Chapter 464 Intuition
"Oh, there was a lady who inquired about the same bracelet earlier. She seemed quite insistent," the shop owner revealed.
"A woman?" Antonio's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Did she leave any contact information or perhaps her name?"
The shop owner shook his head, "No, nothing."
"Could you discern her origin from her accent?" Antonio probed further.
"Uh, I'm sorry. I couldn't quite place her accent," the shop owner apologized.
Realizing the shop owner couldn't provide more information, Antonio requested the woman's phone number. He soon discovered it was registered in a small African nation. He attempted to make a call, but there was no response.
Antonio was left puzzled. Was the shop owner mistaken? Or was there a deeper mystery that was yet to be unraveled? Brady had never been seen with a woman. Was it all just a mere coincidence?
...
By the time Antonio returned to the hospital, Sarah was anxiously awaiting his arrival.
"Antonio, were you able to find the bracelet?" she asked, her voice filled with hope. The bracelet was a gift Brady had intended for her, and Sarah felt a deep regret that she would carry for the rest of her life if it remained lost.
Antonio shook his head, "Not yet, try not to worry."
"It's just so strange. How could a bracelet just vanish like that? Hasn't the entire hospital been searched?" Sarah's hope seemed to be pinned on the bracelet, as if finding it could somehow awaken her brother.
Antonio wrapped his arms around Sarah gently. "Did Brady ever mention having someone special in his life?"
"No, why do you ask?" Sarah looked at him, puzzled.
"I just contacted an antique shop overseas, and they mentioned a woman who had inquired about the same bracelet. Could she be involved somehow? Maybe she's someone important to Brady, a misunderstanding perhaps. After all, it's not like he tells us everything; he's bound to keep some things to himself," Antonio speculated, his thoughts swirling around Brady's personal life. He suspected that Brady might have had some romantic changes during their time apart that they were not aware of.
Sarah’s brow furrowed, an image from the previous night flashing across her mind. "…Serene! She's the only woman Brady has gotten close to since he came back. It has to be her, Antonio!"
Biting her lip, Sarah couldn't understand why she felt so certain that Serene was linked to Brady's trouble; perhaps it was just a woman's intuition.
"Why on earth would she inquire about that bracelet, though?" Sarah murmured to herself. "It's just something my mom left me. It shouldn't have anything to do with Serene."
Taking a deep breath, Antonio responded, "Sarah, we need to remain composed. We are currently without any tangible proof. The call to the shop originated from an African number, making it challenging to trace. Let's refrain from drawing conclusions until I've had a chance to investigate further, alright?"
After a moment of silence, Sarah posed a question. "Do you believe me?"
"I do believe you," Antonio assured her, his hand gently caressing her cheek. "But remember, we operate based on evidence. Once we have that, we'll know precisely what transpired with Brady. If someone has indeed harmed him, trust me, irrespective of who they are, we'll bring them to justice."
Sarah remained quiet, her intuition screaming that Serene was somehow involved. Yet, as Antonio had pointed out, they were without any concrete evidence.
Suddenly, a knock on the hospital room door interrupted their conversation. Both turned to see four children entering the room.
"How did you guys find this place?" Antonio exclaimed, his surprise evident.
Brian, his brow furrowed, replied, "You and Mom haven't been home for two days, and you weren't answering your phones. Naturally, we were worried."
After a day of rest, the children woke up to an empty house, with no signs of anyone returning.
Brian immediately sensed that something was amiss; even if their parents desired some alone time, they wouldn't go silent and leave them alone for two consecutive days. Something must have gone awry.
Meanwhile, the breaking news of Brady's apparent suicide attempt was too significant to keep hidden.
Upon hearing about their uncle’s incident, the kids rushed to the hospital.
"We saw the news about Uncle Brady. Are you and Daddy okay?" Harper asked, throwing herself into Sarah's arms.
Holding back tears, Sarah comforted her, "Mommy's fine, sweetie. I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you by telling you what was happening."
"Don't be sad, Mommy. Uncle will be fine, I'm sure of it," a soft voice tried to console her.
Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes, and she turned away, concealing a gentle sob.
Brian let out a sigh, then turned to Antonio, "Dad, is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not right now. Since all of you are here, spend some time with your mom. I'll go pick up some dinner for everyone."
The children nodded in unison. Entrusting Brian with all the details, Antonio also cautioned them to tread lightly around the topic of Brady's depression—to avoid it in conversation for fear of upsetting anyone.
After Antonio had left, the kids tried every trick in the book to cheer Sarah up, but despite their best efforts, a heavy gloom lingered.
"Mommy," Harper asked delicately, curling up against Sarah's shoulder, "Are we still going to Dad's birthday?"
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