When John reached the nurse’s station, he had already lost all composure. His voice trembled involuntarily. "N-Nurse, p-please... can you tell me where Zac from Room 608 is?" The nurse glanced at the large bouquet of flowers in his arms, a flash of disdain crossing her eyes. Still, she answered truthfully, "Zac was discharged yesterday. His mother transferred him to another hospital." Discharged. Transferred. John staggered, barely managing to stay upright. Transferred? Renee had never mentioned anything about transferring hospitals! Forcing himself to stay calm, John quickly asked, "Which hospital did they go to?" The nurse shook her head. "I don’t know. They didn’t say." John felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. He dropped the flowers without a second thought, tossing the pastries aside, and scrambled to pull out his phone. He dialed the number he had memorized countless times. He waited anxiously, his heart pounding—but after a long pause, an automated voice came through, "The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please check the number and try again." John stared at his phone in disbelief. How? Just yesterday, I had called Renee at this very number, how could it suddenly be disconnected? He quickly dialed Zac’s number next. Zac’s phone—John had personally picked out that number for him. But after another long wait, the same robotic voice played, "The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please check the number and try again." John’s panic exploded. He spun in circles, his mind racing, unsure of what to do. He forced himself to calm down. "Right, the security cameras. Maybe something happened to them!" The thought made his stomach churn with worry. In the surveillance room, the hospital security guards were cooperative and quickly pulled up yesterday’s footage.The video played. In the hospital room, Renee’s familiar figure appeared on the screen. She seemed anxious, hurriedly packing up Zac’s belongings. Anything she deemed unimportant, she tossed aside without hesitation. Among the discarded items were several things John had personally bought for Zac. Once everything was packed, Renee headed straight to the nurse’s station. After some discussion, a nurse handed her a discharge form. Then, without wasting a second, Renee had Zac moved into a wheelchair and pushed him out of the hospital. John checked the timestamp. They had left shortly after he himself had walked out of the hospital yesterday. No kidnapping. No danger. They had left willingly. John wasn’t sure how he walked out of the surveillance room. His emotions were a tangled mess. He felt relieved that they hadn’t been in danger, but at the same time... they had disappeared. Just like that. Unwilling to accept it, he rushed to a service center to check Renee and Zac’s phone records. The staff informed him that both numbers had been deactivated yesterday afternoon. Renee and Zac had changed their numbers. They hadn’t told him. The two people he loved most had suddenly vanished from his world. He didn’t even know where to begin looking for them. John wandered aimlessly through the streets, lost. He had no idea what to do anymore. Cold tears streamed down his face. He pondered. No, no, this isn’t real. Renee wouldn’t leave me. We promised each other. We were supposed to get married, have a grand wedding, and be the happiest family. But the way Renee had looked at him yesterday—so cold, so indifferent—was burned into his memory like a scar that wouldn’t fade. He couldn’t lie to himself anymore. When had things changed… Suddenly, it hit him.Of course. It had started the moment he received confirmation of the successful stock transfer. From the second Renee got that document, her attitude toward him had shifted. John finally broke down. He no longer cared about the stares of passersby. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed. Just as he was drowning in his sorrow, a voice called out above him. "Are you John?" John lifted his head in surprise. It was David. Hurriedly, he wiped away his tears and asked coldly, "What are you doing here?" David glanced around the street. "This is a public road. Anyone can walk here." John didn’t want to deal with him. He turned to leave. But David suddenly called after him, "Hey! You still owe me money!" John froze in place. Ha. Kicking me when I’m down, huh? He let out a bitter chuckle, his voice icy. "I’ll pay you back. Don’t be so impatient."