Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Go with Little Uncle

She suddenly rose, pulled the needle from her arm, threw on her coat, and walked out of the hospital.

She called a car to take her home. Only in the familiar comfort of her own space did the ache in her heart begin to subside.

She took a hot bath, curled up under the covers, and slowly fell asleep. The body would heal itself.

「Deep in the night.」

Many people were weaving through the park, searching.

Dylan Finch held a tablet displaying surveillance footage. The last place Noah Grant had been seen was the children’s play area.

He’d gone behind the merry-go-round and vanished.

A team was already searching the area.

When Walker arrived, Sunny Reed grabbed his arm, her body trembling. "We haven’t found him... Walker, what are we going to do?"

Walker said, "Then we call the police."

Sunny Reed froze for a second, then nodded. "Right, right, the police. How could I have forgotten? I’ll call them right now."

Fumbling with her phone, she dialed the police.

Walker, meanwhile, took the tablet and studied it.

Then, he handed the tablet back to Dylan Finch and headed off in one direction to search on his own.

The park was dark. Even with the streetlights, the towering trees and their dense canopies blocked out much of the light, leaving some areas pitch-black.

The children’s play area was vast. Walker walked over to the merry-go-round, glanced around, and then headed in a different direction.

He passed teacup rides, a small roller coaster, and a pirate ship.

Deeper inside was a pumpkin house.

During the day, the pumpkin house’s mouth would be open, with a slide coming out the other side.

At night, the mouth was closed to prevent children from wandering in and getting hurt.

Lately, however, the pumpkin house had been under renovation, and the area around it was cordoned off.

This whole section was pitch-black.

Walker vaulted over the barrier and went inside.

"Noah?"

He called out toward the pumpkin house.

"Uncle Walker..."

A small, trembling voice answered.

Walker immediately went over and, with a hard push, lifted the pumpkin’s mouth. He saw Noah’s small body curled up inside.

"Noah, come here."

Walker couldn’t fit inside, so he could only call to him from the opening.

At first, Noah didn’t move. But once he got a clear look at who it was, he crawled over. The moment Walker picked him up, he burst into tears.

"WAAAH... Uncle Walker..."

Walker held him, his voice gentle as he soothed him. "I found you. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid. You’re safe now."

But Noah was too overwhelmed to stop crying.

Walker didn’t press him, letting him cry it all out.

"My son!"

Sunny Reed rushed over, crying as she reached out to hug him.

But Noah shied away from her, clinging to Walker and refusing to let go.

Sunny sobbed, gasping for breath. "My son, where did you run off to? Do you have any idea how hard Mommy looked for you? You scared me to death... SOB SOB SOB..."

"Let’s go."

Walker said in a low voice, striding off in the direction of her house.

But Noah shook his head frantically. "No! No!"

Walker stopped in his tracks. "You don’t want to go home?"

Noah’s body was racked with sobs. "I wanna go with you, Uncle Walker. I wanna go with you."

Walker could see how terrified the boy was. "Alright," he said. "I’ll take you to my place."

Only then did Noah begin to calm down.

Sunny Reed followed them in silence.

When the car stopped at the gates of Jardinelle, her expression flickered for a moment before she quickly composed herself.