
But she’d never wandered off like this before.
When the police pulled up to our house on the fourth morning, my heart leapt to my throat. I rushed to the window, seeing them guide my mother out of the backseat.
Relief washed over me, but when I glanced at Nate, his reaction wasn’t what I expected at all.
Instead of looking relieved or glad, he looked… nervous.
The unease settled in my stomach like a rock. But I pushed it down, chalking up Nate’s behavior to guilt as well. He was probably stewing in his own guilt. He was supposed to be watching over Mom, but she had escaped on his watch.
“I’ll deal with him later,” I muttered.