Prologue

"Lily, if you're hearing this, I want to begin by saying I'm sorry."
"On that day, you called for help, but I wasn't there to hear your cries."
"In that moment, you needed a hand to hold, but I wasn't there to hold it for you."
"When your vision grew dark, there wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel for you to see."
"When you needed me the most, I wasn't there to save you."

Tears were already flowing down Mark's cheeks; the audience could only watch in silence, grasping for every tight breath to keep themselves composed. It was a speech no one wanted to hear, but they forced themselves to listen through.

It was Mark's statement to the press about the disappearance of his daughter.

The sky was a deep blue, and clouds loomed up above. Any second it could rain, but it's as if god himself was watching, waiting for Mark to finish his speech.

"I am going to come find you."

With that, the clouds started falling.