After a long night's journey, Nicky finally arrived home and could feel his bed once again. But despite his body being utterly exhausted, his mind was still consumed by one question, where was Diana?
Nicky could only lie on his back, staring at the ceiling, trying to push away the dark thoughts that kept haunting him. Eventually, sleep took over. Without even changing clothes or freshening up, he drifted off just like that.
***
The sunlight filtering through the bedroom window made Nicky's eyelids twitch. Slowly, he opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Sleep still clung to him, but his body felt slightly more refreshed than the night before.
After lying there for a few moments, he finally sat up at the edge of the bed. Glancing at the wall clock, he realized it was already eight in the morning.
Without wasting time, he grabbed a towel from the wardrobe to take a shower.
But just as he took a step toward the bathroom, the doorbell rang.
"Ding-dong!"
Nicky paused for a moment. Who would come this early?
His first thought was Mrs. Helena and Mr. Bryan. Maybe they had come to discuss the next steps in searching for Diana.
With a slight reluctance, he walked toward the front door. But when he opened it, there was no one outside.
Nicky scanned the surroundings. The street was still quiet, with only a few neighbors passing by in the distance.
His brows furrowed. Then, his eyes landed on something on the floor, a small brown package.
He crouched down and picked it up. There was no sender's address. No name. The package gave no clue about its origin.
A strange sense of unease began creeping over him.
Without wasting time, Nicky shut the door and walked back to his room. He sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the package with growing curiosity.
Taking a deep breath, he carefully unwrapped it.
Inside, there was only a plain black flash drive.
Nicky stared at the small device for a long moment. The unsettling feeling grew stronger, but he forced himself to ignore it. With a heavy breath, he turned on his laptop and plugged the flash drive into the USB port.
The screen lit up, and a single folder appeared with an odd name:"My Beloved Baby's Daily Life."
Nicky read the folder name in confusion.
"What is this?"he thought. But then, he chuckled."Maybe it's just someone's baby photo collection. No idea how it ended up with me."
Casually, he clicked on the folder.
Inside, there were two subfolders:"My Baby's Photos"and"My Baby's Videos."
Seeing the names of the folders, Nicky scoffed. Who sent this? From the names alone, he was sure it was just a personal collection that had been sent to him by mistake.
Without thinking much about it, he closed his laptop and placed the flash drive on the table.
But a few minutes later, boredom crept in. His house was silent, his mind empty. He didn't know what to do.
He lay back down on the bed, trying to rest his still-fatigued body. But just as he closed his eyes for a few minutes, a sudden realization struck him.
"Damn...!! I had an appointment with James!"
His eyes shot open. He immediately sat up, grabbed his phone from the bedside table, and checked the last message he had sent to his friend.
Sure enough, last night, he and James had agreed to meet this morning to discuss their business, which Nicky had abandoned for over a month.
Without hesitation, he dialed James' number.
"Hello?"James' voice came from the other end.
"James, sorry, I almost forgot our appointment."Nicky said, rubbing his still sleepy face.
"I figured,"James chuckled."So, we're still meeting, right?"
"Yeah, I need an hour. I'll get ready first." Said Nicky.
"Alright, I'll wait at the usual spot."Replied James.
After hanging up, Nicky quickly got up and walked to the bathroom. The cold water running over his body refreshed his mind slightly.
Once done showering, he put on a neat work outfit and sprayed a bit of cologne. After making sure he was ready, he grabbed his phone, wallet, and car keys, then stepped out of his room.
***
After about fifteen minutes of driving, he arrived at his destination, a modern café with a warm atmosphere, neatly arranged wooden tables, and the inviting aroma of coffee greeting him as he stepped inside.
In the corner of the room, a man sat, busy typing on his laptop.
It was James.
He was as tall as Nicky, but there were a few distinct differences. James had slightly messy curly hair, glasses resting on his nose, and a thin mustache with a beard that made him look more mature. He was the same age as Nicky, but his face always carried a more serious expression, as if he was constantly deep in thought.
As soon as he saw Nicky approaching, James closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair.
"Look who finally decided to show up."James said jokingly.
Nicky took a seat across from James and waved at a waiter to order coffee.
"Sorry, I almost forgot our appointment,"Nicky said, rubbing his face."A lot has been happening lately."
James raised an eyebrow."Yeah, I get it, Nick. I'm really hoping and praying that your wife will be found soon."
Nicky took a deep breath and nodded."Yeah... the police are still investigating."
James looked at him with sympathy."I know this is tough for you, Nick. But honestly, I'm a little unsure if you can still focus on our business."
The waiter arrived with their coffee. Nicky picked up his cup and took a small sip before responding."I'll do my best to stay professional, James. So, how has the business been while I was away?"
James let out a long sigh."To be honest, we've been struggling without you. Some clients have postponed projects because they trust you more when it comes to overseeing the work."
Nicky nodded."I understand. They do feel more comfortable communicating directly with me."
"But don't worry,"James continued."I've been doing my best to keep things running. I've handled some smaller projects to keep the revenue stable."
Nicky set his coffee cup down."And what about the big project we planned before I left?"
James shook his head."It's still on hold. Some investors are starting to have doubts because of your absence."
Nicky rubbed his chin, deep in thought."Then we need to schedule a meeting with them as soon as possible. I'll convince them that I'm back."
James gave a small smile."That's a good idea. But are you sure you're ready to get back to work? I mean... with everything that's happening with Diana..."
Nicky looked James straight in the eye."I have to keep moving, James. I can't let myself drown in grief. If I lose focus, I could lose even more."
James nodded, understanding his friend's resolve."Alright. Then let's set up a meeting with the investors this week."
They continued their conversation, discussing business plans and the next steps they needed to take.
***
The night grew later. Nicky's room light was dim, creating a calm atmosphere that still felt empty. He lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Since returning to his hometown, he had hoped to rest and regain his strength after a month of searching for Diana with no results. But in reality, while his body might be tired, his mind never stopped working.
Next to the bed, on a small table, a flash drive still lay there. Nicky glanced at it briefly. It was the flash drive he had found earlier that morning in front of his house.
At first, he had ignored it. He thought it might just be a collection of baby documentation that someone had accidentally sent to the wrong address.
Who sent this flash drive? he thought. Was it a wrong delivery?
He tried to remember if any of his neighbors had recently had a baby. Maybe this flash drive contained documentation about their baby, and the owner was now frantically searching for it. If that was the case, they were probably eagerly waiting for this flash drive to be returned to the right address.
Nicky then thought, if he opened it, maybe he would find a clue, photos of a baby he recognized or the faces of the baby's parents.
If this flash drive belonged to someone in his neighborhood, maybe opening it would help him find a clue. Maybe there would be photos of a baby he recognized or the faces of the baby's parents. That way, he could return it to the rightful owner.
Nicky sighed deeply, got out of bed, and grabbed his laptop from the table. He turned it on and waited for the screen to light up completely. The light from the laptop screen faintly illuminated his tired face.
Hesitantly, he reached for the flash drive, plugged it into the USB port, and waited a few seconds for the device to be recognized.
A folder appeared on the screen.
"My Beloved Baby's Daily Life."
Nicky hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to open the folder to figure out who the owner was.
Nicky moved the cursor and clicked on the folder.
Inside, there were two other subfolders:
"My Baby's Photos" and "My Baby's Videos"
Without thinking too much, he clicked on the "My Baby's Photos" folder.
At a glance, thumbnails of photos started to appear on the screen.
Nicky was shocked and felt uneasy. On the screen, a woman appeared sitting on the floor, wearing thick diapers, a pastel colored baby outfit, and a pacifier in her mouth. It wasn't a photo of an ordinary baby. It was a photo of an adult woman dressed like a baby.
Nicky's hand slowly moved the cursor, then clicked on one of the photos to open it in full view. When the photo opened in full size,
"Oh my God...!! That's not a baby...!! That's Diana...!! That's really Diana...!!"Nicky's voice cracked, almost shouting, as the terrifying reality hit him like a storm.
As if struck by lightning, he finally realized that the woman in these photos was not a baby, but Diana, his wife.
Nicky swallowed hard. His hand trembled as he moved the cursor and opened another photo to get a better look.
In the first photo, Diana was sitting on the floor, wearing adult sized baby clothes. A pacifier was in her mouth, and her body was wrapped in a diaper that was clearly visible. Surrounding her were dolls and colorful toys, as if she were in a toddler's playroom.
In the next photo, Diana was lying in a crib that was much larger than a typical baby crib. Her eyes were closed, her face looked innocent and peaceful, but there was something off about the photo. The pacifier was still in her mouth, and her hands appeared to be handcuffed behind her back.
The more photos he looked at, the tighter his chest became.
One photo showed Diana sitting in a large baby chair. Someone whose face was not visible was feeding her with a small spoon. Only the person's hand was visible in the photo, but it was clear that Diana was being fed baby food.
Nicky could feel his heart pounding.
He shuddered when he saw another photo, where Diana was sitting on the floor, holding a baby bottle with both hands, appearing to be forced to suck its contents. Her body seemed thinner than usual, her face slightly pale, and there was an obvious expression of exhaustion.
"Oh my God..."he whispered in disbelief.
His hands tightened around the table.
This was no joke. This wasn't a wrong delivery.
Diana was in a strange place.
Who took these photos?